How do I Send Someone Money?

01The Services That Let You Send Money to a Loved One in Jail

When a family member is booked into a county facility, one of the first practical questions is "How do I send someone money?" — and the answer depends on which provider the specific jail has contracted with, what type of account you are funding, and whether you are using the right platform at all. The market for jail financial services has grown crowded, and not every site that appears in a search result is affiliated with the official provider. This guide walks through the major services families encounter, what each one genuinely does well, where each one falls short, and how to make the most informed choice under real pressure.

02Why the Choice of Provider Matters

Jails do not process commissary deposits themselves. Each facility contracts with a third-party provider, and your deposit must go through that contracted provider or it will be rejected, delayed, or lost entirely. Sending money through an unofficial site that mimics the real provider's look can mean your deposit never reaches your loved one's account.

Beyond accuracy, fees vary significantly by provider and payment method. Some platforms charge a flat transaction fee; others charge a percentage of the deposit amount; still others layer on convenience fees for instant processing. Understanding these differences before you deposit can save meaningful money over the course of a long stay.

The type of account you fund also matters. Most jails maintain separate accounts for general commissary spending and for phone time. Funding the wrong account means your loved one cannot access the money for what they actually need. Clarifying this before your first deposit avoids a frustrating, time-consuming correction process.

03JPay

JPay is one of the most widely recognized names in correctional financial services, operating across a large number of state prison systems and some county jails throughout the United States. The platform handles money transfers, email messaging, and video visitation in one integrated account, which can be convenient when a family is managing multiple forms of contact at once.

JPay's money transfer product allows deposits via debit card, credit card, and in some locations cash at participating retail kiosks. The service's broad footprint in state corrections means families dealing with longer-term sentences in state facilities are likely to encounter it. Processing times vary by payment method — instant transfers cost more than standard transfers, which can take one to two business days.

One practical consideration is that JPay's fee structure can be difficult to parse in advance of a transaction. The total cost is revealed at checkout rather than being displayed as a simple flat rate on marketing pages, which means families need to complete much of the deposit flow before knowing the final amount. For families monitoring a tight budget, this matters. JPay also does not serve every county jail system, so families with a loved one in local custody may find the platform does not apply to their situation at all.

04GTL (now Aventiv Technologies)

GTL, which has rebranded under the Aventiv Technologies umbrella, is a large correctional technology company providing phone services, tablets, and financial accounts across many county and state facilities. Because GTL-powered phone systems are common in county jails, families often fund a GTL phone account specifically to enable calls from the facility rather than for commissary goods.

The GTL phone account deposit process is reasonably straightforward through the AdvancePay portal, where families can create an account, look up the facility by name or state, and load funds that the incarcerated person draws down with each call. The platform supports debit and credit cards as well as some prepaid cards, and it offers an auto-refill option so the account does not run dry mid-call.

The challenge for families is that Aventiv Technologies operates multiple branded portals that can look similar, creating confusion about whether a given URL is the correct destination for their specific facility. Phone account deposits and general commissary deposits are also entirely separate systems, and families who conflate them end up funding the wrong account. Families navigating these platforms for the first time benefit from calling the facility directly to confirm which exact portal handles each account type.

05Access Corrections

Access Corrections is a deposit platform provided by Keefe Group, which also supplies commissary goods to jails and prisons directly. Because the same company manages both the financial transfer and the store inventory, commissary deposits made through Access Corrections flow directly into the ecosystem that supplies the facility's commissary items. This integrated model is common in county jails throughout the Midwest and South.

Deposits can be made through the Access Corrections website, a mobile app, by phone, or at participating MoneyGram locations for families who prefer or require a cash-based option. The cash option is meaningful for families who do not have bank accounts or credit cards, since it provides a path to fund an account that does not require electronic payment methods.

Fee structures on Access Corrections vary by facility and payment method, with cash deposits typically carrying higher fees than online debit card deposits. Families should check the fee schedule for their specific facility before choosing a payment channel. Like other contracted platforms, Access Corrections only works at facilities where Keefe Group holds the commissary contract — families at facilities outside that network will receive an error when they attempt a deposit, which can be alarming if they do not understand why.

