What? This guide shows you how to split a course charge between two payers – typically a parent and the school – so that each one is billed for their agreed share.
Why? Some students have their tuition costs shared between a parent and the school (for example, a school subsidises 50% of the cost and the parent pays the rest). There is no single setting that splits one charge by percentage between two payers automatically, so you need to combine two existing functions to achieve the same result.
How? There are two ways to set up split charges, depending on how permanent the split is. Pick the method that fits your situation – see the comparison at the end of this guide.
Option 1: Move the charge to the school + bill the guardian separately
Use this option when the school should become the main payer for the course, with the guardian covering their portion as a separate charge.
Step 1: Change the payer on the student's signup to the school
- Go to the student's profile.
- Go to the "Activities" tab.
- Find the course signup, click the three dots and choose "Change payer from date".
- Select the school as the new payer
- Select a date from which the changes should be valid. Give a reason if applicable.
- Confirm the change by clicking "Save".
Only charges that have not yet been invoiced move to the new payer. Anything already invoiced to the guardian stays with the guardian.
Step 2: Add the guardian's share as a manual charge
- Go to the guardian's profile.
- Go to the "Charges" tab.
- Click "Add manual charge".
- Fill in the payer (the guardian), the ledger code, the rate (charge period) the charge belongs to, the upper charge category, a line text explaining what the charge is for, and the amount.
- Click "Add".
Repeat this step for every charge period the parent should be billed for. A manual charge is not linked to the course, so it will not update automatically if the student leaves the course or the price changes – you will need to edit or delete it by hand if that happens.
Option 2: Discount the student + bill the school manually
Use this option when the guardian should stay the main payer, and the school's contribution is handled as a separate, occasional charge to the school.
Step 1: Assign a discount scheme to the student for the school's share
- Go to the student's profile.
- Open the "Charges" tab.
- In the "Discounts" section, click "Create".
- Select the discount scheme that matches the school's percentage or amount.
- Set the priority, start date and end date for the discount period.
- Click "Allocate".
Step 2: Add a matching manual charge on the school's profile
- Go to the school's profile.
- Open the "Charges" tab.
- Click "Add manual charge".
- Fill in the ledger code, the rate the charge belongs to, the upper charge category, a line text, and the amount that matches the discount given to the parent.
- Click "Add".
Repeat the manual charge for each charge period the school should be billed for. As with Option 1, this charge is not linked to the course and will need manual updates if the student's enrolment changes before the discount period ends.
Which option should I use?
- Option 1 (Change payer + manual charge on guardian)
Best when the split is the normal, ongoing arrangement for this student – the school becomes the "real" payer, so it shows correctly on school-level reporting and invoicing.
- Option 2 (Discount scheme + manual charge on school)
Best for occasional or one-off splits, since it keeps the guardian as the main payer and only adds a separate, manually managed charge to the school.