Understand billing and payments

01 · Outcome

What you’ll accomplish

Explain a family’s balance from its recorded transactions and payment activity, then make only the adjustment the studio has approved. A charge creates an amount owed, a credit reduces it, and a payment has a separate result; these are not interchangeable actions.

03 · Workflow

Step by step

1. Open the family’s billing account

   Choose Billing, find the family, and select Open family billing. You may also reach the Billing section from the family record. Read the family name at the top of the account before continuing. If No billing account appears, ask the responsible administrator to review setup rather than entering the charge against another family.

2. Read all three balance figures

   Compare Current balance, Open charges, and Unapplied credit. Current balance summarizes posted transactions. Open charges identifies charges still open after amounts have been applied, while unapplied credit is available for future charges. These figures answer different questions, so do not use one total alone to decide whether another payment is required.

3. Trace the question through Billing history

   Locate the relevant description and date in Billing history. Read the transaction type, amount, due date where shown, and whether an amount remains open or is Applied. Look at related entries before deciding a charge is missing or duplicated. A later credit or adjustment can explain why the current balance differs from the original charge.

4. Check payment activity separately

   Review the available payment history for the amount, date, state, and receipt information. A payment that was started is not necessarily successful. If it is pending, uncertain, or failed, read the message associated with it and have the billing owner resolve the result. Do not post a credit simply to make an unresolved payment look complete.

5. Choose the appropriate account action

   Decide whether the question needs an explanation, an approved new charge or adjustment, or a separate payment review. Enrollment may already have posted tuition or registration fees. Check those entries before adding another charge. If your page says Billing access is read-only, give the findings to the authorized colleague rather than attempting a financial change.

6. Enter an approved new transaction

   When New transaction is available, choose Entry type: Charge, Credit, Debit adjustment, or Credit adjustment. Enter Amount, a clear Description, and the Due date where relevant. Add the Reason needed to explain the approved correction. Review the entry type carefully because it determines the effect; an account credit is not itself a refund to a payment method.

7. Post the transaction and verify it

   Select Post transaction once the family, type, amount, and explanation are correct. Wait for the saved result, then find the new entry in Billing history and recheck the account totals. Corrections are recorded as new entries, so the earlier transaction remains visible. If the change is not confirmed, check the history before submitting another entry.

   What to expect: The new transaction appears in the correct family account and the resulting balance has an understandable explanation.

8. Explain the result and any remaining payment task

   Tell the family which charge, credit, or adjustment explains the balance and whether a separate payment remains due. Use only the payment options your studio has made available. If a refund or payment review is needed, pass it to the person with that authority and verify its outcome separately before telling the family money has moved.