How do I Get Money to Him for Commissary?

01

When a loved one is booked into county jail, one of the first questions that surfaces — often within hours — is "How do I get money to him for commissary?" The answer depends entirely on which facility is holding him, because every jail controls its own deposit system and designates its own approved providers.

02Why Commissary Matters More Than Most Families Realize

Commissary is the jail's internal store, and access to it affects daily life in ways that are easy to underestimate from the outside. Inmates use commissary funds to buy hygiene products, snacks, over-the-counter medication, writing supplies, and phone credits. Without money on their account, many of those items simply are not available.

Facilities typically run commissary once or twice a week, on a set schedule. If a deposit arrives after the cutoff for that cycle, your loved one waits until the next ordering window. Timing your deposit well is as practical as making it at all.

Phone calls from jail often cost more than people expect, and the charges come directly from the same inmate account that covers commissary. A single short call can cost several dollars depending on the facility's contracted phone provider. Many families send money specifically so their loved one can afford to call home.

Understanding all of this reframes the question. Sending commissary money is not just a comfort measure — it is often a communication lifeline and a health and hygiene necessity for someone who has no other way to access those items.

03How Jail Commissary Deposit Systems Actually Work

Every county jail controls which payment methods it accepts and which vendors it authorizes. There is no single national system. A method that works perfectly at one facility may not be accepted at the facility twenty miles away.

Most county jails contract with one or two approved third-party deposit services. These are the only channels through which money will actually reach your loved one's inmate trust account. Sending money through any other channel — even a well-known money transfer app — will not work and may result in your funds being delayed or returned.

The deposit services accepted by a facility typically include one or more of the following options: online deposit through a web portal, a mobile app connected to that portal, a kiosk located at the jail, a phone-based deposit line, or a money order mailed directly to the facility. Not every facility offers all of these options, and some smaller jails may only accept money orders.

When a deposit is processed, the funds are routed into the inmate's trust account, not given directly to them as cash. The jail maintains those funds on behalf of the incarcerated person, and the individual draws from that balance when placing a commissary order or making a phone call.

04The Most Widely Used Jail Commissary Deposit Services

Several third-party companies operate deposit platforms used by jails across the United States. Understanding what each platform does and where it falls short helps families make an informed choice and avoid losing money to the wrong site.

05JPay

JPay is one of the most widely recognized names in correctional services and processes deposits for a large number of state and county facilities across the country. The company is owned by Securus Technologies, which also operates many jail phone systems, meaning a single login can sometimes cover both phone and commissary funding. JPay's web portal and mobile app are generally straightforward, and the platform sends email confirmations when deposits are processed. Fees vary by facility and by payment method, with credit card deposits typically carrying higher fees than electronic bank transfers.

JPay is most prevalent in state prison systems, and families of county jail inmates sometimes discover that their facility uses a different provider entirely, leaving them searching for the right platform after they have already navigated JPay's account creation process.

06Keefe Group

Keefe Group operates the TouchPay and Access Corrections deposit platforms and serves a broad network of county jails in addition to state facilities. The company offers kiosk-based deposits at many jail lobbies, which can be a practical option for families who prefer to handle things in person or who lack reliable internet access. Online and phone-based deposit options are also available. Keefe's lobby kiosks accept cash, which distinguishes them from most web-based alternatives that require a debit or credit card.

Because Keefe serves so many different county facilities, the fee structure is not uniform — it varies by facility contract and deposit amount. Families sometimes find the kiosk experience faster for same-day processing, but kiosk hours are tied to facility visiting and lobby schedules. If the jail's lobby is closed, the kiosk option is unavailable regardless of what the platform's website states.

07ViaPath Technologies (formerly Global Tel Link)

ViaPath Technologies, which operates under the GTL brand in many jurisdictions, provides both phone services and commissary deposit functions for a significant number of county and state facilities. The company's ConnectNetwork platform handles deposits and allows families to fund both phone accounts and general commissary from one interface. ViaPath has put effort into making its platform accessible on mobile devices. For families whose loved one is in a facility that contracts with ViaPath for phone calls, using ConnectNetwork also means managing fewer separate accounts.

