You can collect a payment from a family before they enroll, for example, you can charge a $50 tour fee when a family books a visit, or an application fee that families pay when they submit your enrollment packet. Families pay online, and every payment shows up in the CRM lead drawer and your Billing reports.

ℹ️ Not seeing brightwheel CRM in your account yet? It’s rolling out to all programs soon. To get an email when it’s ready for you, go to CRM in the sidebar menu on the web, then click Notify me.

Choose the right type of fee

There are two ways to collect a fee from a prospective family:

Fee type	Use it when	How the family pays
One-time fee	You want to charge at a specific moment, such as a tour fee when a family books a visit.	They get an email with a link to pay online.
Packet fee	You want to charge when a family applies, such as an application or registration fee.	They pay as soon as they submit the packet.

One-time fees work only for leads in CRM. Packet fees work for prospective families and for students already in your system.

💡 Tip: Use CRM for admissions fees from families who aren’t enrolled yet. Leads don’t have student profiles, so they don’t appear on your Billing pages. Once a lead is enrolled and has a profile, you can add one-time charges and billing plans for them under Billing.

Request a one-time fee

A one-time fee is a single charge you request from one lead. Use it for things like a tour fee, or any other admissions charge that isn’t part of a packet.

Log in on the web
In the sidebar menu, click CRM > Leads
Click the lead to open the lead drawer
Select Request fee
Enter the fee details and optionally send a payment request email
Click Request payment

The family receives an email with a link to pay. Until they do, the fee shows as unpaid in the lead drawer, so you can see at a glance who still owes you.

💡 Tip: Add a due date to help families know when to pay. It’s optional, so you can leave it blank.

Add a fee to a paperwork packet

A packet fee is built into the packet itself, so families pay when they submit it. Add the fee when you create the packet, then share it as you normally would. Learn how in Add a submission or registration fee to packets.

After the packet is created with its fee, you can send it to a lead from the Leads page or from the Paperwork tab. Learn how to share it with families.

What families see

Prospective families added as a lead in CRM don’t need a brightwheel account to pay. For a one-time fee, they open the email, select Complete payment, and enter their payment details. For a packet fee, they pay when they submit the packet.

A service fee may apply, and families can see the details at checkout. After they pay, they see a confirmation and receive a receipt by email.

View fees and payment status

To see what a family owes or has paid, open their lead drawer from CRM > Leads page.

Fees section: Shows every one-time fee you requested and any packet fees on a submitted packet. From here you can request another fee or void an existing one.

History tab: Shows when each fee was added and when each payment was made.

Void fees

Voiding a fee cancels it so the family no longer owes it. Use this if you entered the wrong amount or no longer need to charge the fee. Voided fees show as voided in the lead’s history, so you keep a record. To correct an amount, void the fee and request a new one.

Log in on the web
In the sidebar menu, click CRM > Leads
Click the lead to open the lead drawer
Scroll down to the fee and hit Void

Find lead payments in your reports

Payments from leads don’t appear on your Billing pages, which show only enrolled students with profiles. They also don’t link to a student profile, since the child isn’t enrolled yet. You’ll find them in your reports instead. We recommend starting with the Payments & credits report, which shows each payment with the child’s name and who paid.

Log in on the web
Go to Billing > Reports > Payments & credits report
Under Payer type, select Prospect payers
Hit Apply
Review the payments

💡 Tip: Most reports show private payers by default. Select All payers to see everything, or Prospect payers to see only payments from leads. This works in other reports too, such as the Revenue report.

How to find prospective payers across other reports

Most reports show private payers by default. Select All payers to see everything, and Prospect payers to see only payments from leads.

FAQs

What’s the difference between a enrollment one-time fee and a packet fee?

A one-time fee is a single charge you request from a lead, and the family pays from an emailed link. A packet fee is part of a packet, and the family pays when they submit it.

What happens if I need to change a prospective fee amount?

Void the original fee and request a new one with the correct amount.

Why don’t I see lead payments on my Billing pages?

Billing shows only enrolled students with profiles. Find lead payments in your reports using the Prospect payers filter, or from their lead drawer under CRM.

Do families need a brightwheel account to pay?

Not for prospective families. Families pay from the link in their email or when they submit a packet.

Can I charge a fee to a current student?

Packet fees work for current students. For other charges to enrolled students, use Billing.

Collect fees from prospective families with CRM