Ten counties send people here at intake, so a first deposit often lands before anyone knows where the sentence will actually be served. Send photos and letters too.
Send photos and letters too
JPay handles deposits for every New York prison, so the routes and the fees do not change from one to the next. What changes at Auburn is the context. This is where ten counties send people at intake, which means a family is often making their first ever prison deposit here, in the first confusing weeks, for someone who may be moved on once classification is finished.
Most families reading this page are new to it, because Auburn is where ten counties send people at the start of a state sentence. So here is the short version before the detail.
The free posted route has a prerequisite that trips up nearly everyone the first time.
A money order sent to the Miami lockbox must travel with a JPay deposit slip issued by the facility. The slip carries the coding that ties your money to the right person at the right prison. Without it the lockbox has an instrument and no reliable way to place it.
The slips come from inside. The person requests them and posts them out.
Ask for several. At an intake prison, you may need slips for a different facility within a month or two.
| Method | Cost | Speed | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money order or check to the lockbox | Free | Slowest | A facility deposit slip |
| Online, app or phone through JPay | $1.75 to $4.75 | Fast | A card |
| MoneyGram, in cash | $4.00 | Fast | Receive code 1317 |
| The lockbox at the prison, on a visit day | Free | Fast | To be there |
JPay
PO Box 531190
Miami, FL 33153
Cap: $999.99 per money order or check. Larger amounts split across instruments.
JPay’s channels take card payments and post fastest, for $1.75 to $4.75 by amount. The phone line is 1-800-574-5729.
MoneyGram receive code 1317, a flat $4.00 at an agent. The cheapest fast route without a bank card.
Every New York prison keeps a lockbox for in-person deposits, with no fee.
This is worth a note at Auburn. The prison publishes no cap on visits per day and guarantees a three hour minimum visit, so a family making the trip into Cayuga County can visit properly and deposit for free on the same journey.
Auburn is an intake facility for Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Madison, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Seneca and Wayne counties, and it also holds a transit unit and serves as a detention centre.
A lot of people here are at the beginning of something rather than settled in it.
What that means for money:
A single commissary account. New York runs commissary fortnightly: a buy every two weeks, funds permitting and no disciplinary restriction in the way.
There is no phone account to fund. New York made all calls free on August 1, 2025. A prepaid balance left from before that date can be refunded on request from the provider.
Directive 4422 has staff inspect incoming mail for cash, checks and money orders.
Money found in the post is returned to sender, with a JPay deposit slip enclosed showing the right way to do it. Nothing is lost except weeks, and the letter may be held up alongside it.
Not money, not mail.
Family members cannot post packages to Auburn. New York permits approved vendors only, shipping by USPS, FedEx or UPS, and nothing can be brought to a visit.
Statewide limits: three food packages a month, no more than 40 pounds combined, and two non-food packages a year.
DOCCS publishes a disapproved vendor list rather than an approved one, so check yours is not on it before ordering.
Auburn carries a Special Housing Unit and a Residential Rehabilitation Unit, and Directive 4911 excludes some unit types from the package programme. Confirm the unit before ordering, particularly for somebody newly arrived whose placement may not be settled.
6 of 8 questions
Two routes are free. A money order posted to the JPay lockbox at PO Box 531190, Miami, FL 33153, which needs a deposit slip from the facility and is the slowest option, or the lockbox at the prison on a visit day, which is free and immediate.
Send MoneyThe person's DIN, and a deposit slip if you are posting a money order. For speed use MoneyGram receive code 1317 for cash, or JPay online with a card, both of which cost a few dollars. For free, post a money order with a slip to the Miami lockbox and allow time.
Send MoneyBecause Auburn takes intake from ten counties and holds a transit unit, so a lot of people here move on once classification finishes. The slips you hold are for Auburn specifically, and after a transfer you need new ones for the next prison. Getting several while they are still here saves a gap.
Send MoneyMoney orders and checks to the lockbox cap at $999.99 each, so larger amounts split across instruments. New York publishes no separate weekly or monthly limit on what an account can receive.
Send MoneyNo. Directive 4422 has staff inspect incoming mail for cash, checks and money orders, and anything found is returned to sender with a JPay deposit slip enclosed. The money comes back but weeks are lost, and the letter may be delayed with it.
Send MoneyYes, and it costs nothing. Every New York prison keeps a lockbox for in-person deposits. Auburn suits this particularly well, since it publishes no cap on visits per day and guarantees a three hour minimum visit, so one trip can cover both.
Send MoneyNot any more. New York made all state prison calls free on August 1, 2025, so there is no phone balance to maintain. If you funded a provider account before that date, you can request a refund of whatever is left on it.
Phone CallsOnly through an approved vendor shipping by USPS, FedEx or UPS. Families cannot post packages or bring them to a visit. The limits are three food packages a month at 40 pounds combined and two non-food a year, and DOCCS publishes a disapproved vendor list rather than an approved one. Confirm the unit first, since some are excluded entirely.
Mail & PhotosTen counties at intake, and a transit unit.
View ArticleFour letter groups, and a guaranteed three hour visit.
View ArticleFree since August 2025, with nothing left to fund.
View ArticleBox 618 in 13021, not State Street in 13024.
View ArticleSearch for your loved one and start sending photos, letters, and messages today.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified September 16, 2026.