Penmate Inmate Support Guides
how-to-send-money-to-a-federal-inmate-moneygram

How to Send Money to Someone in Federal Prison Using MoneyGram

MoneyGram is a fast way to add money to a federal inmate's commissary account—but only if you fill out every field exactly how the Bureau of Prisons requires. Here's the formatting that matters most and what to expect for posting times.

• 3 min read • bop.gov
How to Send Money to Someone in Federal Prison Using MoneyGram

Getting money to post correctly comes down to a few fields. Start with the Account Number: the inmate's eight-digit register number followed immediately by their last name - no spaces, no dashes. So if the register number is 12345678 and the last name is DOE, you'd enter 12345678DOE. For Company Name, enter Federal Bureau of Prisons. City & State should be Washington, DC. The Receive Code for federal inmate ExpressPayment transfers is 7932. Lastly, the Beneficiary field needs the inmate's full committed name - the legal name they're incarcerated under, not a nickname. This ensures the deposit routes to the right account.

Most common fix: Double-check the Account Number format (8-digit register number + last name, no spaces or dashes) and the Receive Code (7932). Those two fields cause a lot of posting problems when they’re off by even one character.

Using Federal Bureau of Prisons as the Company Name and Washington, DC as the City/State isn't optional. These entries route the payment through MoneyGram's ExpressPayment system. The beneficiary name matters just as much - list the inmate's full committed name so the deposit matches their records.

MoneyGram processes federal inmate deposits seven days a week, including holidays. How quickly funds post depends on when you send them. Send between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern, and funds typically post within 2–4 hours. Send after 9:00 p.m. Eastern, and they'll post at 7:00 a.m. the next morning. So if you're sending money late at night, don't worry if the balance doesn't update until tomorrow.

Timing tip: For the best chance at same-day posting, send between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern. After 9:00 p.m. Eastern, expect it to post at 7:00 a.m. the next morning.

Federal Bureau of Prisons is listed as a biller under MoneyGram's Corrections bill-pay options. You can pay in person with cash or online with a card - pick whatever works best for you.

Most payments post the same day when the account info is formatted correctly. If your deposit doesn't show up as fast as expected, double-check the BOP formatting first: Account Number, Receive Code, and beneficiary name.

How to Send Money to Someone in Federal Prison Using MoneyGram

Checklist Mistakes

  • ✓ Confirm the inmate has physically arrived at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility before you send funds.
  • ✓ Verify the inmate’s 8-digit register number and the spelling of their last name.
  • ✓ Enter the Account Number as register number + last name with no spaces or dashes (example: 12345678DOE).
  • ✓ Use Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons and Receive Code: 7932.
  • ✓ List the beneficiary as the inmate’s full committed name.
  • ✓ Keep your MoneyGram transaction receipt in case you need to track or correct the payment.

Common mistakes: Adding spaces/dashes in the Account Number, using the wrong Receive Code (it must be 7932), or entering a different Company Name/City & State than Federal Bureau of Prisons / Washington, DC can lead to delays or rejected transactions.

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