To pay a program through brightwheel, at least one Parent contact must be associated with a student’s account. Admins can also add additional payers (Family and Approved Pickups) to a student's billing account.

Any payers will need to add a payment method to their account before making a payment and will only be able to view, modify, or use the payment method added to their accounts. Payers can never see another payer's card or bank account details; this is private and restricted to the respective payer by default.

This resource overviews how to add and manage payment methods. While the steps are focused on performing these tasks from your account on the web, the experience in the app is relatively the same. For payers accessing their account in the app, a homepage similar to the below images will be visible.

All students your profile is connected to will be visible under the My children tile.

FSA/HSA/Dependent Care accounts are potential options that can be added to a payer's brightwheel account to make payments to a program. It's important to note that each program can choose what type of payments they'd like to accept (ACH and Credit/Debit cards or ACH only), and these settings may limit how certain FSA/HSA/Dependent Care accounts can be utilized.

Any program that accepts payments through brightwheel will allow for bank transfers (checking account only). This payment method is often referred to as ACH, which stands for Automated Clearing House. If applicable, processing fees for ACH transactions are less than those for credit cards.

There are two ways to add and save a bank account payment method in brightwheel.

This is the simplest & easiest way to add a bank account. This is available for most nationwide banking institutions in the United States and utilizes a secure 3rd party partner called Plaid to instantly connect and verify the information provided.

If your bank isn't listed, you can link your bank account manually by entering routing and account numbers. This process involves two-factor authentication (2FA) and verifying your account with two small deposits (usually less than $1 each) that will be deposited into your checking account. These deposits will stay in your account for 3-4 days before being withdrawn. During this period, log in to brightwheel and confirm the exact amount of each deposit to verify your account.

After receiving the two deposits within 48 hours, log back into brightwheel and enter the exact amounts deposited to verify the account. Be sure to enter them in the exact order in which they were received.

Childcare providers on brightwheel decide which payment methods are accepted. If credit card payments aren't allowed, you can only add a bank account. If enabled, payers can add credit/debit cards to a student's billing profile after completing a two-factor authentication (2FA) process for added security, also known as two-step verification or dual-factor authentication.

Payment methods can be removed at anytime.

Autopay in brightwheel saves time and ensures prompt tuition payments. It charges the desired payment method for the full balance on each statement due date. Autopay settings can be customized for each student, allowing different payment methods if multiple methods or students are associated with the account.

Autopay always triggers a payment for the total balance due. If enabled with an existing balance, it will be paid off on the next statement due date.

Mandatory Autopay is an option chosen by some childcare providers and requires payers to enable autopay when adding a payment method. If a payment method was already saved before Mandatory Autopay is enabled, brightwheel will display a prompt confirming autopay whenever the student's billing account page is visited.

If the provider does not require autopay, payers can manage settings anytime by following the steps below.

Anytime a transaction takes place online, or when a card is swiped with any vendor, a processing fee is attached to that transaction. This fee is generally dictated by the payment processor that the vendor chooses, not the vendor themselves. In many cases, the vendor pays this, and the customer is unaware that these fees are associated with their transaction. However, depending on the location and other factors, some vendors may choose to pass this fee on to the customer.

Any childcare provider that uses brightwheel as their billing platform has the choice to forward the processing fees for each transaction to the payer. These fees will be different for ACH and card transactions. If the program has enabled this setting, this will be visible in any prepayment invoice you receive, when clicking the Make a Payment button in your account, and when receiving the post-payment receipt via email.

If autopay is enabled, these processing fees will still be applied, so be sure to understand what fees may be included before enabling autopay or completing a payment. Processing fees are not refundable, even if the payment has been refunded. Any questions regarding processing fees should be directed to the program directly.