We at 24 Hour Online Bail Bonds offer some of the most affordable bail bond discounts — we offer both 7% and 8% bail bonds if you are arrested in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Diego, and San Bernardino. This blog will give you a complete overview of our exclusive 8% bail bonds.

What are 8% Bail Bonds?

When your loved one has been arrested and charged with a bailable crime, a bail bond allows you to get them out of jail until their court date. If you cannot raise the bail, they may be forced to stay in jail, awaiting the court date.

However, you have the option of contacting a bond agency that will help you secure their bail bond. Most bond agencies in California offer bail bond discounts and payment plans and offer 8% discounts on bail bonds exceeding $10,000 and paid in full. This means the 8% must be paid to the Court in total and is non-refundable until their court case is complete.

Bail Prices in California

The bail bond in California does not have a standard rate. The bail bond is generally set at 10%, determined by the California Department of Insurance and mandated by the law. The premium or bail fee is non-refundable and is a percentage of the total bail amount.

If the bail is set at $10,000, the bail bond fee paid is $1,000. However, California has rules, laws, and regulations about what a bondsman can charge as a premium. Some bail bond agents give 8% premium discounts to people who qualify, such as:

  • Active or Retired Military Members and Their Immediate Family Members

Co-signers or defendants who are military members need to provide solid proof of their military service. If the defendant is an immediate family member of a military member and has no military ID, the military member must prove service. In this case, a close family member means a legal parent, biological or adopted child, spouse, or sibling.

  • Union Members

The defendant or the co-signer should currently be a member of a union, getting retirement or disability benefits from a union, and have proof of the same such as:

  1. Current union card displaying an expiration date yet to come
  2. Union card alongside a recent payslip, installments union dues, or a letter from the union declaring the member’s current standing. Any written evidence such as pays slips or union letters must be dated less than thirty days from the bail date.
  • Others include homeowners, AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) members, Teachers, and others.

If there are any extra charges, they may arise from the bail bond agency. These are nominal charges that most bail bond companies incorporate into the 8% non-refundable premium. There might be charges for other expenses like paperwork. If the defendant does not show up, you as the co-signer must pay the bondsman 100% of the total bond and any accrued fees for a bounty hunter.

How to Qualify for an 8% Bail Bond

An 8% bail bond does not need any collateral, and if, as a co-signer, you have a job or the defendant has a job, that is enough credit. As a co-signer, you need to have solid proof of employment and hold a valid California ID.

How Do You Apply For 8% Bail Bonds?

Getting an 8% bail bond is easier when you work with a bondsman. Once the bail is set by a panel of judges using the Bail schedule, you can get bail from the jail without appearing before a judge. The first thing to do is speak to a licensed bail bonds agent who will ask you various questions about the person in custody and their arrest details.

With the details you have provided to the bond agency, they draw up a contract and bail application. This is a short document that you can complete online if you cannot avail yourself at the bond agency office.

As the co-signer, you must understand that you are taking full responsibility and financial risk for the entire bail bond amount should the defendant abscond. You must be sure that the defendant will show up for all court dates. Before you sign the bail bond contract, the bondsman will explain all your responsibilities. In California jails, you can post bail bonds twenty-four hours a day and any time of the week.

Once all paperwork is done, and the bond paid, the bondsman will post bond and the defendant will be released. It may take anything between half an hour to twelve hours before release, depending on the defendant’s circumstances, the jail, and jail staff.

The Indemnitor or person who signed the bail bond now takes up the responsibility of ensuring the defendant comes to Court on the appointed date or dates. If the defendant skips town or Court, you as the cosigner have to pay the Court the entire bail amount.

8% Bail Bond for Significant Bail Bond Amounts

Bail amounts are not the same depending on what the defendant is charged with. The bail bonds can be anywhere from a few thousand dollars or hundreds of thousands. In most cases, the arresting officers will charge the defendant with the most severe version of the committed crime. They may charge the defendant with multiple counts of the same offense to allow for plea bargaining later on.

