Sending Money to an Inmate at FCI Texarkana (and why you must not mail funds to the facility)

Do not send money to FCI Texarkana's street address. For federal inmates, funds sent through the mail must go to a processing center in Des Moines, Iowa, not to the institution itself. Mail it to the facility and you're sending it to the wrong place. That can turn a simple deposit into a headache you didn't need.

The Bureau of Prisons lets you send money electronically through MoneyGram's ExpressPayment program. This is the commercial method referenced in BOP guidance for sending funds to someone at a BOP-managed facility like FCI Texarkana.

Timing is usually quick when everything is entered correctly. Funds sent between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time typically post to the inmate's account within 2 to 4 hours. Submit after 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and the deposit posts at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time the following morning.

The most common hang-up with MoneyGram is the Account Number field. Enter the inmate's eight-digit register number with no spaces or dashes, followed immediately by the inmate's last name. For example, if the register number is 12345678 and the last name is DOE, you'd enter: 12345678DOE.

MoneyGram also requires a Receive Code for Bureau of Prisons payments. For all BOP transactions, the Receive Code is 7932. If the code is missing or wrong, the transfer may not route correctly.

• ✓ Receive Code shows as 7932
• ✓ Account Number is the eight-digit register number (no spaces or dashes) plus last name (example: 12345678DOE)
• ✓ Inmate’s last name is spelled correctly and matches the Account Number entry

If you sent funds during the 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time window, the money should post within 2 to 4 hours. Transfers sent after 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time don't post until 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time the next morning, so a late-night transaction can look "stuck" until the following day.

1. Re-check the Account Number format - confirm it is the eight-digit register number with no spaces or dashes, followed immediately by the inmate’s last name (example: 12345678DOE).
2. Confirm the Receive Code - for Federal Bureau of Prisons payments, the Receive Code must be 7932.
3. Compare what you entered to the inmate’s information - one digit off in the register number or a misspelled last name can prevent correct posting.
4. Use your MoneyGram receipt to follow up - if the timing window has passed, having the receipt details makes it easier to correct entry errors and track the transaction.