Brightwheel makes it easy than ever to track family payments and monitor student account balances!
This resource is useful for new providers looking to gain a comprehensive overview of family payments in brightwheel, as well as the tools available to track and manage payments effectively.
Payment types: Online vs offline
There are two types of payments:
Families can make payments online through brightwheel by connecting a bank account and credit/debit card.
Programs can document payments made outside of brightwheel (E.g. cash, check, Venmo).
(Online) Payments made in brightwheel
Online payments made in brightwheel are automatically tracked when a payer adds a payment method and uses brightwheel to pay an account balance. Payments can be made via credit/debit card, FSA or direct bank transfer, each with a service fee specific to your program.
Refunds for these types of payments can be returned directly to the payer’s connected payment method.
💡 You can customize the types of payment methods you wish to accept in your billing settings.
(Offline) Payments made outside of brightwheel
Some programs accept cash, checks, or third party payments like Venmo or Zelle. These are considered offline payments because they are not made directly through brightwheel.
When recorded in brightwheel, they are for tracking only. You must still apply them to the student’s balance and deposit the funds at your bank. Since they are not tied to a payment method, they cannot be refunded through brightwheel.
Note on checks: If you deposit a check directly at your bank, it is considered an "offline" payment. If you deposit the check through brightwheel by uploading a photo, it is considered an "online" payment.
Payment statuses
Providers can easily review the status of a payment to see if it has been paid or not, or if it is still processing. To do this, you'll want to review the Payment status for a given invoice or transaction.
You can check the payment status by running the Payments & credits report or by heading to the student's billing account and clicking All transactions > Credits & payments.
💡 Learn more about what statuses mean here: Understand payment statuses
The family experience
Once families add a payment method, they can pay specific invoices, all open invoices, or any amount toward the student balance in the brightwheel app. If they are enrolled in autopay, they will be charged automatically on the invoice due date.
To learn more, visit Understanding the guardian billing experience.
Tips for smoother payments
Require automatic payments (autopay)
Providers can require families enroll in automatic payments, which ensures the families payment method is automatically charged for a invoice on the due date. This avoids families making manual payments and makes it much more likely for you to get paid online.
To require autopay, visit Customize your billing experience in settings.
Share resources with families
Empower your families with the information they need and help them find answers to their billing questions with these valuable resources:
Guardian billing Help Center collection - Payers can explore a variety of helpful guides on how to navigate billing in brightwheel.
Payer's guide to brightwheel Billing - Perfect for those who prefer printed instructions! Covers adding a payment method, making a payment, and FAQs.
FAQs
How do I see which payments have been deposited into my account?
How do I see which payments have been deposited into my account?
From the student's billing profile, the payment status will show as Paid (deposited), or you can view all of the deposits made into your program's account using the expanded Deposits Report.
I'm located in Canada, will payments appear in the Canadian Dollar (CAD)?
I'm located in Canada, will payments appear in the Canadian Dollar (CAD)?
If you are a provider based in the Canada, amounts will be displayed in the Canadian Dollar (CAD), denoted with the dollar ($) sign.