Tuition Fee Billing is only available to schools that also use OpenApply or ManageBac+, because it relies on their data. It creates invoices and records manual payments, but it does not take tuition payments online. Email templates are under Reception > Reports > Email Templates.
For finance and admin staff using the Tuition Fee Billing module. Answers common questions about eligibility, data syncs, templates, payments and invoices.
Eligibility and data
My school does not use OpenApply or ManageBac+. Can we use Tuition Fee Billing?
No, not at the moment. SchoolsBuddy only offers the Tuition Fee Billing module to schools that use other Faria products. The data from ManageBac+ and OpenApply is what makes the module work well. Without it, you would have to sort and filter the students to bill by hand.
How often do ManageBac+ and OpenApply sync to SchoolsBuddy?
Both sync every night:
- ManageBac+: at around 1am to 3am in your time zone.
- OpenApply: at 4:00 UTC for the EMEA region and 18:00 UTC for the Asia region (2am CST).
You can ask the Support team for an extra sync if you need one. At busy times it may be hard to do this quickly.
Do billing items and amounts entered in OpenApply sync to SchoolsBuddy?
No. SchoolsBuddy only imports each student's year group and billing contact details from OpenApply. You need to add billing items and amounts to each invoice directly in SchoolsBuddy.
How do I check that all parents have submitted their billing information in OpenApply?
In OpenApply, run a report of your Billing form data from the Import/Export features on the Settings page. The report shows which students or parents you need to follow up with.
What if I do not have all the billing contacts yet?
Set a deadline for parents to submit their billing information at least a day before you plan to bill. If data is still missing in OpenApply, you can still prepare a batch of students to invoice. Then either:
- hold the invoices until all the data is available, or
- remove the students with missing data and batch them for invoicing later.
Invoices and templates
Can I change the invoice template or the emails sent to payers?
Yes.
- PDF invoice templates: see Tuition Fee Billing: Initial Configuration - Fees and Invoice Templates.
- Email templates: check them in the Reception > Reports > Email Templates report, then submit a request to the Support team with the changes you want.
Can I discount fees for a group of students?
Yes. Enter a reduction in the fee charged before you post the invoice. If the fee has already been invoiced, raise a credit note to reduce it.
I sent an invoice to the wrong contact. Can I resend it?
Yes. You can resend an invoice to a parent or corporate contact, or type in a new email address. See Tuition Fee Billing: Managing Invoices.
Payments
Can parents pay tuition fees through SchoolsBuddy?
No. Micro Billing and Tuition Fee Billing are separate modules. Micro Billing collects activity fees. Tuition Fee Billing lets you create invoices and record payments manually, but it does not process tuition payments.
How do I chase all outstanding payments?
Filter the Invoice dashboard by the status Unpaid (overdue) or Partial Paid (overdue).
Select all the accounts and send a reminder email.
You can see the reminder email template in the Reception > Reports > Email Templates report. To change the standard wording, submit a request to the Support team.