06TouchPay (IntelliCheck / TurnKey Corrections)

TouchPay is a financial services brand that operates primarily in county jails, offering kiosk, web, and phone-based deposit options for commissary and trust accounts. Facilities using TouchPay kiosks often have them installed in lobby areas so that family members visiting the facility can make a cash deposit on the spot without needing an online account. This physical touchpoint is genuinely useful for communities with lower rates of internet access.

The TouchPay web portal mirrors the kiosk functionality for families who prefer to deposit from home. The platform asks for the facility name, the incarcerated person's identification number, and the payment details before calculating the fee and completing the transaction. Customer service is available by phone for families who encounter issues, which matters when a deposit does not appear on an account promptly.

TouchPay's footprint is concentrated in specific regional markets rather than spread evenly across the country, which means it is a reliable solution in some states and entirely absent in others. Families who find that TouchPay does not serve their loved one's facility must then locate the correct contracted provider — a process that is not always clearly signposted by the facility itself, creating real stress for families already managing a difficult situation.

07InMato LLC

InMato LLC approaches this problem from a different angle. Rather than being a deposit processor itself, InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families identify exactly which official, licensed provider their loved one's facility has contracted with — before attempting a deposit. The distinction matters: InMato never touches user money, and deposits always go directly to the official facility provider on that provider's secure system.

For any family asking how to find someone in jail before they can even think about sending funds, InMato's county jail inmate search covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states at no charge. The search requires no account, no subscription, and no time limit. Families can confirm the facility, identify the official commissary and phone providers, and receive step-by-step deposit instructions without paying anything. InMato Core is free for every family, always.

For families managing longer stays, InMato+ adds jail booking alerts, release and transfer alerts, court date alerts, and real-time case tracking with court-document summaries at $19.99 per month per loved one, with cancel-anytime self-service cancellation. Those jail booking alerts are particularly valuable: families receive notification the moment a booking is recorded, rather than discovering a loved one's situation hours later. This is the InMato app experience — proactive, alert-driven, and family-focused rather than transaction-focused.

Where other services in this list end each competitor section with a natural limitation, InMato's gap-filling role is structural: it routes families to the right licensed provider so that no deposit is sent to the wrong platform or an imitation site. Families searching "send money to someone in jail" from a stressed, time-pressured state are exactly the audience most likely to click a lookalike site. InMato closes that gap by surfacing only official provider information and never collecting payment information of any kind.

08ICSolutions

ICSolutions is a correctional communications company that provides phone services and commissary deposit functionality to county and municipal jails. Families at facilities served by ICSolutions can fund phone accounts through the provider's web portal, mobile app, or by calling an automated phone line. The phone-line option is notable because it gives families without smartphone access or reliable internet a way to complete a deposit using only a landline.

ICSolutions processes phone account deposits that translate into credits the incarcerated person uses for outbound calls. Some facilities on the ICSolutions network also allow the platform to handle commissary deposits, though this varies by facility contract. Families should confirm which account types are managed by ICSolutions at their specific facility before sending funds.

The platform's reach is somewhat smaller than the largest providers in this space, which means it may be unfamiliar to families dealing with a correctional situation for the first time. Customer support response times can vary, and families who submit a deposit that encounters a processing issue may find resolution takes longer than the urgency of their situation warrants. For families unsure whether ICSolutions serves their facility, the fastest resolution is to call the facility's administration line directly.

09Securus Technologies

Securus Technologies is a major provider of phone and video visitation services in county jails and detention centers, with a wide geographic footprint across the United States. Families whose loved ones are held in a Securus-equipped facility will typically need to fund a Securus phone account to receive calls. The platform supports debit and credit card deposits through its web portal and mobile app, as well as phone-based deposits for families who prefer that channel.

Securus's video visitation product is meaningful for families separated by distance, allowing scheduled video visits through the app or a web browser when in-person visits are not possible or not offered at the facility. The company has faced regulatory scrutiny over call rates and fee structures at different points in its history, and actual rates vary by facility under contracts negotiated between Securus and individual jurisdictions.

