Fees & billing
Get fees paid without chasing
Collection stops depending on how comfortable you feel asking.
Late fees are rarely a money problem. They are a clarity problem, and chasing is what a service does instead of having been clear at the start.
Step 1 of 5
Put the whole year's dates in front of parents once
Invoice dates, due dates, closure weeks and the fee review month, on one page, at enrolment. Almost every awkward conversation later traces back to something that was never on that page.
Do this nowBuild the one-page fee calendar and attach it to every enrolment pack.
Step 2 of 5
Move the due date away from the end of the month
The last week of the month is when every other bill lands. A due date that sits just after payday collects a noticeably higher proportion on time.
Do this nowPick a due date and apply it to everyone, not just new families.
Step 3 of 5
Make the first reminder automatic and unremarkable
A short, neutral reminder sent the day after the due date does most of the work. The tone matters more than the timing — it should read as process, not as an accusation.
Do this nowWrite the reminder once, in three sentences, and send the same one every time.
Step 4 of 5
Decide the escalation before you are annoyed
Set what happens at seven days, at fourteen, and at the point a place is genuinely at risk. Deciding this while calm is the only way it gets applied evenly.
Do this nowWrite the three stages and who owns each one.
Step 5 of 5
Separate the arrears conversation from the child
Families in difficulty need a payment plan and the child's day to continue unchanged. Keeping the two apart is what lets you be firm about the money.
Do this nowAgree a standing payment-plan offer you can make without a committee.
That is the whole guide.
Everything above is something a service can do without buying anything. If you would rather the expiry register, the ratio count and the subsidy line kept themselves, that is what AcornCloud is.