To send money to a federal inmate, you have two options: mail a money order or other accepted payment to the Federal Bureau of Prisons lockbox in Des Moines, Iowa, or send an electronic transfer through Western Union or MoneyGram. Every deposit lands in the inmate’s commissary account, which they use for personal items the facility doesn’t provide, phone calls, and electronic messages. Before you do anything, you need the inmate’s full committed name and eight-digit register number.
What You Need Before You Send Anything
Two pieces of information have to be exactly right on every deposit: the inmate’s full legal name as it appears in Bureau of Prisons records (their “committed name”) and their eight-digit register number. Get either one wrong and the payment will not be applied to the account. It will be returned to you only if you included a return address.1eCFR. 28 CFR 506.2 – How May Family, Friends, or Other Sources Deposit Funds Into an Inmate Commissary Account
You can look up both details in the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator at bop.gov. Check suffixes like “Jr.” or “III” and any middle names carefully. Nicknames or shortened versions of the name will cause a rejection.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service
One timing rule matters: wait until the inmate has physically arrived at a Bureau of Prisons facility. Funds sent while the person is still in transit or in U.S. Marshals custody cannot be processed.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Communications
Sending Money by Mail
The Bureau of Prisons accepts money orders, U.S. government checks, cashier’s checks, certified checks, and bank drafts. Personal checks are returned (if you included a return address), and cash is not processed at all.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service
Print the inmate’s full committed name and eight-digit register number clearly on the payment itself. Federal regulations require the deposit to be made out to the inmate’s full name and complete register number.1eCFR. 28 CFR 506.2 – How May Family, Friends, or Other Sources Deposit Funds Into an Inmate Commissary Account
Address the envelope with the inmate’s full name and register number, and put your own name and return address in the upper-left corner. Skip the return address and you lose any chance of getting a rejected payment back. Don’t include anything else in the envelope. No letters, no photos, nothing. Non-payment enclosures are disposed of.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service
Mail the payment to:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
[Inmate’s Full Committed Name]
[Eight-Digit Register Number]
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001
If a reasonable amount of time passes and the deposit hasn’t posted or come back to you, contact whoever issued the money order or check and ask them to start a tracer on the payment.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service
Sending Money Through Western Union
Western Union handles federal inmate deposits through its Quick Collect program. You’ll need these fields:4Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using Western Union
- Pay to: Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Code city: FBOP DC
- Account number: the eight-digit register number followed immediately by the inmate’s last name, no spaces or dashes (for example, 12345678DOE)
- Attention line: the inmate’s full committed name
You can send at a Western Union retail location (cash or debit card at select locations), online at send2corrections.com, through the Send2Corrections mobile app, or by phone at 1-800-634-3422. Online, app, and phone transfers require a credit or debit card.4Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using Western Union
Sending Money Through MoneyGram
MoneyGram uses its ExpressPayment program. The fields you’ll need:5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using MoneyGram
- Company name: Federal Bureau of Prisons
- City and state: Washington, DC
- Receive code: 7932
- Account number: the eight-digit register number followed immediately by the inmate’s last name, no spaces or dashes (for example, 12345678DOE)
- Beneficiary: the inmate’s full committed name
Send at a MoneyGram retail location (cash accepted) or online at moneygram.com. Online transfers are capped at $300 per transaction and require a credit or debit card. One warning worth knowing: your credit card company may treat the transaction as a cash advance, which can trigger extra fees and interest from the card issuer.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using MoneyGram
Both Western Union and MoneyGram charge service fees that vary by amount and payment method. Fees are separate from the deposit and do not reduce what reaches the inmate.
How Fast the Money Posts
Electronic transfers through Western Union or MoneyGram usually post within a few hours. Mailed deposits take longer because of postal transit and the processing queue at the Des Moines lockbox.
Some mailed payments sit on additional hold before the inmate can spend them. Non-U.S. Postal Service money orders and non-government checks are held for 15 days. Foreign payment instruments denominated in U.S. dollars are held for 45 days.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service U.S. Postal Service money orders, government checks, and cashier’s checks generally don’t trigger these extended holds.
Keep your money order receipt or the digital transaction confirmation until the money posts. You may need it to trace a payment that doesn’t arrive.
Sending from Outside the United States
International senders can mail an accepted payment instrument to the same Des Moines address. The same document types apply, and every instrument must be payable in U.S. dollars. Foreign instruments in U.S. dollars sit on a 45-day hold before the inmate can use the funds.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service Western Union and MoneyGram may also be available depending on the country, with different availability and fees than domestic transfers.
When Part of Your Deposit Goes Toward Court Debts
If the inmate owes court-ordered fines, restitution, or other financial obligations, the Bureau of Prisons may take a portion of incoming deposits before the inmate can spend anything. This runs through the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program, which puts each inmate with financial obligations on a payment plan developed with facility staff.6eCFR. 28 CFR 545.11 – Procedures
Under the current regulations, the first $75 deposited into the account each month is excluded from these deductions, set aside so the inmate can keep phone contact with family. Above that, the minimum payment for inmates in standard work assignments is $25 per quarter, and the actual amount can be higher depending on the inmate’s obligations and resources. Inmates working in federal prison industries (UNICOR) at grades one through four are generally expected to put at least half of their monthly pay toward their obligations.6eCFR. 28 CFR 545.11 – Procedures
What this means for you as a sender: if the inmate has court-ordered debts, part of what you deposit may go to those obligations rather than commissary. The inmate should be able to tell you whether they’re enrolled and how their payment plan works. Refusing the program can cost them work assignments, commissary privileges, and furloughs.6eCFR. 28 CFR 545.11 – Procedures
What Happens to the Balance at Release
When the inmate leaves federal custody, whatever’s in the commissary account goes back to them. The Bureau of Prisons primarily uses an inmate release card. If a release card isn’t available, the inmate gets up to $500 in cash at release, and any balance above that comes as a U.S. Treasury check sent to the release destination.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual Funds still on hold from recent deposits at the time of release are not part of the initial payout and are processed separately after the hold clears.