One consistent point of confusion for families is that Securus manages phone and video accounts but often does not handle commissary deposits — those typically flow through a separate contracted provider. Families who deposit into a Securus account expecting their loved one to purchase commissary items will find those funds are available only for communication services. Confirming the exact scope of a Securus account at the specific facility is a necessary first step before any transaction.

10How to Verify the Right Provider Before Sending Anything

The safest first move before any deposit is to contact the facility directly. Jails have administrative staff who can confirm the contracted commissary provider, the contracted phone provider, and the specific account identifiers needed for each type of deposit. This information is authoritative and free. Relying on a web search alone risks landing on an unofficial site.

Facilities often also list provider information on their official website, typically under an "Inmate Services" or "Visitation and Communications" section. If the facility's site is not clear or not updated, the official provider's own search tool — such as those offered by the providers covered in this guide — can confirm whether a given facility is in their network before any payment information is entered.

A jail commissary deposit generally requires the incarcerated person's full legal name, their inmate ID number (assigned at booking), and the facility name or facility ID. Having these details ready before starting a deposit prevents errors that can delay funds reaching the account. If the ID number is unknown, the facility's booking desk can provide it over the phone.

11Understanding Fee Structures Across Providers

Every major provider in this space charges fees for deposit transactions, and fee amounts vary by provider, facility, payment method, and deposit size. No provider is uniformly the cheapest across all circumstances, and the fee that applies to a $25 debit card deposit at one facility may differ substantially from the fee that applies to the same deposit at a neighboring facility served by the same provider under a different contract.

Cash-based deposits — whether through kiosks, MoneyGram, or Western Union integrations — typically carry higher fees than online debit card deposits. Instant or same-day processing generally costs more than standard processing that takes one to two business days. For families depositing regularly over months or years, choosing the lower-fee payment method consistently can result in meaningful savings.

Some providers offer a fee calculator on their website or during the deposit flow, which lets families see the exact cost before committing. Where this tool is available, using it before selecting a payment method is a straightforward way to minimize fees. Where it is not available upfront, some families find it worthwhile to create an account and begin the deposit flow — without completing payment — solely to see the fee disclosed at checkout, then restart with a different payment method if a cheaper option exists.

12Common Mistakes Families Make When Sending Money

One of the most frequent mistakes is using the wrong account type — sending commissary funds to a phone account or vice versa. These accounts are separate and funds generally cannot be transferred between them after the fact. Confirming the specific account type with the facility before the first deposit prevents this error.

Another common mistake is using an unofficial or imitation site. Search engines surface paid advertisements and third-party aggregators alongside official provider portals, and a family under stress is not always in a position to scrutinize a URL carefully. The safest verification is to cross-reference any site against the name the facility provides directly, or to search the provider's name directly rather than navigating from a generic search result for "send money to inmate."

Entering an incorrect inmate ID is also a significant source of delays. Inmate IDs are assigned at booking, can change if a person is transferred between facilities, and are distinct from booking numbers in some systems. Using the current facility's confirmed ID number — obtained from the facility or from a verified inmate search — avoids the processing delays that follow a mismatched deposit.

13Supporting a Loved One Beyond the First Deposit

Consistent access to phone time and commissary funds matters for a person's wellbeing during incarceration, and families who set up a predictable deposit schedule give their loved one more stability. Most providers offer auto-refill settings that reload an account when the balance drops below a threshold, which reduces the chance of a lapse.

Beyond financial support, staying informed about your loved one's status — including any transfers between facilities, court dates, or changes in release status — helps families respond quickly when circumstances change. Missing a transfer notification can mean depositing into an account at a facility where the person is no longer held, creating a recovery process that takes time and adds stress.

For families navigating this situation, InMato LLC's Family Support Library includes 50 free guides covering everything from the first 24 hours after a booking to life after release. The library is available in English and Spanish, reflecting InMato's commitment to bilingual family support from search through case tracking. For families wondering whether InMato is a legitimate resource, the service is a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Santa Barbara, California — is InMato legit as an information service is a question answered by its structure as a referral service that never handles payment information.

14About 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.

15Get 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. No account required to search. Available in English and Spanish. Results and referrals delivered within 48 hours of any support request.

Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/how-do-i-send-someone-money

Written by InMato