Inviting student contacts to pay tuition and fees with brightwheel is the fastest way to start collecting online payments and ensures you get paid on time.
This resource outlines how to invite parents and other contacts to add a payment method and sign up for automatic payments.
Getting started
Before you can invite families to pay in brightwheel, they must be listed as contacts on their child's profile, then be listed as a Payer on the student's billing profile.
If you already added Parent contacts, they are automatically added as payers and you can skip to Send Billing invitations. If you need to add other payers like Family or Approved pickups contacts, you must add them as a payer manually.
Note: Once added, payers can view their student’s billing account, see invoices, and add payment methods. However, they won’t be able to submit payments until you add your deposit account and your provider information is verified.
Send Billing invitations
Now that you've added student contacts and payers, take the steps below invite them to add payment methods and sign up for autopay to begin paying in brightwheel.
Invite Parent payers
Contacts listed as Parent can be invited by taking the steps below.
Log in on the web
Click My School in the sidebar menu, then select Parents
Click Invite all under the 'Bill Pay' and 'Autopay' column
Invite other (non-Parent) payers
Follow the steps below to invite Family or Approved Pickups contact types to pay in brightwheel. These types of payers must be invited individually and cannot be invited in bulk.
Log in on the web
Click Billing in the sidebar > Students > Select the student
Jump to the Account details tab and locate the 'Payers' section
Under the 'Payment method' and 'Autopay' column, click Invite to billing or Send reminder
How do billing invitations look for families?
When you invite payers, they will get an email or text prompting them to add a payment method. Emails go to payers with an email on file, while those with only a phone number receive a SMS text message.
Send reminders
Sometimes families need to be reminded to add a payment method and sign up for autopay. Administrators can resend their initial invitations to families to make sure they are signed up and ready to pay from the same spot they sent the initial invitations.
Remind Parent payers
Log in to brightwheel on the web
Click My School in the sidebar menu, then select Parents
Click Invite all under the 'Bill Pay' and 'Autopay' column
Remind other payers
Log in on the web
Click Billing in the sidebar > Students > Select the student
Jump to the Account details tab
In the 'Payers' section, click Invite to billing or Send reminder
Resources to assist families
If you have families who need additional assistance getting started, the resources below can help! They can also contact brightwheel Support at help@mybrightwheel.com.
📽️ 3-minute video: Billing Overview For Payers.—learn how to add a payment method, enable autopay, pay bills, and more!
📄 Printable: Payer's guide to brightwheel Billing—perfect for those who prefer paper instructions! Covers benefits, adding a payment method, making a payment, and FAQs.FAQs
FAQs
Who can add payers?
Who can add payers?
At this time, only a program Administrator and staff with Billing Only permissions can add payers and change the primary payer on a student’s billing account.
Parents and Payers cannot update the primary payer on a student's billing account. Payers need to contact their program administrator for assistance with changing the primary payer.
What is the primary payer role?
What is the primary payer role?
In brightwheel, there are two types of payers: primary and other payers. The primary payer is automatically assigned to unassigned invoices and are responsible for unpaid ones. To learn more, visit Understanding the Primary Payer.
Can I invite subsidy agencies as payers?
Can I invite subsidy agencies as payers?
You can add agencies as payers to track their contributions toward tuition, education, or meal costs for a student. Since they can’t pay directly through brightwheel, you won’t invite them like regular payers. Learn more about Adding an Agency to get started.
How can I tell if payers added a payment method or signed up for autopay?
How can I tell if payers added a payment method or signed up for autopay?
You can quickly tell by going to Billing from sidebar menu on the web > Students tab > Account Details tab. In the 'Payers' box, you'll see 'Yes' under 'Payment method' and a payment method listed under 'Autopay.'