Calculating the bail bond cost means you have to add up all charges and add any charge enhancements. This makes the bail cost shoot up, making it impossible for most people to pay. However, the bail bond agencies liaise with the court system to secure the defendant’s release at a fraction of the entire bail cost.

In most counties in California, all charges and subsequent enhancements that all have a required bail amount are added up to make up the total bail amount. If you qualify for the 8% bail bonds, you can pay the 8% premium to the bonds company, which then pays the amount on your behalf to secure the defendant's release.

If You Have No Money to Pay the 8% Bail Bond

Sometimes, the bail might be set too high, and you cannot afford to raise the 8% to get your loved one out of jail. Having the defendant in jail means they cannot work to help pay bills. Bail bonds are not always something most people can comfortably pay. However, the bonds agency can work with you on a comfortable paying plan that will allow you to pay in installments.

For you to qualify on getting discounts for significant bail bonds, you need:

  • An Indemnitor/co-signer to sign your bond with you
  • Proof of income for both you and co-signer
  • Approved credit score
  • Real estate to act as collateral

Sometimes bail can be set above schedule or higher than the schedule stipulates. This happens if law enforcers ask for bail to be set high due to the crime’s severity or due to other reasons like the defendant being on probation due to parole.

If this happens, your attorney can ask for a bail hearing nearer to the time of your initial court appearance. The judge will look at the defendant’s allegations and set bail on the assumption you are guilty. If the judge rules that the bail is appropriate or takes it down to the scheduled amount, you can post bail via a bonds agency or pay the entire amount directly to the Court.

Talk to your bondsman to find out the discounts you can get for a large bail bond and how to qualify for any legally available discounts such as:

8% Bail Bonds on Assault & Battery

Assault and battery are used interchangeably, although they are two different parts of the same charge. Although you can be charged with one or both, they are two different crimes. Battery is a violation of Penal Code 242 and is the unlawful and willful use of force on another person. The act must have three elements:

  • Use of violence or force
  • The action must be deliberate and illegal
  • The intentional use of violence on another individual

You have to have deliberately used violence or force against someone else, but it does not necessarily have to cause harm, injury, or damage. You do not have to touch the other person to be charged with battery. Touching intimate items such as something they are holding, or their clothing in a disrespectful way, can earn you a battery charge.

Contrary to common belief, assault does not also need you to have had any physical contact. Assault is not always a physical attack but an attempt to make contact with the intent of causing harm.

8% Bail Bonds for DUI

The laws in California against drunk driving are in Vehicle Code Section 23152 and 23153 and states that:

  • 23152(a) — It is illegal for a person under influence of alcohol to drive a vehicle
  • 23153(b) — it is unlawful for a person with a blood alcohol content over 0.008% to drive a vehicle
  • 23152(e) — It is illegal for a person under a drug influence to drive a vehicle
  • 23152(f) — It is unlawful for a person under the influence of a drug or alcohol combination to drive a vehicle

23152(a) and 23152(b) charges are usually charged alongside each other.

You can get an 8% discount for these charges, post bail, and wait until your court date.

8% Off With GPS Monitoring 

Significant bail bonds that go over $250,000 may require the defendant to cater for the cost of a GPS monitoring system. The GPS installation needs $450 with daily charges of $10. With GPS monitoring, you can stay at home and continue with your everyday life during the pre-trial period.

8% Bail Bonds for Child Endangerment

Child endangerment happens when a minor is either physically or mentally hurt or could encounter harm under the watch of an adult who could have seen the possibility of the minor being harmed.

An individual can be charged with child endangerment if:

  • They permit or cause a minor they are caring for to suffer mental anguish or physical pain.
  • Willfully permits or causes the minor’s injuries
  • Willfully permits or causes the child to be in a dangerous environment or situation

The failure to secure the wellbeing and safety of minors in your care can cause the government to remove the minor or minors from your care and charges of child endangerment filed against you. Instances you can be charged with child endangerment include:

  • A loaded and unsecured gun within the child’s reach
  • Knowingly allowing a minor to remain in the care of a person with a child abuse history
  • Not taking an injured or sick child to hospital

Child endangerment is not charged as a stand-alone charge, but rather with other charges such as Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Tattoo of a Minor, etc.

