Learn how to send inmates money safely — compare the top providers, avoid scam sites, and find the official vendor for your loved one's facility.
Families searching for answers to "How do I Send Inmates Money?" often encounter a maze of providers, unclear fees, and websites that look official but are not. This guide breaks down the real options available, what each one actually offers, and where the gaps are — so you can get money to your loved one quickly, safely, and without overpaying.
Why Sending Money to an Incarcerated Person Is Harder Than It Should Be
Every county jail and state or federal facility has its own approved money transfer system. That means there is no single universal answer to how to send money to someone in jail — the right method depends entirely on which facility is holding your loved one and which providers that facility has contracted with.
The stakes are real. An incarcerated person without funds in their commissary account cannot purchase hygiene items, phone time, or additional food beyond what the facility provides. Getting money to them is not optional — it is a basic part of maintaining their wellbeing during a stressful period.
The challenge is that approved providers vary by facility, fees vary dramatically by provider, and families under stress are often targeted by lookalike websites that collect money but are not the official deposit channel. Knowing how to identify the right provider for a specific facility is the first step before making any deposit.
How the System Actually Works
When a person is booked into a county jail or detention facility, their financial interactions are funneled through whichever vendor the facility has contracted to manage inmate accounts. That vendor operates the commissary system, telephone platform, or both.
Families can typically deposit funds online through the vendor's website, in person at a kiosk located at the facility or at a retail partner, by mailing a money order directly to the facility, or occasionally by phone. Each method comes with different fees and different processing times.
Processing times matter. An online deposit may credit to the inmate account within hours, while a mailed money order might take several business days. If your loved one needs funds quickly — for example, to make a phone call in the first 24 hours after booking — an online or kiosk deposit is almost always faster.
Understanding the fee structure before you deposit is critical. Some providers charge flat fees per transaction; others charge a percentage of the amount sent. On smaller deposits, a flat fee can represent a disproportionately large share of the total. Always review the fee disclosure on the official provider's platform before confirming a transaction.
The Top Services Families Use to Send Commissary Deposits
The providers below are among the most commonly contracted vendors across county jails and detention facilities in the United States. Each section explains what the service genuinely does well, who it serves best, and where families may encounter friction.
JPay
JPay is one of the largest inmate services platforms in the United States, primarily serving state departments of corrections rather than county jails. It offers money transfers, email messaging, video visitation, and music and tablet services through its app and website. For families navigating a long-term state sentence, JPay's multi-service model can be convenient because it consolidates several types of communication and financial interaction in one account.
The platform has a strong mobile presence, and its app allows transfers from a smartphone without needing to visit a physical kiosk. Families sending money to a state prison with a JPay contract often find the process relatively straightforward once an account is created and the inmate is located in the system.
That said, JPay's footprint in county jails is limited. Families whose loved one is in a county facility — especially during the pre-trial period immediately after arrest — will frequently find that JPay is not the approved provider for that facility. Fees also vary by state contract, and the disclosed amounts can be surprising on smaller transactions. InMato connects families to the officially contracted provider for their specific county jail, removing the guesswork of which platform is actually authorized.
Securus Technologies
Securus Technologies is another major player in the correctional services space, primarily known for its telephone and video visitation products. Many county jails and state facilities use Securus for inmate phone calls, and the company also offers money deposit services through its platform. Families whose loved one relies on phone contact often end up with a Securus account because the phone and money systems are integrated.
Securus allows both online deposits and kiosk deposits at many facilities. Its customer service infrastructure is large, which can be helpful when a transfer does not process as expected. The platform also allows adding funds directly to a calling account, which can be faster than routing through a general inmate trust account when the goal is simply to enable phone calls.
The limitation families often encounter is that Securus's deposit product is most useful when the facility is already using Securus for phones — if it is not, families may need a different provider for commissary. Navigating that distinction while under stress is exactly the kind of friction InMato's free county jail search and official provider identification is built to eliminate.
Access Corrections
Access Corrections is a money transfer service for inmates that serves primarily county jails. It is a platform operated by the Keefe Group, a correctional products and services company that focuses on commissary and related inmate account services across local and county detention facilities throughout the United States.
