Kentucky money transmitter bonds.
From $5,000.
Kentucky licenses money transmitters through the Department of Financial Institutions, and KRS 286.11-013 conditions the license on a surety bond of $500,000 at minimum, with the commissioner able to require up to $5 million. Ours is 1% of the bond amount, filed through NMLS.
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How much does a Kentucky money transmitter bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $5,000 at the $500,000 minimum. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
Even at money-transmitter amounts, this is one of the simplest filings in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details, your bond amount, an effective date, and a term. That is the application — any credit screen is a soft pull that never shows as a hard inquiry.
Pay & e-sign
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, priced at checkout — the bond issues the moment you pay, and your executed bond and power of attorney generate on the spot.
File through NMLS
Kentucky money transmitter bonds are filed through NMLS for the DFI's review. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to attach to your license record — wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Kentucky's Money Transmitters Act, KRS Subtitle 286.11, requires anyone in the business of receiving money for transmission to license with the Department of Financial Institutions — and KRS 286.11-013 conditions that license on security, most commonly a surety bond of not less than $500,000. The commissioner can require more, up to $5 million, based on the scale of your Kentucky business.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky (the obligee). The bond is conditioned on faithful compliance with the Act — it stands behind the money you accept for transmission, so a customer harmed by a violation has a source of recovery up to the bond amount.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The security must stay in place while you hold the license and for five years after you cease money transmission in Kentucky, so the bond has to remain continuously in force; we track the term and send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File through NMLS. Kentucky money transmitter bonds are filed through NMLS for the DFI's review. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to attach to your license record — wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — business details, your bond amount, an effective date, and a term. That is the application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Kentucky bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your money transmitter license today.
1% of the bond amount, issued the moment you pay, soft pull only. Free until issued.