Sending money FAQ

Send Money is a JPay service that lets the friends and family of an inmate transfer money directly into their inmate trust account. This is also the service that allows offenders, parolees and probationers to make their community corrections payments. JPay’s Send Money service is the fastest and most reliable way to transfer funds and make payments to corrections facilities and agencies in more than 30 states across the country.

To send money to an inmate, you first need to open a free account with JPay.com. Once you’ve registered, click on the “Money” tab, select the inmate you would like to send money to, select the card you would like us to charge, and confirm your information. We’ll take it from there!

You can also call a live agent to help you through the process. Be aware that the fees for sending money online are lower than over the phone.

To make a payment, you first need to open a free account with JPay.com. Once you’ve registered, click on the “Send Money” tab, select the type of payment and agency, select the card you would like us to charge, and confirm your information. You can also call a live agent to help you through the process. Be aware that the fees for sending money online are lower than over the phone.

You can send money over the phone by talking to a JPay representative. Call 1 800 574 JPay (5729) and we will be happy to assist you.

This varies by state. Please visit the website of the appropriate DOC for clarification on their money transfer policies and regulations.

Transfer categories are only available in some states. These states have different accounts for “spendable” funds (a commissary account, for instance) and dedicated funds for specific purposes (“Medical”, “Dental” and “Travel” are common). In those states where it is available, you can select which account to send money to by choosing a transfer category.

Many offenders have multiple types of payments to make. You can designate what kind of payment you are making by selecting a payment category.

Inmates are not allowed to handle cash directly, so any funds sent to them while they are incarcerated are generally placed in a commissary or spendable account. This account is similar to a bank account, and allows an inmate to buy products and services from the facility commissary.

Once your transaction is processed, JPay will provide you with a unique Transaction ID/Confirmation number. Please make sure you write it down for further reference.

In rare instances, your credit card and our payment processor have trouble communicating. When this happens, our system waits and tries to process your payment a little later. If you see this message, DO NOT attempt to process a second payment as your card may be charged twice.

JPay is known as the fastest money transfer service in the industry, but the specific time the inmate receives the funds is partially determined by the facility’s disbursement schedule. Payments and Money Transfers post to the facility the next business day, or sooner. To view the disbursement schedule at your inmate’s facility, visit JPay.com and click on “Prison Search.” Please note, payment availability is subject to depositor validation in accordance with federal and state regulations.

Community corrections payment availability varies according to each agency and depositor verification.

You can log on to your JPay account and see the status of your transaction anytime by clicking on “Send Money” then on “Transfer History” The status will appear to the right of the transaction.

Your payment will be placed in a "Pending" status once your debit/credit card has been approved until the funds are deposited to the inmate's account. The payment status will change to "Sent" once the money has been confirmed as transferred to the facility.

Locate the transaction you wish to cancel in “Transaction History” and click “Cancel”. If you do not see a “Cancel” button, the funds have already been sent, and can no longer be canceled.

JPay does not have access to an inmate's account balance or transaction activity.

In most states, the inmate is notified as to who sent the money. In other states, this information is not available. If your inmate is in a facility where the JPay Email service is available, we recommend that you send him or her an email notifying him or her of the money that you just sent. This way, he or she will know who sent the money.

You can send money or make a payment using cash by visiting any MoneyGram location worldwide. Ask the representative for instructions on how to send money to an inmate or make a payment through JPay. JPay lobby kiosks also accept cash.

Yes, by sending money using cash you will be provided with a receipt of your transaction.

Yes. Please send your request to support@JPay.com.

No. You can set up recurring payments through your JPay.com account. You can determine how much you’d like to send, to whom, and with what frequency by clicking on “Recurring Payments” on the Send Money screen and following the prompts. A live customer service agent can also set up recurring payments for you.

Regretfully, JPay does not have the ability to make changes to a transaction if sent to the incorrect inmate. Please visit www.jpay.com and read our Legal Agreements, Payments Terms of Service, Section 2.

You can contact our customer service department to check if your payment appears in a "Pending" status, if it does JPay will be glad to cancel your payment. If not, then JPay will unfortunately not be able to cancel the payment for you.

If the money has not been sent to the inmate yet, you can inquire with a JPay representative to see if a refund is available. If you sent a MoneyGram with missing information, i.e. missing a phone number, then you must call JPay to have the payment processed. We will not send MoneyGram payments that are processed with missing customer information.

You may visit MoneyGram or use a lobby kiosk to send cash to a blocked inmate. If you have filed a chargeback and denied a payment that you yourself sent with a credit or debit card, this may be the reason why the inmate is unable to receive funds from you via credit or debit card. In this case, contact your bank and reverse the chargeback so that you can continue sending funds to this inmate.

Please be advised any money remaining on an inmate's account is provided to the inmate upon release or transfer. A refund is not provided back to the sender, even upon request.

An inmate is generally blocked because they have received money from a credit or debit card that was reported as stolen. If you have filed a chargeback and denied a payment that you yourself sent with a credit or debit card, this may be the reason why the inmate is unable to receive funds from you via credit or debit card. In this case, contact your bank and reverse the chargeback so that you can continue sending funds to this inmate. We encourage you to send money at at MoneyGram location if you are unable to reverse the chargebacks for this particular inmate.

Yes, a failed payment notification will be sent to your personal email address on file with JPay if we were unable to authorize your debit/credit card on the run date.