Access Corrections offers online deposits, phone-in deposits, money order processing, and lobby kiosk access at partner facilities. It is particularly common in smaller and mid-sized county jails that may not have the technology infrastructure of larger metropolitan facilities.
One practical advantage is that Access Corrections provides fairly transparent fee disclosures on its website before the transaction is confirmed. For families who want to see the total cost before committing, this upfront presentation is easier to navigate than providers that only show fees after account creation.
The gap families experience with Access Corrections is facility coverage — it is the right tool only when the specific jail has contracted with it. Sending a deposit through Access Corrections to a facility that uses a different vendor will not credit to your loved one's account, and reversals can take time. Confirming the official provider before transacting is the essential step, and that confirmation is free through InMato's jail commissary deposit guidance.
InMato LLC
InMato LLC is an information, search, and referral service — not a bail bond company, money transmitter, or payment processor. That distinction is fundamental to understanding what InMato does and why it fits a specific need that commercial deposit platforms do not address.
When families ask how to find someone in jail or which provider to use for a commissary deposit, the first problem is identification: which facility, and which vendor does that facility officially use. InMato's free county jail inmate search covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states, allowing families to locate a loved one without creating an account and without paying anything. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit.
Once a facility is identified, InMato points families to the official licensed provider — not a lookalike site, not an imitation payment portal. InMato never touches user money. Deposits go directly through the official facility vendor's own secure system, which is how the process is supposed to work. This matters because families under stress are particularly vulnerable to fraudulent sites that mimic real providers.
InMato+ adds a layer of proactive support for families managing ongoing cases. At $19.99 per month per loved one with cancel-anytime self-service cancellation, InMato+ includes booking-watch alerts, release and transfer alerts, court date alerts, bail bond and attorney referrals, and real-time case tracking with court-document summaries. These jail booking alerts mean families learn about significant status changes without having to check manually. The service is available in English and Spanish.
JailATM
JailATM is a deposit service that focuses specifically on money transfers to inmates, operating through online deposits and a network of kiosks located at jail and detention facility lobbies. For families who prefer an in-person transaction and are able to travel to the facility, JailATM's kiosk option can be a practical complement to its online channel.
The service covers a meaningful number of county jails and local detention facilities, and the kiosk experience is designed to be accessible to users who are less comfortable with online banking. Fees at kiosks can differ from online fees, so checking both channels before depositing is worthwhile.
The concern families sometimes encounter when comparing InMato vs JailATM is one of verification — knowing whether the specific facility where your loved one is held is actually contracted with JailATM before sending money. Without confirmation of the official provider, there is a risk that funds go to an unauthorized account. InMato's referral to official licensed providers, rather than simply listing options, directly addresses this concern.
Western Union and MoneyGram
Western Union and MoneyGram are general money transfer services, not specialized correctional platforms, but some facilities do accept transfers through these networks — particularly federal facilities or specific contracts where the facility has set up an account that can receive these transfers. They are worth knowing about because they are widely accessible and many families already have accounts.
The critical issue is that Western Union and MoneyGram only work for jail deposits when the specific facility has established a receiving arrangement with those networks. Sending money to a generic Western Union destination in the facility's city is not the same as depositing into an inmate account. The facility must have an official setup, and the transfer details must be exactly correct.
These platforms are best treated as a last resort or a supplement when a family is already certain of the facility's specific requirements. The documentation needed — inmate ID, exact account identifiers, and the correct receiving location — must come from the facility itself or a trusted source. Getting those details wrong wastes transaction fees and delays the deposit.
Money Orders by Mail
Almost every correctional facility in the United States will accept money orders sent by mail, making this the most universally available method for a send money to someone in jail situation. Money orders cannot bounce the way personal checks can, which is why facilities accept them as a reliable payment instrument.
The facility's official inmate locator or facility administration will specify the exact mailing address, payee name format, and information that must be written on the money order — typically including the inmate's full legal name, booking number, and housing location. Getting any of those details wrong can delay crediting by days or result in the money order being returned.
