Answering 24/7/365| Georgia caps the premium at 15%
Forsyth County · Cumming · Johns Creek, GA
Forsyth County · Cumming · Johns Creek, GA
The premium is 15% of the bond, set by statute, with a $50 minimum per charge. That is the whole answer. Everything below is the detail behind it, including the things some agencies would rather you did not ask about.
| Bond set at | Premium at 15% | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | $75 | No |
| $1,000 | $150 | No |
| $2,500 | $375 | No |
| $5,000 | $750 | No |
| $10,000 | $1,500 | No |
| $15,000 | $2,250 | No |
| $25,000 | $3,750 | No |
| $50,000 | $7,500 | No |
| $100,000 | $15,000 | No |
Multiple charges mean multiple bonds. Four counts at $1,000 each is four bonds, not one $4,000 bond, and the $50 statutory minimum applies to each bonded charge.
People ask this every week and it deserves a straight answer rather than a shrug.
When we post a $10,000 bond, we are putting the full $10,000 at risk with the court. If the defendant never appears, we owe that money — not the $1,500 premium, the whole $10,000. The premium is the price of carrying that risk, and it is earned the moment the bond is executed.
So the case being dismissed a month later does not mean we were not at risk. It means the risk resolved well. The premium is not a deposit, an escrow, or a fee for paperwork.
The genuinely useful comparison is what happens to your money over the life of the case.
If you have the full amount sitting idle and the case is likely to be short, cash can be the better deal. If you would be borrowing, refinancing or emptying an emergency fund to raise it, a surety bond usually is. We will tell you which we think applies to you, even when it is the one that pays us nothing.
We take the premium in the normal ways — card, cash, and transfer. On larger bonds we will discuss collateral: a vehicle title, real property, or a co-signer with substantial assets. Collateral is returned when the bond is exonerated at the end of the case.
What we do not do is quote a low number on the phone and add fees at signing. There is no travel fee, no after-hours fee, no paperwork fee and no “expedite” fee. The number we say on the phone is the number on the contract.
Common questions
15% of the face amount of the bond, capped by O.C.G.A. § 17-6-30, with a minimum of $50 per bonded charge. A $5,000 bond costs $750.
No. The premium is earned when the bond is posted because the risk was assumed at that moment. A cash bond posted directly to the court is largely refundable at the end of the case.
On larger bonds we can discuss payment arrangements and collateral. Tell us your situation on the phone rather than assuming the answer is no.
Not from us. No travel, after-hours, paperwork or expedite fees. The court may charge its own non-refundable administrative fees on a cash bond, which is separate.
Usually yes. Each count can carry its own bond amount and the $50 minimum premium applies per bonded charge.
Keep reading
SB 63, bail-restricted offences and what changed in 2024.
Read more →The full sequence from arrest to walking out.
Read more →Address, phone numbers, booking and release, visitation.
Read more →The questions people ask us at two in the morning.
Read more →One call to 24-7 Best Bonding starts the paperwork. We answer around the clock, every day of the year, and we drive to the Forsyth County Jail so your family does not have to.