Sending Money in Kentucky (KY DOC)

How to deposit to the inmate account

Money for commissary and personal spending goes into the inmate’s account. For people held in Kentucky state prisons, the Department of Corrections uses JPay as the deposit vendor. The routes are:

• Online at JPay.com, using a credit or debit card.
• In the JPay app, using a credit or debit card.
• By phone, on JPay’s automated line at 800-574-5729.
• By MoneyGram, paying cash at a MoneyGram location.
• By money order, made payable to JPay and mailed to JPay, P.O. Box 260010, Hollywood, FL 33026. Include the inmate’s committed name and DOC number.

The inmate’s committed name and DOC number are required for any deposit. The DOC number can be confirmed through the Kentucky Offender Online Lookup.

Confirm the deposit details before sending. Kentucky’s vendor and address information should be verified against the Payment Services page or with the facility before you deposit, because the method and the P.O. box can change.

Commissary is run through Keefe

The money in the inmate account is spent at the commissary, which in Kentucky prisons is run through Keefe. The deposit vendor (JPay) and the commissary vendor (Keefe) are separate companies handling separate parts of the process — funds are deposited through JPay and then spent on commissary items supplied through Keefe.

Someone in a county jail uses a different system

A large share of Kentucky’s state-sentenced people are held in county jails rather than in a Department of Corrections prison. A county jail runs its own deposit system — its own vendor, account, and rules — which is not JPay and not the state process described above.

Check the Kentucky Offender Online Lookup first to find where the person is actually held. If the location is a county jail, contact that jail (or check its website) for how to send money there. The state guidance on this page applies only to people held in KY DOC institutions.

Fees and limits

Deposit fees are set by the vendor and change over time. A service fee is typically shown before a transaction is completed, so confirm the current amount with the vendor before you deposit.

The phone and messaging account is separate

The inmate account is not the same as the account that pays for calls and tablet messages. Phone and messaging funds are handled separately, so money added to the inmate account does not pay for phone time. For how to set up and add money to the calling and messaging account, see Phone & Video Calls.

Don’t hand money over at a visit

Funds are added only through the methods above. Money is never accepted in person during a visit. A money order intended for the inmate account goes to JPay at the Hollywood P.O. box, not to the prison.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Sending Money.