Nationwide money guide
Confirm the exact facility, recipient number, account type, authorized deposit method, fees, limits, and deductions before paying.
Use the agency's official deposit link. A familiar payment company may serve the wrong facility, wrong account type, or an old contract.
Have this ready
Four checks protect the deposit.
- 01Exact facility
Confirm the person is still housed there
- 02Custody number
Match the name and ID exactly
- 03Account type
Trust, commissary, phone, media, or restitution
- 04Official method
Agency link, kiosk, lockbox, or approved instrument
The short answer
Verify the account before sending money.
To put money on someone's books, first confirm the current facility and custody number. Open the deposit link from that facility's official website, then check whether it sends money to a trust or commissary account—not a phone, messaging, media, package, bond, restitution, or community-corrections account. Major systems include JPay, ConnectNetwork or ViaPath, Access Corrections, TouchPay, CorrectPay, JailATM, and Inmate Canteen, but no provider serves every facility.
Which system holds the person?
The operator decides where the rules live.
Money follows the financial system of the operating agency and facility. “On the books” usually means a custody trust account, but phone, messaging, media, packages, restitution, and bond can be separate destinations.
County or city jail
The sheriff or jail may use an online vendor, lobby kiosk, cash window, mailed instrument, or several methods with local balance limits.
State prison
State departments may contract with multiple electronic vendors and also offer mailed or institutional methods. Restitution or other obligations may reduce deposits.
Federal prison
BOP-managed facilities use federal instructions and a centralized lockbox or approved electronic methods. Contract facilities can have different procedures.
ICE or contract detention
Use the individual ICE facility page and local written rule. Deposit addresses, accepted instruments, provider, and A-number format can vary by operator.
Major deposit systems
Recognize the name. Verify the facility.
These are common systems, not recommendations. Do not create accounts with all of them. Start on the jail, prison, sheriff, DOC, BOP, or detention operator's official page and use only the provider it currently names for that exact facility and account type.
May appear with Securus branding
JPay
- What it may fund
- State-prison trust or spendable accounts, plus dedicated transfer categories at some agencies.
- Before you pay
- Search Availability & Pricing for the facility, select the correct transfer category, and keep the Transaction ID shown in Transfer History.
GTL · ViaPath · TouchPay financial services
ConnectNetwork
- What it may fund
- Trust Fund deposits for participating prisons and jails. PIN Debit and AdvancePay are different phone-account products.
- Before you pay
- Select the facility and Trust Fund service. A Site ID may be required; fees and posting availability are facility-specific.
Access Secure Deposits
Access Corrections
- What it may fund
- Online, app, phone, kiosk, walk-in cash, or money-order options where the agency participates.
- Before you pay
- Select state, agency, and recipient. Save the receipt number and check Dashboard → View History for amount, date, type, and status.
TouchPay Direct · GTL Financial Services
TouchPay
- What it may fund
- Trust-account deposits used by many county correctional agencies through web, phone, retail, or lobby kiosk.
- Before you pay
- Use the facility locator number and booking ID required by the agency. The fee appears before payment and on the receipt.
Formerly associated with VendEngine
CorrectPay
- What it may fund
- Commissary deposits, lobby kiosks, and related correctional services at participating local facilities.
- Before you pay
- Use CorrectPay only when the facility names it. Keep the printed, text, or email receipt; the provider cannot disclose the recipient's account balance.
Tech Friends web deposits
JailATM
- What it may fund
- Commissary deposits and, at some facilities, separate commissary orders or communication credits.
- Before you pay
- Choose Send Money—not messaging credits or a commissary allowance—then print the receipt and check Deposit/Charge History.
TurnKey Corrections
Inmate Canteen
- What it may fund
- Canteen deposits and other services used by participating county and regional detention facilities.
- Before you pay
- Select the exact facility and resident. Deposit funds and communication credits can be separate products; check Transaction History.
MoneyGram · Western Union · USPS lockbox
Federal Bureau of Prisons
- What it may fund
- BOP-managed federal prisons use BOP's centralized electronic or mail instructions, not a county-jail deposit site.
- Before you pay
- Wait until the person has arrived at a BOP facility. Match the eight-digit register number and committed last name exactly.
Your payment record
Save proof before closing the payment screen
- Recipient's full committed name and exact custody or booking number
- Agency, facility, and any facility or Site ID used
- Destination account: trust, commissary, canteen, phone, media, package, bond, or restitution
- Deposit amount, service fee, and total amount charged
- Confirmation or receipt number, payment date, time, and provider status
- Screenshot or PDF of the receipt and the facility's current deposit instructions
After payment
Confirm the money actually posted
- Check the provider's history for Pending, Sent, Complete, Failed, or another status.
- Wait through the facility-specific posting window before submitting a second payment.
- Ask the recipient whether the deposit appears in the intended spendable account.
- If it is missing, call the facility trust or commissary office with the receipt number, amount, date, name, ID, and account type.
- If the facility cannot locate it, open a provider support case and save the case number.
- Do not immediately resend or file a chargeback; duplicates and chargebacks can create holds or block future deposits.
