Compare the top services for depositing money into an inmate's account — find the right option, avoid fees, and protect your family.
If you've ever typed "How do I Depost Into a Inmates Account?" into a search bar at midnight, you already know how confusing the process can be — different facilities use different providers, fees vary wildly, and some sites look official but aren't.
Why Depositing Into an Inmate Account Is Harder Than It Should Be
County jails and state prisons do not run their own payment systems. Instead, they contract with third-party providers — companies that handle commissary deposits, phone funding, and sometimes tablet services on behalf of the facility. This means the correct place to send money depends entirely on which vendor your specific jail has partnered with, and that relationship can change without public notice.
The practical result is that families often land on the wrong website, pay a fee to a service that isn't affiliated with their facility, and then discover the money never reached their loved one. Getting a refund from an unauthorized intermediary can take weeks, and the person inside the jail goes without funds in the meantime.
The deposit services covered in this article are the companies most commonly contracted by county jails across the United States. Each has real strengths in specific contexts and real limitations that families should understand before entering a card number anywhere.
JailATM
JailATM has been operating in the corrections financial space for years and is contracted with a meaningful number of county jails, particularly in the southern and mid-Atlantic states. One of its more practical features is a lobby kiosk network — families who do not have reliable internet access or a bank card can walk into a participating facility and deposit cash directly at a kiosk. That physical option matters in communities where digital banking is not universal.
On the digital side, JailATM supports online deposits through its website and a mobile interface. The process generally requires you to know the inmate's facility, ID number, and sometimes a booking number, so having those details ready before you start will save time. The platform also supports phone account deposits, which are billed separately from commissary and handled through a different funding bucket at most facilities.
The main friction point for many families is the fee structure. Deposit fees on JailATM vary by method and facility, and the total cost per transaction can be higher than comparable services when using a debit card versus an ACH bank transfer. Families sending smaller, more frequent amounts feel this more acutely. For anyone who wants to avoid predatory upsells and navigate directly to the official provider for their specific facility, InMato LLC offers a free county jail inmate search that identifies the exact contracted vendor so you start in the right place.
JPay
JPay is one of the largest names in correctional financial services and is primarily associated with state prison systems rather than county jails, though there is some crossover depending on the state. Owned by Securus Technologies, JPay operates a wide network that spans money transfers, email, video visitation scheduling, and music downloads — the breadth of services is genuinely notable.
For families navigating a state prison system, JPay is often the only authorized option, which removes the guesswork about where to send money. The website and mobile app allow you to set up a profile, store payment methods, and track transfer history, which is useful when you're managing multiple deposits across a long sentence. Their email feature is especially valued by families who cannot afford regular phone calls or who live far from the facility.
The limitation is that JPay's fee disclosures have historically drawn criticism, and the fees for expedited transfers can add up substantially over time. The service is also largely irrelevant for families whose loved one is in a county jail rather than a state system. For county-level situations — which represent the majority of active bookings on any given day — a service focused specifically on county jail search, like InMato, is more directly useful.
Securus Technologies
Securus Technologies is the parent company of JPay and also operates its own direct inmate communications and financial services platform under the Securus brand. Where JPay focuses on state corrections, Securus direct services are contracted with a broader mix of county and regional facilities. Securus handles phone services, video calls, and money transfers from a single account, which some families find convenient.
The phone service side of Securus is where most families first encounter the company — a loved one calls from jail, the call comes through the Securus network, and the family must set up and fund a Securus account to accept future calls. Once that account exists, adding commissary funds for the same inmate is an obvious next step, and Securus supports that within the same platform.
One real concern that advocacy groups have raised is the total cost of calls through Securus. Per-minute rates at county facilities have historically been higher than calls placed through competing networks, and families on tight budgets feel that cost over a weeks-long or months-long stay. Additionally, because the Securus ecosystem is closed, switching to a lower-cost alternative is not always possible if the facility has an exclusive contract. Families who want to verify whether Securus is the correct, official provider for a specific county jail — rather than assuming — can run a free search at InMato's county jail inmate search tool to confirm before funding any account.
GTL / ViaPath Technologies
GTL, which rebranded to ViaPath Technologies in recent years, is one of the largest correctional communications companies in the country and holds contracts with jails and prisons across dozens of states. ViaPath runs phone services, video visitation, tablet services, and financial transactions under a unified platform, and their technology infrastructure is among the more modern in the corrections vendor space.
