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Send Money

Friends and family of an incarcerated individual may send money to be placed in the individual's trust account. Individual's may make their community corrections and restitution payments with funds from their trust account. The Department of Corrections (DOC) provides the following three options to send money:

Mandatory Deductions

When funds are received they are subject to mandatory deductions as required by RCW 72.09.480, unless exempt (i.e, funds specifically designated for postage, education or qualified medical expenses). See the Deduction Matrix (Attachment 2) (pdf) for detailed information about deductions and exemptions on deposits into an individual's trust account.

Sending Money to Multiple Incarcerated Individuals

Family, friends, and/or other persons may not deposit to more than one incarcerated individual's trust account without the Superintendent's prior approval (DOC 200.000 Trust Accounts for Incarcerated Individuals (pdf)). Contraband funds end up being deposited in the Offender Welfare Betterment fund.

Western Union

You may use Western Union to send money to incarcerated individuals. Western Union offers the ability to send money online, over the phone, or in person. Funds sent through Western Union are deposited into an individual's Spendable sub-account only.

Sending Money

Go to the Send Money to an Inmate webpage. Select "Washington Dept Corrections" from the facility drop-down list. Input the amount you would like to send and click Get Started. Choose the method you want to send money (online, in person, by phone, or mobile app). To complete a transaction with Western Union you will need to have the following pieces of information ready:

  • City Code: WA DOC
  • State: WA
  • Account Number: Account Number is the incarcerated individual's DOC number + (Example: 123456Doe)

    The last name must match the DOC database exactly. For example, if the incarcerated individual was booked in our system under 'Hanson', the name must be spelled as 'Hanson' (even if the individual's name is actually spelled 'Hansen').

    Use Inmate Search to verify the spelling of an incarcerated individual's last name as recorded in the DOC databases.

If you are sending money over the phone, ask to use "Quick Collect" to receive the more inexpensive money-sending service.

Rates

Service Amount Rate
Send Money $0.01 to $30.00 $5.95
Send Money $30.01 to $75.00 $6.95
Send Money $75.01 to $200.00 $8.95
Send Money $200.01 to $5,000.00 $9.95

Help & Questions

Any questions or concerns regarding transfers should be directed to Western Union, not the Department of Corrections. See the following resources for information about Western Union's services:

Western Union's website has experienced periods of instability. If you are having difficulty accessing some of the resources linked to above, please access their website through their main page.

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Cashier's Check or Money Order

You may send money to incarcerated individuals through a cashier's check or money order (least expensive way to send money). Do not send cash, personal checks, or stamps. The mail will be rejected and returned to you at the individual's expense.

The processing of physical money orders must occur on-site. Teleworking limits the amount of time staff are physically in the office to process money orders. Deposit of money orders may be delayed.

The Business Office is recommending to family and friends to use an electronic deposit method if possible. Using Securus Debit or Western Union will allow staff to access money entries while teleworking and post more quickly. Thank you.

Incarcerated Individual's Sub-Accounts

A cashier's check or money order can be deposited into four kinds of sub-accounts. The available sub-accounts include:

  1. Spendable: Unrestricted and available for the individual's use. Money orders⁄cashiers checks not designated to another sub–account will be posted to this sub–account.
  2. Postage: Use restricted to postage charges. The money order⁄cashiers check must be clearly marked “postage.”
  3. Medical: Use restricted to health care copays, over–the–counter (OTC) medications, and eyeglasses. The money order⁄cashiers check must be clearly marked as “medical.”
  4. Education: Use restricted for payment of education tuition⁄fees and⁄or expenses ancillary to participation in an approved education program. The money order⁄cashier’s check must be clearly marked as “education.”
  5. Commissary: Use restricted for purchase of item from the facility commissary list only. The money order/cashiers check must be clearly marked as “commissary.”

Sending Money

  1. The Cashier's Check or Money Order
    The sub-account you will be depositing money into must be written on the cashier's check or money order. Include both the incarcerated individual's full name and six-digit DOC number on the payee line.
  2. The Letter/Document(s)
    The letter/document(s) inside the envelope accompanying the funds must have the incarcerated individual's full name and six-digit DOC number, and must be addressed to the same individual written on the outside of the envelope.
  3. Mailing Requirements
    The outside envelope must be addressed with the 1) incarcerated individual's full name, 2) their six-digit DOC number, 3) the correct facility address where the individual is incarcerated, and 4) a return address (as defined by USPS), including the sender's first and last name. We request including the individual's living unit, but it is not required for delivery. For example:

    John B. Hancock
    1024 S. Bee St
    Olympia, WA 98506-4321

    Jack J. Doe, DOC 123456
    Stafford Creek Corrections Center, H2
    191 Constantine Way
    Aberdeen, WA 98520
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