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Sending Money

What Happens to the Money You Send: How Commissary Accounts Work (BOP TRUFACS)

When you send money to someone in federal custody, it doesn't just sit in a holding pattern. The Bureau of Prisons uses a system called TRUFACS to track commissary-related financial activity—keeping the account balance in sync with what's being spent and what's owed.

• 2 min read • bop.gov
What Happens to the Money You Send: How Commissary Accounts Work (BOP TRUFACS)

TRUFACS is the Bureau of Prisons' real-time Trust Fund Accounting system. It processes all inmate financial information tied to commissary transactions. For families, here's why that matters: the money you send goes into an account where multiple types of activity get recorded - not just store purchases. If you're wondering "where did the money go," understanding that one system tracks everything coming in and going out helps make sense of the balance.

Transactions

  • ✓ Commissary deposits and withdrawals
  • ✓ Purchase and resale of approved commissary products
  • ✓ Court-ordered fines and restitution
  • ✓ Medical co-payments
  • ✓ Telephone transactions

A lower balance doesn't automatically mean money is missing. TRUFACS captures multiple transaction categories: deposits coming in, commissary purchases (including resale activity for approved items), court-ordered fines and restitution, medical co-payments, and telephone charges. Having all these in one real-time system is what allows the account to show the full picture of what's happening with those funds.

TRUFACS also follows specific records-management rules. Scanned documents like BP Form-199s - used for authorizing recurring monthly withdrawals - are classified as temporary records. They're scheduled for destruction 90 days after verification.

Note: The 90-day destruction schedule applies to scanned authorization forms like BP Form-199s. This is a records-retention rule - not something you need to do as a family member.

What Happens to the Money You Send: How Commissary Accounts Work (BOP TRUFACS)

Practical Advice

  • ✓ Keep your own records of what you sent (receipts, confirmations, and the date/amount), so you have a clean timeline to compare against account activity.
  • ✓ Ask your loved one to confirm what the funds were used for - commissary withdrawals, purchases (including any purchase/resale activity for approved items), court-ordered fines or restitution, medical co-payments, or telephone transactions.
  • ✓ When something doesn’t add up, narrow it down by category first: “Was this commissary spending, a medical co-payment, a phone transaction, or a fine/restitution payment?” TRUFACS tracks these as distinct types of transactions, which can help you pinpoint where to focus your questions.

Heads up: This article covers what TRUFACS records - the transaction categories and retention rules. For questions about deposit methods, timing, or local procedures, check with the facility directly.

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