Tarrant County stopped taking cash by mail or in person on January 16, 2018, and returns any that arrives to the sender. Send photos and letters too.
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Access Corrections handles inmate deposits for the whole Tarrant County jail system. There are five ways to send money: the mobile app, the website, a 24-hour phone line, a kiosk in the facility lobby, and cash at a retail store through Cash Pay Today. Money orders are still accepted by mail, but only US Postal or Western Union ones, and they go to a different Tarrant County building rather than to Lon Evans. Cash is not accepted by any route. You need the person’s name and their CID number, which comes from the inmate search.
Tarrant County states that the app and the online option carry the lowest handling charge of the available methods. Its own flyer describes charges as starting at $2.95, which is a floor rather than a full schedule.
We could not confirm the complete fee table. Access Corrections only shows handling charges inside the deposit flow once a facility has been selected, and publishes no public schedule for Tarrant County. The same is true of deposit limits: the vendor’s general standard is $300 a day, with a note that some facilities set other limits, and it directs users to ask the facility. So the safest approach is to check the fee on screen before confirming, and ask about the daily cap at 817-884-3000 if you are sending a larger amount.
The retail cash option is the one with the most moving parts, and it changed recently.
As of August 1, 2025, new registrations moved to Access Corrections at accesscorrections.com/v2/cashpaytoday, and the recipient lookup on the old cashpaytoday.com site was retired. Tarrant County’s own page and its Spanish-language flyer still point families at the old enrollment page, so following the county’s link can land you somewhere that no longer works.
At the register, the transaction is a bill payment under the name VANILLA DIRECT PAY, which is what to tell the cashier. Dollar General and Family Dollar both require a barcode, and Family Dollar accepts printed barcodes only rather than one on a phone screen.
Money orders are mailed to:
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Detention Bureau
100 N. Lamar
Fort Worth, TX 76196
That address is the Corrections Center and Detention Bureau administration, not Lon Evans Corrections Center at 600 W. Weatherford. It is the correct address for a money order regardless of which of the five facilities the person is held in, so this is one case where the building your person is in does not change what you write on the envelope.
Only US Postal Service and Western Union money orders are accepted. Personal checks are not mentioned as an option.
Since January 16, 2018, Tarrant County has accepted no cash by mail and none in person at a counter. Cash that arrives by mail is returned to the sender.
The lobby kiosks are the exception that proves the rule: they take cash, but they are machines operated by Access Corrections rather than a county counter, and the deposit is electronic by the time it reaches the account.
Funds post once the transaction completes and a receipt number is issued. The card used is debited within about three banking days, and Access Corrections states that this does not hold up the deposit itself. So the money is available to the person before the charge settles on your side.
Tarrant County never states this plainly, which causes a recurring and expensive mistake.
Money on the books goes through Access Corrections. Phone calls go through Smart Communications, an entirely separate company with its own account and its own balance. Access Corrections says it has no access to a facility’s inmate trust account, which confirms the two are not linked.
If the goal is phone calls, funding an Access Corrections deposit will not achieve it. Our phone calls guide covers the Smart Communications side.
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Through Access Corrections. You can use the mobile app, accesscorrections.com, the 24-hour phone line at 866-345-1884, a kiosk in a facility lobby, or cash at a retail store through Cash Pay Today. You need the person's name and CID number, which comes from the Tarrant County inmate search.
Send MoneyTarrant County's flyer says handling charges start at $2.95 and that the app and website are the cheapest options. The full fee schedule is not published anywhere. Access Corrections only shows the charge inside the deposit flow after the facility is selected, so check it on screen before you confirm.
Send MoneyNot published for Tarrant County. Access Corrections applies a general standard of $300 per day but notes some facilities set different limits and directs people to ask the facility. If you are sending a larger amount, confirm the cap at 817-884-3000 first.
Send MoneyNo. Tarrant County stopped accepting cash by mail and in person on January 16, 2018, and cash that arrives by mail is returned to the sender. The lobby kiosks do take cash, but they are Access Corrections machines rather than a county counter.
Send MoneyTarrant County Sheriff's Office Detention Bureau, 100 N. Lamar, Fort Worth, TX 76196. Note that this is not the Lon Evans address at 600 W. Weatherford. Only US Postal Service and Western Union money orders are accepted.
Send MoneyAsk for it as a VANILLA DIRECT PAY bill payment, which is how it appears at the register. Dollar General and Family Dollar both need a barcode, and Family Dollar takes a printed one only, not a phone screen. Also note that enrollment moved to accesscorrections.com/v2/cashpaytoday in August 2025 while the county's own page still links the retired site.
Send MoneyNo. Commissary money runs through Access Corrections and phone calls run through Smart Communications, two separate companies with separate accounts. Access Corrections states it has no access to the inmate trust account. Funding one does nothing for the other, and this is the most common expensive mistake families make here.
Send MoneyFunds post once the transaction completes and you receive a receipt number. Your card is debited within about three banking days after that, and Access Corrections says the delay in settling does not hold up the deposit.
Send MoneyOne search covers all five jails, and will not say which one someone is in.
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View ArticleSmart Communications holds the contract. Free calls happen only at booking.
View ArticleThree separate addresses. Sending to the wrong one gets it returned.
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 7, 2026.