A charge product is your daycare's way of handling essential fees beyond daily sessions—think registration fees, late pick-up charges, or annual enrollment costs. These charges are the unsung heroes of your billing system, covering the behind-the-scenes services that keep everything running smoothly.
Whether it’s securing a child’s spot with a one-time registration fee or managing late pick-ups with a standard charge, charge products simplify and standardize your billing process. They’re your go-to solution for ensuring parents know exactly what they’re paying for, while keeping your daycare organized and stress-free. 💼✨
Make it clear, make it consistent, and make it work like magic, so let's start!
Availability Note: Charges products can only be accessed and configured on the portal and is not accessible via the mobile app
📖 Table of Contents
Navigate to the product management section to create and manage charge products.
Locate the charge settings to begin configuration.
Set up key charge product details, including name, pricing, taxes, and discounts.
Charge Name – Assign a unique and identifiable name to the charge.
Pricing Rate for Charge Products – Define the pricing structure for charge products.
Why Charge Products Do Not Have Ad Hoc Pricing – Understand why charge products follow a fixed pricing model.
Select Applicable Taxes for Charge Products – Choose and apply relevant tax settings to charge products.
Select Applicable Product Discounts for Charges – Configure discount options for charge products.
Learn how to modify or remove a charge product.
How to Edit a Charge – Make updates to charge product details.
What You Can Edit – Review which aspects of charge products can be modified.
What You Cannot Edit – Understand the limitations on charge product modifications.
Steps to Delete a Charge – Step-by-step instructions for removing a charge product from the system.
How to Review a Charge – Ensure charge details are correct before finalizing.
Understand why one-time charges remain billable even on designated closing days.
🤹🏼How to Access the Products Management Page
Log in to the Parent Portal
🔓 Use your credentials to securely access the portal.Navigate to Products Management
📂 Open the main menu from the far-left column.
⚙️ Click on the Options tab, then select Products Management to set up and manage your products.
📝 Note: The Products Management feature is exclusively available on the portal, ensuring seamless configuration for your daycare's needs.
☑️ Access the Charge Tab
🛠️ Navigate to the Charge Tab: Go to the Charge tab located on the left panel under Product Management.
📋 View Existing Charges: If charges have already been created, you’ll see a list displayed for easy access and review.
🔍 Use the Search Bar: Quickly locate a specific charge by typing its name into the search bar.
🪄 Filter Charges by Status: Use the filter options to view active, inactive, or all charges based on their status.
➕ Create a New Charge: Click the New Charge button in the top-right corner to start creating a new charge product.
🚀 Start Setting Up: You’re now ready to configure your charge details. Let’s create something impactful and tailored to your daycare's needs! 🌟
🖊️ Configure Charge Details
Name: Choose a clear and practical name for the charge to reflect its purpose. Examples include:
🌅 Registration Fee: A one-time fee for enrolling a child into the daycare.
📚 Material Fee: Covers the cost of books, learning tools, or art supplies.
🎨 Holiday Program Fee: A charge for seasonal or special activities like camps or parties.
Keep the name simple and descriptive to ensure parents immediately understand its purpose
🏦 Pricing Rate for Charge Products
Choose a pricing method based on the nature of the charge product and the needs of parents. Here are three common options:
⌛ Weekly Charges
Ideal For: Recurring weekly charges such as meal plans, transportation fees, or extracurricular activities.
🚐 Example:
A Weekly Transportation Fee priced at $20 per week, covering rides to and from the daycare.
📆 Monthly Charges
Ideal For: Long-term, recurring charges like tuition, facility maintenance, or program fees.
🍨Example:
A Monthly Meal Plan Fee priced at $100 per month, ensuring consistent meal coverage for enrolled children.
👩🏻🎨 One-Time Charges
Ideal For: Non-recurring fees such as registration, security deposits, or special event charges.
˚ 🦕Example:
A Registration Fee set at $50, covering the administrative costs of onboarding a new child.
💰 Add Pricing
When setting up charge products, you can choose from three flexible pricing options to fit your needs:
🪐 General Pricing ⋆｡ﾟ
Definition: The default price applied to all pricing categories , without differentiation.
Ideal For: Standard charges that apply universally, such as registration fees or meal plans.
Example: Charging $20 per week for a meal plan, applicable to all enrolled children.
👶 Pricing Groups
Definition: Tailored pricing for specific customer groups, such as age brackets or part-time plans.
Ideal For: Differentiated charges that vary by group, ensuring fair pricing.
Example: Charging $1,200 per month for infants needing specialized care, versus $800 per month for preschoolers.
📌 Note:
Pricing groups must be created prior to appearing as an option during session creation
📝 Why Charge Products Do Not Have Ad Hoc Pricing
Charge products are designed to provide clear, standardized fees for predictable services like registration, tuition, or meal plans. Adding ad hoc pricing, which is inherently flexible and tailored to unique, one-time scenarios, would conflict with this purpose.
Charge Products: Ensure consistency and transparency by applying the same fee universally, simplifying billing and reporting.