The limitation that surfaces most often is that ViaPath's coverage is uneven at the county level. Families in jurisdictions where the jail uses a different phone vendor and a different commissary vendor will find that ViaPath is simply not applicable, and navigating to the correct provider takes additional time they may not have.

08ICSolutions

ICSolutions provides both phone and deposit services to county jails and operates its own network of approved facilities. The company's online deposit portal is functional and includes tracking, so families can confirm when funds have been received and posted. ICSolutions tends to be stronger in the county jail segment than in state systems, making it relevant to many families whose loved one is held pre-trial. Deposits can typically be made via debit card, credit card, or electronic check through the portal, and phone deposits are also supported.

Where ICSolutions draws limitations is in geographic concentration — it is well-represented in some regions and largely absent in others. Families may spend time navigating the site only to discover their specific county jail is not in the network, at which point they have to start their search over with a different provider.

09InMato LLC

InMato LLC is an information, search, and referral service built specifically for families of incarcerated individuals. InMato does not process deposits, hold funds, or act as a payment intermediary in any way — and that distinction resolves one of the most common pain points families face: landing on a lookalike site that collects payment but is not the actual authorized provider for that jail. InMato's county jail inmate search is free and has no time limit, covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states, and it surfaces the specific, official provider authorized to accept deposits at each facility.

The platform identifies which deposit service is actually approved at the jail where your loved one is held, then connects you to that provider directly. Families searching for a way to send money to someone in jail frequently waste hours — and sometimes lose funds — trying services that are not authorized at their loved one's specific facility. InMato removes that guesswork without charging for the search itself.

InMato Core is free forever, with no account required to search. For families who want ongoing support, InMato+ is $19.99 per month per loved one and includes real-time jail booking alerts, release and transfer notifications, court date alerts, bail bond and attorney referrals, and case tracking with court-document summaries. The InMato app is available in English and Spanish, and every deposit InMato refers flows directly to the official facility provider — InMato never touches user money. For families wondering whether a service like this is legitimate, InMato LLC is a Delaware limited liability company co-founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry, and it is explicitly not a bail bond company, law firm, money transmitter, or payment processor.

The gap InMato fills relative to the services listed above is straightforward: instead of guessing which provider covers your jail and creating accounts at multiple platforms to find out, InMato tells you the verified answer immediately, for free, and connects you to the correct official channel.

10Securus Technologies

Securus Technologies is one of the largest correctional technology companies in the United States and provides phone services, video visitation, and deposit capabilities at a wide range of county and state facilities. The Securus platform allows families to deposit into phone accounts and in some facilities into general trust accounts as well. For jails where Securus handles both phone and commissary infrastructure, families can manage both in one place, which reduces friction. The company also operates a kiosk network in many facility lobbies.

Securus has faced scrutiny over pricing in several jurisdictions, and call rates and deposit fees have been the subject of regulatory proceedings over the years. For families already stretched financially, every dollar lost to fees is a dollar that does not reach their loved one. Knowing the exact fee structure for your specific facility before depositing is always worth the extra step.

11Smart Communications

Smart Communications operates the Smart Deposits platform and has expanded its footprint substantially in county jails by winning contracts that were previously held by other vendors. Smart Communications is notable for its mail-processing services, which convert physical letters to digital format for facilities that no longer accept paper mail — but the company also handles inmate trust account deposits through its platform. For jails that have transitioned their mail and communications infrastructure to Smart Communications, families may find that one account covers multiple communication needs.

The challenge with Smart Communications for many families is that its presence varies significantly by county, and the platform is not always intuitive for first-time users. Facilities that contract with Smart Communications for mail may use a completely separate provider for phone deposits, which means families still need to verify each service independently. The process of identifying the correct provider for each need remains a barrier without a central search tool.

