How to put money on their books

Federal prison (BOP): the account number

Every BOP method uses the same account number: their 8-digit register number with no dash, followed right away by their last name exactly as the BOP has it.

Hyphenated or two last names are where families get stuck. The BOP doesn't always file a name the way the family writes it. Someone known as Jose Hernandez-Reyes may be on record as last name HERNANDEZ-REYES, or last name REYES with HERNANDEZ as a middle name. Our inmate search shows the name exactly as the BOP filed it and builds the account number for you.

Three ways to send it

• MoneyGram (posts in 2 to 4 hours)
  Receive code 7932 · Company: Federal Bureau of Prisons, Washington, DC · Account number as above · Beneficiary: their full committed name.
  In person at a MoneyGram agent (cash accepted, use the blue ExpressPayment form), or online at MoneyGram's bill-pay site with a Visa or Mastercard, up to $300.
• Western Union (posts in 2 to 4 hours)
  Code City FBOP, DC (at the counter: FBOP DC) · Facility: Federal Bureau of Prisons · Account number as above · Attention line: their full committed name.
  In person (cash; some locations take debit), online at send2corrections.com, or in the Send2Corrections app.
• Money order by mail (slowest; non-postal money orders are held 15 days)
  Make it out to their full committed name and register number, and print both on the envelope too. Put your name and return address in the top left corner. Mail to:

  Federal Bureau of Prisons
  Their full committed name
  Their 8-digit register number
  Post Office Box 474701
  Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

  Money orders, government checks, certified or cashier's checks only. No cash, no personal checks, nothing else in the envelope: anything else gets thrown away.

MoneyGram and Western Union post seven days a week, including holidays. Sent between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern, it usually posts in 2 to 4 hours; after 9 p.m., the next morning.

Mistakes that send the money back

• Using a nickname or the name they go by, instead of the name on record.
• A missing or wrong register number, or leaving the dash in.
• Sending before they've arrived at a BOP prison. While they're "in transit", wait.
• Mailing money to the prison itself. Money never goes to the prison address. It goes to Des Moines.
• Cash or a personal check in the mail.

A deposit problem? The BOP's deposit line is 202-307-2712, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern. For a MoneyGram or Western Union transfer, call that company.

County and private jails (before BOP)

While the US Marshals hold someone, they're in a county or private jail, and that jail's rules apply, not the BOP's. Every jail picks its own company for deposits, and fees vary a lot.

• Find out which company the jail uses. It's on the jail's website (look for "inmate deposits," "commissary" or "send money"), or call the jail and ask. Common ones include Access Corrections, JPay, TouchPay and ConnectNetwork.
• Use the jail's booking number, not a BOP register number. They won't have a register number until the BOP assigns one.
• Many jails have a kiosk in the lobby that takes cash, often with the lowest fee.
• Check the fee before you pay. On small deposits it can be a big share of what you send.
• When they move to the BOP, money left on the jail account doesn't follow them automatically. Ask the jail how they refund or forward it.

Not sure which jail? Find the US Marshals office for the court; they can tell you where someone is held.