Why You Can't Drop Off Money Orders at Iowa Prisons (and Where to Mail Them Instead)

Iowa DOC has centralized all offender banking operations. Money sent for an offender's spending or commissary account now goes through one location: Fort Dodge Correctional Facility (FDCF). Other prisons won't accept deposits at their front desk. If you show up somewhere else with a cashier's check or money order, you'll be turned away.

Mail your cashier’s check or money order to the centralized address Iowa DOC uses for incoming funds: IDOC Offender Fiduciary Account, 1550 L Street, Suite B, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.

Accepted Instruments

• ✓ Use a cashier’s check or a money order
• ✓ Make it payable to: IDOC offender Fiduciary Account

• ✓ Offender name
• ✓ Offender number
• ✓ Sender’s name
• ✓ Sender’s complete address

Most returned deposits happen because the payment couldn't be matched to the right person - or the handwriting was hard to read. Iowa DOC requires the offender's name and offender number, plus the sender's name and complete address. Everything needs to be legible. If any of that is missing or unclear, your deposit gets mailed back. Take an extra minute to print clearly and double-check every detail before sending.

Got your deposit returned? Use that as your cue to fix what's missing and try again. Send it to the same address: IDOC Offender Fiduciary Account, 1550 L Street, Suite B, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. Before you re-mail, confirm the offender name and offender number are included, along with your name and complete return address. That way it won't bounce back a second time.

Practical Mailing Tips

• ✓ Keep your receipt and a copy (or photo) of the cashier’s check/money order before you mail it
• ✓ Consider using a trackable mailing option so you can confirm delivery
• ✓ Write clearly so the offender’s information and your full return address are easy to read
• ✓ Send it to the correct centralized destination: IDOC Offender Fiduciary Account, 1550 L Street, Suite B, Fort Dodge, IA 50501