Money and commissary process
How to send a custody deposit safely
Treat every deposit like a payment to a specific account, not a generic transfer to a person. Save the official instructions and receipt.
- 01
Confirm location and custody number
Use the operating agency's locator. A transfer can change the authorized provider and prevent funds from following automatically.
- 02
Choose the correct account purpose
Determine whether the money is for commissary or trust, phone, messaging, media, a package purchase, restitution, or another obligation.
- 03
Open the official deposit instructions
Follow the link from the agency or facility page. Record the provider, accepted payment methods, and any sender-approval requirement.
- 04
Review the total cost and deductions
Check service fees, minimums, maximums, holds, recurring-payment terms, chargeback rules, and court-ordered or administrative deductions.
- 05
Match every identity field
Enter the full committed name, exact ID, facility, and sender information. Recheck the result before authorizing payment.
- 06
Save the receipt and verify delivery
Keep the provider, receipt number, amount, fee, total charged, recipient ID, facility, account type, timestamp, and status. After the stated posting window, confirm with the recipient or facility trust office before sending another deposit.
The deposit route
Verified. Processed. Posted to the right account.
A successful card charge does not by itself prove that the correct custody account received spendable funds.
-
01
Sender and method
The system verifies who can deposit, the payment instrument, amount, and billing details
-
02
Agency or processor
The facility or authorized vendor matches the person, account type, contract, and transaction
-
03
Custody account
Funds post after fees, holds, limits, restitution, debt, or other authorized deductions
No nationwide deposit provider
What changes from one facility to another
Online services, telephone payments, retail agents, lobby kiosks, cash windows, lockboxes, and mailed instruments vary.
Some systems accept any verified sender; others limit deposits to approved visitors, approved phone contacts, or registered accounts.
Trust or commissary funds may be separate from phone, tablet, messaging, media, package, restitution-only, or bond payments.
Transaction fees, card fees, deposit minimums, daily or monthly limits, account-balance caps, and frequency limits differ.
Electronic deposits, personal checks, cashier's checks, money orders, ACH, weekends, and identity reviews can post on different schedules.
Restitution, court debt, child support, medical charges, fees, negative balances, release, or transfer may affect available funds and refund handling.
Troubleshooting
When money does not appear where expected
The payment charged but did not post
Check the stated posting window, then contact the processor with the transaction number. Confirm the facility, ID, and account type before retrying.
The person was transferred or released
Ask the old and new agencies how trust balances are transferred or returned. Do not assume a private provider account moves with the person.
Less money became available
Review disclosed fees, holds, negative balances, restitution, court obligations, and other authorized deductions with the facility or recipient.
The sender was not eligible
Confirm whether the system requires an approved visitor, phone contact, verified identity, residential address, or other relationship before depositing.
Money reached the wrong account type
Save the receipt and contact the processor immediately. Phone or media balances may not be transferable to commissary or trust funds.
The provider says “sent,” but the person sees nothing
“Sent” may mean transmitted to the facility, not posted to the spendable balance. Ask the facility trust or commissary office to trace the receipt number, amount, date, name, ID, and destination account.
A second charge appeared
Check transaction history before retrying a pending payment. Give the processor both confirmation numbers and ask which transaction reached the facility before disputing either charge.
Common questions
Money and commissary FAQ
What does “put money on someone's books” mean?
It usually means depositing money into a facility-managed trust or commissary account that the person can use for approved purchases or charges. Phone, tablet, messaging, media, packages, restitution, and bond may use separate accounts.
How do I find the correct inmate deposit provider?
Confirm the person's exact facility, then follow the deposit link on the operating agency or facility's official website. Common systems include JPay, ConnectNetwork or ViaPath, Access Corrections, TouchPay, CorrectPay, JailATM, and Inmate Canteen, but none is universal. If no provider is named, call the official facility number.
Can money sent to jail or prison be deducted?
Yes. Depending on the jurisdiction and person's obligations, deposits may be affected by restitution, court debt, child support, fees, negative balances, medical charges, or other authorized deductions. Review the official policy before sending.
Can I send cash or a personal check?
Only if the exact facility says it accepts that method. Many systems prohibit cash by mail and restrict personal checks, while some accept money orders, cashier's checks, kiosks, or electronic payments. Use the current written instructions.
How long does an inmate deposit take to post?
There is no nationwide posting time. Electronic services, identity review, weekends, holidays, ACH schedules, mailed instruments, and check holds can change the timing. Save the confirmation and wait through the stated window before tracing it.
What happens to money after a transfer or release?
The handling depends on the agencies, account type, and provider. A facility trust balance may transfer, be issued at release, or require a claim, while private phone or media balances may follow separate refund rules. Ask both agencies before sending more money.
How do I prove that I sent the money?
Save the receipt or confirmation number, provider, recipient name and ID, facility, account type, deposit amount, fee, total charged, date, time, and status. Keep a screenshot or PDF. The facility may need all of these details to trace a missing deposit.
How can I tell whether the inmate received the deposit?
First check the provider's transaction history. Then ask the recipient after the stated posting window. If the money is still missing, contact the facility trust or commissary office with the receipt number, amount, date, recipient name and ID, and intended account type. Providers usually cannot disclose the recipient's full account balance.