Salaried agents here don't usually make a lot, particularly when you figure in the time and expenses you are out versus the liability you clear.
As an independant, the average is 10-15%, depending on the bondsman, the size of the bond, and where the suspect is located (expenses). What I really love are the ones who are about to have to pay a large bond but they "can't afford to pay for the apprehension because they only charged 5% to write it." I know one who consistently says that he would rather pay $10K to the court than pay a bounty hunter $1000 for the apprehension, no matter what it takes the BEA to get the person. His other excuse is that he has already paid other BEA's for expenses, so doesn't have anything left to pay someone who actually gets the job done. This from a high volume bondsman that can damn well afford to pay a decent price for decent work.
Prices aren't set in stone. A bondsman will usually try to negotiate a lower rate on higher bonds, and that's understandable to a point. When they offer 1-3%, that's a little ridiculous. But at the same time, when the bondsman has good information and all we have to do is take an hour or so to go pick the person up, it is fair to charge a lesser amount. Remember, if you are fair to them, they will call you again. At the same time, they have to be fair to you, or you won't take their calls again
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The last major pickup we did just happened to be an out of state skip a few hours away from where my son was getting married. We already had our flights paid for when we got the call from the bondsman. Since we had a couple of days to kill anyway, it really wasn't much trouble to do a little "fact finding" while we were there. We ended up bringing back a $75K skip and got paid $1500 plus $250 in additional expenses. We did what the bondsman had already paid out thousands for with no results. I would have loved to have made 10%, but realistically, I made a phone call, got the info that the bondsman couldn't, and we had the guy in custody about 2 hours later. Yes, we did what other's didn't, but our personal trip, plus some, was paid. It was pure luck that we were in the area, and pure luck that I had a contact who got the info for me. Forums are wonderful assets!!
Since James and I always went after my skips until he got hurt, I didn't have to worry about paying anyone else, and whatever (if anything) I collected from the indemnitor was our pay. Now that I'm having to pay a BEA, I still try to be fair, but also expect to pay for the work involved. I recently had a $2500 skip who ran home to OK. I hired a local agent there, who put a lot of work into the case, collected a lot of info, but with his day job wasn't able to sit on the location until the skip decided to show back up. We were in a time crunch since he had found out that the wife was being evicted which would have made us have to start all over again. So, I got a new person from here to travel there. Fortunately, the guy showed up the next morning and was brought back with mostly only travel time involved. I paid the agent in OK $200 for his time and information. WARNING! Most bondmen will NOT do this. They will take your information and give it to LE or to someone who will charge less for the actual apprehension and YOU WILL GET SCREWED. Unless you are on salary, any investigation that you do and any information that you get is yours until you get paid for it. Since we don't get paid until we affect the apprehension, giving up what you learn is free work for the bondsman. Don't believe them when they tell you that you have to tell them what you know or demand details about your investigation. All they need to know is that you are working on it, and that you may or may not have a lead. Unless they are paying you by the hour, and that is by a written contractual agreement, you don't owe them anything.
So, back to my story, this agent was willing to give me everything he had, knowing that I didn't have to pay him. But, I don't work that way! I'm not going to treat someone any differently than I expect to be treated. He was surprised and thrilled to get paid. I also paid the agent $200 that I sent from here (he's brand new and still in training) plus paid all of his expenses. Someone else went with him, just for the ride
, so he wasn't primary. He was happy to get paid for a good training trip. I billed the indemnitor $700, and that's every bit what it cost me. I'm still waiting to get paid
.
Fees are negotiable, and it is up to the party's to determine what is fair. The payer will always try to pay the minimum he/she can, and the payee always wants to collect the maximum he/she can. What both need to understand is that the amount paid or received is not reliant on the other. Most states allow a 10% bond fee out of which the bondsman has to pay his/her cost. My state allows 15%, but the average is 10% or less, depending on what the competition charges. My cost is 4.5%, so anything over that is profit. Others may pay much less, or more, depending on their surety agreement. What they charge the defendant and/or cosigner is up to them, and of no concern to me.
Don't let yourself fall into the trap that a bondsman can't pay you because they didn't make enough or lost money on on what they charged on the bond. That was their decision, and is their problem. In my state, we can charge up to 15% of the bond for our premium. Most states are at 10%, of the bond for the premium, but you still have to consider what you do for your fee.
Be reasonable, but realistic. Don't do anything for free, because time and effort are money. Exoect to get paid for your work. Stay real, and stay honest. That is the best advice I can give you.
