The Probation Collections Division is located in the Adult Probation lobby in room 265 of the Marin County Civic Center. The collection window is open during regular business hours, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Thursday. On Friday, only the drop-box is available.
While on Probation, the terms of payment for your court ordered fees may be worked out with your Probation Officer, based on your financial ability and other circumstances related to your case. Failure to make payment may be reported to the Court and may have serious negative impact on the terms of your probation. Probation Collection staff can accept cash, checks, money orders, and credit/debit card payments for all probation fees, court ordered fines and fees, and victim restitution for persons on supervised probation. Payments can also be made online 24/7. If there are any questions about making an online payment, please call 628-241-0046.
The Probation Department has authorized PromisePay to collect payments on its behalf. PromisePay is a third-party vendor that provides a secure portal for payment of court ordered fines, fees, and victim restitution. This service provides 24/7 access to make payments from any internet connection and also offers a call center with customer support agents to assist with any questions.
PromisePay charges a 3.5% fee on each transaction, with a minimum fee of $3.25. Once you submit payment via PromisePay, the Probation Accounting Division will be notified of your payment
Make a payment using PromisePay.
Payment will be credited to your probation case effective the same business day, if received before 4:00 PM PST. Payments received after 4:00 PM or on a holiday or weekend will be credited on the next business day.
When a defendant is placed on probation with a condition that they make a monthly payment to the victim of a crime, the Probation Collections Division will set up an account for the victim in conjunction with the Probation Officer. Probation Collections will make monthly collections and disburse the funds to victims of crime who have been identified by the Court. The administrative cost of this collection is the responsibility of the probationer; the victim pays nothing for this service.
Probation Collections manages victim restitution collection and payment for all persons on formal and conditional probation. Victim restitution payments will only be accepted in the form of cash, cashier’s check, money order, check, debit or credit cards.
When a defendant is ordered to pay victim restitution, all monies received by Court collections will be applied to victim restitution prior to any court ordered fines and fees being paid. If the defendant does not follow through with this obligation then he or she will be considered to be in violation of conditions of probation and can be taken back to Court for further court proceedings.
Restitution is a lifetime order that does not terminate – even if the defendant files for bankruptcy. The Probation Department does its best to collect from the defendant, but cannot create money where there is none. Collections are more successful when the defendant is stabilized and employed. As such, the Probation department may not violate a defendant for failure to pay if they don’t have the means to make a payment. Probation efforts in these cases will be focused on helping the defendant rehabilitate and achieve gainful employment which will result in future payments.
The ability to personally pursue restitution as a civil money order is a right, regardless of any concurrent probation efforts to collect. As a best practice, the Probation department strives to have a CR110 Order for Restitution and Abstract of Judgment filed in every case where a restitution order is made. You can receive a copy of this form by calling the Probation Officer for the case or our accounting office. The CR110 form is a critical document and will help you in filing a lien on real property, obtaining an order for wage garnishment and working with a private collections vendor.
To learn more about your rights as a victim of crime please visit the California Victim Compensation Program.
Victims should be aware that the Penal Code is very specific that probation shall not be revoked for failure of a person to make restitution unless the Court determines that the defendant has willfully failed to pay and has the ability to pay.