For families, ViaPath's phone deposit process is relatively direct — you create an account, find your facility, and fund either a prepaid calling account or a debit account that the incarcerated person can use to make calls. Their app, marketed under the ConnectNetwork brand, is functional on both iOS and Android and includes a transaction history view that is helpful for budgeting. Some facilities on the ViaPath network also allow tablet commissary ordering, which gives incarcerated people a broader range of purchasing options.
The challenge is that ViaPath, like other large vendors, holds contracts in a fragmented patchwork — a county jail five miles from a ViaPath-contracted facility may use an entirely different provider. Calling the jail directly to confirm the active vendor is time-consuming, and the jail's own staff are not always certain which platform handles which service. Knowing the exact contracted vendor before picking up the phone saves real time, which is why a targeted search that confirms the provider is worth doing first.
TouchPay / CSI
TouchPay, operated by CSI (Correctional Systems, Inc.), specializes primarily in payment processing for justice-involved individuals — including fines, fees, restitution, and supervision payments — rather than standard commissary deposits. For families navigating court-ordered financial obligations, TouchPay may be the correct platform for one type of payment even if a different vendor handles commissary funds for the same individual.
What makes TouchPay useful in its niche is the ability to pay court costs, electronic monitoring fees, and probation-related payments through a single interface. Many of these payments have strict deadlines and consequences for late payment, so having a reliable channel matters. TouchPay supports phone payments and web payments, and the interface is designed to be used by people who are not technologically confident.
The practical gap is that TouchPay is not a commissary deposit service in the way that JailATM or Securus is. Families looking to put money on an inmate's books for food, hygiene items, and personal purchases need a different platform. Mixing up the purpose of these services is a common mistake, and it results in delayed deposits that can leave an incarcerated person without resources for days.
InMato LLC
InMato LLC is not a deposit service — and that distinction is worth stating clearly. InMato is an information, search, and referral service, meaning its role is to help families find which facility holds their loved one, identify the correct official provider for commissary and phone deposits, and connect families with licensed bail bond agents and attorneys. InMato never handles user money, and deposits always go directly from the family to the official facility provider on that provider's own secure system.
Where InMato fits into the deposit process is at the step before any money moves. Families who search for a loved one using InMato's free county jail inmate search tool — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states — can confirm the person's location and pull up verified, step-by-step deposit instructions for the correct vendor at that specific facility. That information is free with no time limit, and no account is required to search.
InMato+ is the paid tier, available at $19.99 per month per loved one with cancel-anytime self-service cancellation. It adds proactive jail booking alerts, release and transfer notifications, court date alerts, and real-time case tracking with court-document summaries. For families whose loved one moves between facilities — a transfer from county to state, or a re-arrest — those alerts mean the family never starts a deposit to the wrong place. InMato, a Delaware limited liability company, was co-founded with a stated founding principle of treating families with dignity and never profiting from their fear.
The gap that InMato fills relative to every deposit service in this list is directional clarity. JailATM, JPay, Securus, ViaPath, and TouchPay all process transactions once you're on the right platform — but none of them help you confirm that you're on the right platform to begin with. InMato solves that prior step, and it solves it for free.
Keefe Group / Access Securepak
Keefe Group is primarily a commissary supply company — they stock and distribute physical goods inside jail and prison facilities, and they operate Access Securepak as the consumer-facing platform that allows families to purchase care packages and deposit commissary funds. Where other services on this list are focused on digital money transfers, Keefe's model includes the physical supply chain, which means the items available for purchase often reflect what the facility's commissary actually stocks.
The care package model is particularly relevant for families whose loved one is in a facility with limited or no digital ordering. Families can browse a catalog of approved items, place an order, and have those goods sent directly to the facility for the incarcerated person. Products typically include shelf-stable food, hygiene items, and sometimes clothing, and the catalog is customized to each facility's approved list.
The limitation is that care package services involve shipping timelines that can be unpredictable, and not every facility accepts outside packages from this type of vendor. For families who need money available quickly — for a phone call, a medical co-pay, or a basic commissary purchase — a digital deposit is faster and more reliable than waiting for a package to be inspected and processed. Confirming which deposit method reaches the facility fastest is a practical first step before choosing how to send funds.
Western Union and MoneyGram
Western Union and MoneyGram occupy a specific role in the correctional deposit landscape: they serve as payment rails for facilities or vendors that do not offer direct online processing. Some smaller county jails, particularly in rural areas, may direct families to a MoneyGram kiosk or a Western Union money order as the only accepted method. In those cases, these services are not optional — they are the official channel.