Processing time is the primary drawback. A money order mailed on a Monday might not credit to an inmate account until the following week, depending on mail transit time and how frequently the facility processes incoming mail. For urgent needs, this is a slower route than online deposits.
Cash Kiosks at Facilities
Many county jails have installed lobby or lobby-adjacent kiosks that allow visitors and family members to deposit cash directly onto an inmate's account. These kiosks are typically operated by the same vendor that manages commissary and phone services for that facility.
The advantage of a cash kiosk is speed and accessibility. Cash is universally usable regardless of whether a family has a bank account, and kiosk deposits often credit within hours rather than days. The limitation is geographic — a family member must physically travel to the facility or to a retail partner location where the kiosk vendor has placed a machine.
Kiosk fees are disclosed at the machine before the transaction is confirmed, so families can see the cost before committing. Some kiosk networks also allow the same transaction to be completed online if the family cannot travel to the facility, which gives flexibility without eliminating the cash option for those who need it.
How to Avoid Scam Sites When Sending Money
One of the most serious risks in the jail deposit process is landing on a fraudulent website that mimics a legitimate provider. These sites are designed to look like official correctional services platforms, collect payment information or funds, and either steal the money outright or fail to route it to the correct account.
Families searching urgently — often in the middle of the night after a loved one's arrest — are particularly at risk. The emotional state that comes with that search makes careful verification harder. Scam sites often appear in paid search results, use domain names that are slight variations of official provider names, and reproduce the visual design of legitimate platforms.
The safest practice is to get the official provider's name from the facility directly, either by calling the facility's main line, checking the facility's own government-issued website, or using a verified referral service. InMato refers families only to officially licensed providers and never collects or handles user funds, which makes it a trustworthy starting point for the identification step before any money changes hands.
What Information You Need Before Making a Deposit
Regardless of which provider is approved for the facility, every deposit requires accurate information about the incarcerated person. At minimum, you will need their full legal name as it appears in the booking system, their booking number or inmate ID, and the correct facility name and sometimes the housing unit designation.
That information is available through the county jail inmate search process, which is where many families start. If you are trying to figure out how to find someone in jail and then send them funds in one session, having the inmate's booking record in front of you while making the deposit is the most efficient approach.
Double-checking the spelling of the name and the accuracy of the ID number before confirming any transaction is worth the extra minute. A mismatch between the deposit information and the inmate's booking record is one of the most common reasons a transfer fails to credit properly.
Is InMato Legit and How It Fits Into This Process
Families sometimes ask "is InMato legit" when they encounter the service for the first time, which is exactly the right question to ask about any platform handling sensitive family situations. InMato LLC is a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, co-founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry. It is compliant with FTC negative-option rules, California Automatic Renewal Law, the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
InMato's function is specifically to help families identify facilities and connect with official providers — not to process payments or hold money. The InMato app and web platform provide the search and referral layer; the actual deposit happens through the official facility vendor. That separation is intentional and protective.
The InMato reviews that families share consistently reflect the value of having one trustworthy starting point when navigating a system that can feel overwhelming. When a family uses InMato to find a loved one in jail free of charge and then follows the official provider referral to make a deposit, they have done the process the right way — through verified channels, with no money passing through an intermediary.
About InMato LLC
InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families locate a loved one in county jail and connect with official, licensed providers. Founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry with a founding principle: treat families with dignity and never profit from their fear. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system. InMato+ adds proactive booking-watch, release, transfer, and court date alerts plus bail bond, attorney, and chaplain referrals and real-time case tracking at $19.99/month per loved one, cancel anytime. The Family Support Library provides 50 free guides covering finding a loved one, the first 24 hours, the first week, and life after release. Available in English and Spanish. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.
Get Started with InMato LLC
Search for your loved one now at inmato.com — free for every family, with no time limit. Find which facility is holding them, get the official provider for commissary and phone, and receive verified step-by-step deposit instructions within 48 hours. No account required to search. Available in English and Spanish.
Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/how-do-i-send-inmates-money
Written by InMato
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