12Nuvei and Third-Party Kiosk Networks

Beyond the named platforms above, a number of county jails contract with regional or specialized payment processors — including white-label solutions powered by companies like Nuvei — to operate their commissary or phone deposit infrastructure. In some jurisdictions, the deposit system is operated directly by the sheriff's department or the jail's finance office, with no third-party intermediary at all. Families at these facilities may be directed to mail a money order made out to the inmate trust fund at the specific facility address, with the loved one's full name and booking number on the memo line.

Money orders remain a reliable option at many smaller or rural county jails that have not yet contracted with a digital provider. The downside is speed: a mailed money order typically takes several days to arrive and be processed, compared to a near-instant electronic deposit. Knowing which method your facility accepts — and which is fastest — requires verifying directly with the jail or using a tool like InMato's county jail inmate search to identify the official provider and deposit instructions.

13What to Check Before You Send Anything

Before making any deposit, confirm the inmate's current location. Jails transfer people between facilities — sometimes within the same county system, sometimes to a different county or to a state facility — and a deposit sent to the wrong location cannot reach your loved one and may be difficult to recover.

Get the exact spelling of the inmate's name as it appears in the facility's system, and have the booking number ready. Most deposit services require both pieces of information to route funds to the right account. A common mistake is using a nickname or shortened name that does not match the official booking record, which causes the deposit to go unposted.

Verify the deposit fee before confirming the transaction. Fees vary by provider, by payment method, and sometimes by deposit amount. A credit card deposit may carry a significantly higher fee than an ACH bank transfer at the same facility. If the fee seems unusually high or the site looks unfamiliar, stop and verify through official channels before entering any payment information. Looking for jail booking alerts or checking whether the person has been transferred can also prevent sending money to an account the person no longer has access to.

14Common Mistakes That Cost Families Money

One of the most damaging mistakes families make is searching online for "commissary deposit" and clicking on the first result that appears. Search results often surface paid advertisements from sites that are not the official authorized provider for any specific jail, and some of those sites collect payment without ever routing funds to the actual inmate account.

Another frequent error is sending money through a general-purpose app — peer-to-peer transfer services are not integrated with jail trust account systems and will not deliver funds to an inmate's commissary balance. The money may simply remain in your own account, or in a worst case, be difficult to recover if you sent it to an incorrect destination.

A third mistake is depositing to the phone account when the person needs commissary funds, or vice versa. At some facilities, phone and commissary draw from the same pool. At others, they are completely separate accounts. Confirming which account needs funding before you deposit saves time and avoids the need to request a transfer or refund.

15How to Stay Informed Between Deposits

Sending money once does not mean you know how it is being spent or whether your loved one actually received it. Most deposit platforms show a transaction history and posting status, so checking back after a deposit is made is a reasonable step. If the deposit shows as posted but your loved one has not been able to use the funds, the facility's inmate accounts office is the right contact.

Staying informed also means knowing if your loved one has been moved. A transfer to a different facility means a different commissary system, a different authorized provider, and potentially a different account entirely. Proactive tools like jail booking alerts and release and transfer notifications can help families know about a move before they send funds to the wrong location.

Finding a loved one in jail free is possible through official county jail roster lookups, and InMato's free search aggregates those rosters across hundreds of systems so families do not have to check each one individually. Knowing exactly where someone is held is the necessary first step before any deposit attempt.

16A Practical Path Forward

The path to getting commissary money to your loved one is straightforward once you have three pieces of verified information: the current facility, the authorized deposit provider for that facility, and the inmate's full name and booking number as they appear in the system. Every other step flows from those three data points.

Use the facility's official website or a verified inmate search tool to confirm current location. Identify the authorized deposit provider through that facility's official communications or through InMato's free search. Then use only that provider's official platform — never a search-ad result or an unverified third-party site.

If you encounter a site that asks for payment information before showing you basic deposit options or that cannot clearly state which facilities it serves, treat that as a warning sign and navigate directly to the official county jail website for guidance. Protecting your own financial information is as important as getting funds to your loved one promptly.

17About 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.

18Get 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-get-money-to-him-for-commissary

Written by InMato