Free · Official sources only
Ohio prison money & phone fees, compared
What it costs to send money and take calls from ODRC, using only fees ODRC publishes, each with its source and date. Where a fee isn't published, we say so; we never guess.
Sending money
Options ODRC names: ConnectNetwork (approved provider) (opens in new tab)
Official fees and rates
- Limits: up to $200 per deposit and $400 per calendar month. Your name on a money order must exactly match your name on the visitor list. Letters sent with a money order are thrown away.
- Official fees ODRC publishes (convenience fee table dated October 2012): $3.00 per kiosk deposit; card deposits by phone or web are $3.50 plus 3.5% up to $20, $4.50 plus 3.5% up to $100, and $5.50 plus 3.5% up to $200.
Other official notes
- Only approved (or tentatively approved) visitors may send money. Funds from other sources are not accepted.
- Deposits go through the state's approved provider, which ODRC lists as ConnectNetwork (ViaPath): online or by app, by phone at 1-888-988-4768 (ODRC facility site ID 86), by money order with the provider's deposit form, or with cash at retail locations.
- Deposits can be taken to pay debts the person owes, under Ohio law (R.C. 5120.133).
Source: official ODRC page (opens in new tab) · checked
Phone calls, video and messages
Official fees and rates
Not published on the official ODRC page we read. Vendors show their fee before you pay; check it there.
Other official notes
- Phone calls are paid from a PIN debit phone account. The person buys phone credit at commissary with their own account funds, and families can add money to phone accounts through the state's approved provider.
- Video visits are scheduled through the state's approved provider (ViaPath) at ohdoc.gtlvisitme.com after you are an approved visitor. Video hours are listed on each facility's ODRC page.
Source: official ODRC page (opens in new tab) · checked
Ways to keep costs down
- If ODRC lists a free option (often a mailed money order), it says so above.
- Fees often step up with the amount; a vendor's checkout screen shows the exact fee before you pay.
- Compare states: all states side by side.
OutSooner has no sponsors or affiliate links; vendors are named only because ODRC names them. Not financial or legal advice.
Other states · Ohio mail rules · Visit-day checklist · Ohio prisons and family guide
Sources: How we source and verify · Last verified: · Corrections