Brightwheel now offers a brand new Subsidies payment management experience that helps administrators simplify managing their agency payments by giving a complete picture of agency invoices, balances, and payments right from within brightwheel billing. Subsidies will be fully integrated with bill plans, student profiles, and reports.
🎉 Follow the four easy, getting-started steps outlined below to get accurate tracking of past and future subsidy payments!
Migrating from our Legacy Subsidy Experience
If you previously used our legacy subsidy experience and have been migrated to our new experience, we're so excited to share this update with you! This experience helps administrators simplify managing their agency payments by giving a complete picture of agency invoices, balances, and payments right from within brightwheel billing.
Accessing Data from the Legacy Experience
In the new experience, admins are provided a clean slate and can get easily get set up by following the rest of this resource. Data from the legacy experience is not transferred to the new experience and is instead accessible through a downloadable report as needed by following these steps:
Navigate to the Billing page from your account on the web
Open the Subsidies tab
Click the Download subsidy data link below the “Subsidies” header and above the agencies table
Open the .csv report downloaded in your browser to view information on past subsidy charges, payments, write-offers, and more.
💡 If, after migration, you are looking to recreate the starting balances for students/agencies to know much your program is owed and/or recreate recurring subsidy charges, we've provided some additional guidance in our resource here to assist you.
When you're ready to dive into setting up the new experience, continue following along below! 🎉
Subsidies Tracking Overview
Review our Subsidy Tracking Overview resource for detailed insight on the Subsidies Dashboard, Agency Summary page, Payer Type Field, and learn what reporting options are available!
If you're a visual learner, watch this tutorial video that overviews the 4 getting-started steps below!
Step 1: Add Agency
Adding an agency is the first step to tracking subsidies in brightwheel Billing.
Log in to an administrator account on the web
Click to open the Billing tab on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Subsidies tab
Click the Add agency button
Fill in the Agency's name
Fill in any other applicable contact information
💡The name is the only required fieldClick Create agency
Step 2: Add Agency as a Payer
Once you've added the agency, you can add them as a payer on students' billing accounts. Just as Family and Approved Pickups can be added as payers, agencies can now be added in the same way. Agencies can be added individually as a payer for a student or in bulk to multiple students.
Log in to an administrator account on the web
Click to open the Billing tab on the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Subsidies tab
Click the agency to open the agencies profile
Jump to the Students tab
Click + Add students
Use the available filters to narrow down the list of students to select from
Check the box next to each student who should be associated with the agency. If there are multiple, select them all!
Click Add students
💡 If needed, learn how to Remove an Agency as a Payer!
Step 3: Create Billing Plans
Once you've added an agency's contact information and added them as a payer on the student(s) billing account - it's time to set up a billing plan.
From the student's billing profile, use the Select an action menu to choose Set up a Billing Plan.
Add students
Select one, multiple, or all students to create a billing plan for
Click Next
Set rate
Select Start from scratch
Select the Billing frequency at which payers will receive invoices using the drop-down
Click + Create a new charge
Input the charge information and amount expected from the agency for the student based on the frequency you selected in Step 3.b.
Toggle the Assign $X to specific payers? option to YES (on)
Check the box for the agency
Click Save
Click Next
Add details
What will this billing plan be called? - input the billing name name
When will this plan be in effect?
First payment due date - select when the first payment is expected from the agency for this student
Last payment due date [Optional] - select when the last payment is expected from the agency if this information is known or otherwise, leave blank
When should payers receive invoices? - select any option; we will not send invoices directly to the agency at this point in time
Review the Payer experience box on the right side of the screen to determine if any changes are needed (and if so, use the Back button to perform them)
When ready, click Create billing plan
💡 TIPS:
Create bill plan templates for agency charges that do occur regularly for easier and more efficient tracking!
Record one-off agency charges for subsidies that may not recur on a regular frequency by adding one-time charges.
Step 4: Log Agency Payments
Agency payments can be logged on posted invoices associated with agency billing plans or a one-time charge already added. In addition to this, logging a payment without a bill plan/invoice is an option if you want to record an agency payment quickly and aren’t looking for full tracking of money owed by agencies. You can still go back and create an invoice after the fact! Learn more by reviewing the steps below.
Log a Payment on an Invoice
Log a Payment on an Invoice
Log in as an administrator on the web
Click to open the Billing page from the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Subsidies tab
Locate and click the agency to open its profile
Scroll down the Invoices section and locate the invoice to be paid
Click the Actions drop-down menu, and select Log a payment
In the Paid By dropdown, select the agency
In the Payment method dropdown, select how the agency paid
Input the Amount paid
Input the Date paid
Add an optional note
When ready, click Save & apply
💡You can also log a payment against a posted invoice for a subsidy agency from the student's billing account!
Log a Payment without a Billing Plan/Invoice
Log a Payment without a Billing Plan/Invoice
Log in as an administrator on the web
Click to open the Billing page from the purple sidebar menu
Jump to the Students tab
Locate and click to open the specific student
Click the Select an action menu and then Log a payment
In the Paid By dropdown, select the agency
In the Payment method dropdown, select how the agency paid
Input the Amount paid
Input the Date paid
Add an optional note
When ready, click Save & apply
💡If needed, Learn how to View Agency Payments and Handle Underpayments!