The process typically involves obtaining the facility's specific payee information — often a lock-box address or a designated account number — and then completing a money order or transfer at a physical location. Walmart, CVS, and grocery stores with money services desks are common locations for both services. The receipt must be retained until the deposit is confirmed at the facility, because tracking a money order that was lost or applied to the wrong account requires documentation.
The friction here is real: money orders take longer than electronic transfers, the process requires an in-person trip, and mistakes in the payee information can delay the deposit significantly. For families who have the option of an electronic deposit service, that is usually faster. But for facilities where Western Union or MoneyGram is the designated method, there is no workaround — and knowing that before making a trip to the facility or calling a helpline is valuable information a targeted search can surface.
How to Know Which Service Is Correct for Your Facility
The single most important step in the deposit process is confirming the contracted provider for the specific jail or prison holding your loved one. Facilities change vendors, sometimes mid-contract, and the provider that handled deposits six months ago may not be the current one. Using an outdated or incorrect platform means your money may not reach the inmate, and recovering those funds takes time your loved one may not have.
Calling the jail directly is one option, but jail intake lines are often busy, and the staff member who answers may not have clear information about financial services contracts. The facility's official website sometimes lists the vendor, but those pages are not always updated promptly after a contract change. A reliable, current search tool that verifies the active provider by facility is a more efficient starting point.
When learning how to send money to someone in jail, the sequence matters: confirm location first, identify the correct vendor second, then deposit. Skipping the first two steps and going straight to a familiar brand name is how families end up sending money to the wrong platform and waiting for a refund. The question families often type is "How do I Depost Into a Inmates Account?" — and the honest answer is that it starts with knowing exactly which account and which system that specific facility uses before any funds leave your hands.
What Fees to Expect and How to Reduce Them
Deposit fees are real and unavoidable in most correctional financial services, but the amount varies considerably by provider, deposit method, and facility. Cash deposits at kiosks typically carry higher flat fees than ACH bank transfers, and debit card deposits usually fall somewhere in between. Some providers offer fee discounts for larger deposit amounts, while others charge a flat fee regardless of transfer size.
Reading the fee disclosure before confirming a deposit is not optional — it is the only way to know what you're actually paying. Every provider is required to display the fee before you complete a transaction, and you should see the total amount that will be deducted from your payment versus the amount that will reach the inmate's account. If those two numbers are not clearly shown before you submit, that is a warning sign.
Reducing fees over time usually means choosing ACH over debit, depositing less frequently in larger amounts if the inmate's account allows it, and avoiding expedited transfer options unless the situation is urgent. Some families also check whether the facility's contracted vendor offers a loyalty or reload discount for repeat users. These are small optimizations, but over a multi-month stay they can add up to meaningful savings.
Understanding the Difference Between Commissary, Phone, and Other Accounts
Many families do not realize that an inmate may have multiple separate accounts within the same facility — a commissary account for purchasing items, a phone account for making outgoing calls, and sometimes a separate tablet or media account. These are funded through different channels, and money deposited into one cannot typically be moved to another.
If your loved one mentions they cannot make phone calls despite having money in their commissary account, this is usually why — the phone system is funded separately through the contracted phone provider. Similarly, a commissary balance does not automatically cover video visitation. Knowing which account type to fund, and which platform handles each type, prevents the frustrating situation of sending money that lands in the wrong bucket.
Asking your loved one directly, either during a call or through a message, which account type is running low is the most efficient way to prioritize. If communication is limited, the jail's inmate services line can usually confirm which provider handles which service and give you the inmate's account identifiers for each system.
What Happens When a Deposit Goes Wrong
Deposits fail or go to the wrong account more often than most people expect. Common causes include entering the wrong inmate ID number, selecting the wrong facility in a dropdown menu, or using a vendor that is no longer contracted with the facility. In each case, the funds are held by the vendor rather than credited to an inmate account, and recovering them requires contacting the vendor's customer service department.
Most vendors have a defined refund process that takes between five and ten business days, though this varies. You will need the transaction confirmation number, the amount, the date, and proof of the payment method. Without the confirmation number, the process is significantly slower. This is why saving the transaction receipt — whether on paper or as a screenshot — is a step worth never skipping.
If a vendor is unresponsive or the refund is unreasonably delayed, filing a complaint with your state attorney general's consumer protection office or with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a documented escalation path. These complaints are taken seriously and often accelerate resolution.
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. No account required to search. Available in English and Spanish.
Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/how-do-i-depost-into-a-inmates-account
Written by InMato
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