Can You Go to Jail For Failing To Pay an 8% Bail Bond?

If you do not pay the 8% premium, the defendant can be taken back to jail. A bail bond agency has multiple options if you, as the co-signer or the defendant, stop remitting the premium as agreed. The bonds agency can go to Court and revoke their responsibility for the defendant’s surety bond. The bail bonds agency can take the defendant back to jail.

When you, either as the co-signer or defendant, accept to pay a bail bond, it is a binding contract with the bond agency. You must remit the non-refundable 8% premium to secure the defendant’s release. When you append your signature on the agreement, you must pay the premium, whether the defendant is found guilty or not. Not paying the premium is a violation of the contract. The bonds agency can take you to a civil court to compel you to pay the rest of the 8% premium.

Is the 8% Bail Bond Refundable if Case is Dismissed?

If you had already paid the 8% premium to a bonds agency and your case is dismissed, or charges dropped, you do not get a refund. For you to get out of jail, the bail bond agency posted the entire bail amount on your behalf, and 8% is their service fee.

When the case is dropped, the court refunds the bail bond agency the whole amount, and they get to keep your 8% as their fee. If you or your family member paid the bail bond directly to the Court and your case is dismissed, your money is refunded in full minus some court charges.

Why a Bail Bond Can Be Revoked

A bail bond revocation can happen in various conditions, mainly because the bailed person committed another crime. A motion for bond revocation is issued in such situations, with the defendant facing another charge for the new offense. Judges in such scenarios are not very empathetic towards the defendant as they have shown they cannot be trusted.

Failure to make a court appearance is another situation warranting a bond revocation. This means the bond is forfeited, and in California, this is labeled as “Contempt of Court,” which is a misdemeanor, and it means if you ever appear in court again, this history will affect the judge granting you bail.

Bail bond revocation in California has to have a Probable Cause to Arrest. The bail revocation process may also be initiated for other reasons like:

  • You violated a stipulated bail bond condition
  • The law enforcement officers arrested you for a second crime
  • You jump bail by fleeing

When a Bail Bond Cannot Be Revoked

In California, the bail agent cannot revoke the bail bond if:

  • The defendant owes them money:The bond agent cannot revoke bail because the co-signer or defendant has not paid them the entire 8% bail fee or has fallen behind on payments. The agent is free to use legal means like reporting to credit bureaus or taking them to civil court.
  • The co-signer wants out:The co-signer might want the bond bail agency to revoke bail because they want out of the contract. They may feel the defendant might not show up in Court and no longer wish to be responsible. However, the bondsman needs more proof before they revoke the bail bond.

What Happens When a Bail Bond is Revoked?

When bail is revoked and the defendant back in jail, you, as the co-signer or Indemnitor, loses the bail bond money. The 8% fee was part of the initial bail bond contract, and the fee is earned when the defendant is released. It doesn’t matter whether the defendant is convicted or charges dropped.

If the defendant violates the terms of the bail bond contract and the bail agent or Court revokes the bail bond, the bail bond agency does not refund the 8% bail bond. If the defendant wants to be released from jail, they must enter a new bail contract and pay another 8% bail bond fee.

As a co-signer for the bail bond, you must be sure that the defendant can be trusted to show up for the court dates. This is a huge financial responsibility that you should weigh and decide if the person is worth the risk. Even family can disappoint you, and if they skip bail, you are in for a substantial loss as you will lose the bail money.

Find a Bail Bond Agency Near Me

If your loved one has been arrested, contact 24-Hour Online Bail Bonds at any time of day or night at 800-930-8999 for our exclusive 8% bail bonds. We serve Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Diego, and San Bernardino.