💡 Example: A $50 registration fee is applied equally to all families.Ad Hoc Pricing: Better suited for unique charges like late pick-ups or special events. These are handled separately to maintain operational clarity.
💡 Example: Charging $20 for an extra hour of care.
✅ Select Applicable Taxes for Charge Products
👨🏻🏫 Explanation
This section allows you to assign specific taxes to a charge product. Only taxes that have been defined in the Product Taxes setup will be available for selection.
✍🏻 Note: This section will only appear if Product Taxes have been configured beforehand. Make sure all necessary taxes are set up under Product Management before proceeding.
💡 How It Works
Tax Assignment:
When a charge product (e.g., Registration Fee) is configured with a product tax, the tax will automatically apply when the charge is added to a child’s profile.One-Time Charges:
If a charge is configured as a one-time charge, it can only be added as an ad-hoc , non-recurring charge. It cannot be included as part of a child’s recurring schedule.Automatic Calculation:
The system calculates and adjusts the tax amount based on the configured tax rate for the charge.
📌 Example:
Charge Product: Registration Fee = $50 (One-Time)
Tax: 5%
Tax Amount: $50 × 5% = $2.50
Total Cost: $50 + $2.50 = $52.50
Select Applicable Product Discounts for Charges
👩🏫 Explanation
This section allows you to assign specific discounts to a charge product. Only discounts that have been configured in the Product Discounts setup will be available for selection.
📝 Note: This section will only appear if discounts have been configured in advance. Make sure all necessary discounts are set up under Product Management before proceeding.
💡 How It Works
When a charge product (e.g., Registration Fee or Meal Plan) is configured with a product discount, and that discount is enabled for the ad-hoc charge, the system will automatically apply the discount to the charge during setup.
💡 Example with Ad Hoc Charge and Discount Applied
Imagine a new 🤱parent enrolling their child in your daycare. As part of the enrollment process, a Registration Fee is charged to cover administrative costs. To make the process more appealing, the daycare offers a Welcome Discount 🥳🎊, giving a 10% reduction on this one-time fee to encourage new enrollments.
When the Registration Fee is added as an ad hoc charge to the child’s profile, and the discount is activated for that specific charge, the system automatically recognizes the Welcome Discount 🏷️ and applies it seamlessly:
💵 Original Fee: The Registration Fee is set at $50.
🔢 Discount Applied: The system calculates 10% of $50, which equals $5.
✅ Final Adjusted Fee: The parent’s total charge is reduced to $45, with the discount clearly displayed in the invoice or billing summary
🌱 Save Your Charge Settings
After reviewing your configurations, make sure to save your charge settings to ensure the charge is properly tailored to meet the specific needs of your center.
✂️How to Edit and Delete a Charge
🖊️How to edit a charge
Locate the Charge:
Navigate to the Charges section under Product Management.Select the Charge:
Click the three dots (⁝) next to the charge you want to edit.Choose Edit:
From the dropdown menu, select Edit to modify the charge details. '
⚠️ Disclaimer
Notification: "Note: Price changes will affect non-invoiced products only."
Any changes to the charge price will apply only to future invoices 📅 or billing periods that have not yet been generated.
Changes will not retroactively affect already invoiced charges, ensuring past invoices remain consistent and accurate. ✅
🔔 Important Notes
Not all aspects of a charge can be changed once it’s already applied to a billing schedule. Below is a breakdown of what you can and cannot edit.
✅ What You Can Edit
💰Prices:
General Price: Update the standard price applied to all users.
Group and Ad Hoc Prices: Adjust pricing for specific customer groups or ad hoc charges.
💲🏷️ Taxes and Discounts:
Taxes: Add or remove applicable taxes.
Discounts: Apply or modify discounts associated with the charge.
❌ What You Cannot Edit
❗ Rate Type:
Once a charge’s rate type (e.g., one-time, recurring) is set, it cannot be changed after it has been applied to a billing schedule.
🚫 Selecting or Deselecting Pre-set Pricing Types:
You cannot add or remove Pricing Groups or the General Price once they have been assigned.
However, the price for these options can still be updated as needed.
🔤 Name of the Charge:
The name of the charge cannot be changed after it has been added to a billing schedule. This ensures consistency across invoices and records.
🛑 Disabling the Charge:
Once a charge is linked to an active billing schedule, it cannot be disabled unless it is first removed from the schedule.
By understanding these limitations, you can plan and adjust charges effectively without disrupting existing billing schedules or creating inconsistencies in records. 🌟💎
🗑️ Steps to Delete a Charge
📄 Navigate to the Charge List
Go to the Charge List under Product Management.
⚙️ Select the Charge
Click the three dots (⁝) next to the charge you want to delete.
🗑️ Choose Delete
From the dropdown menu, select Delete.
✔️ Confirm the Deletion
A confirmation prompt will appear asking if you’re sure you want to delete the charge.
Click "Yes" to proceed.
📒 Important Notes
🔗 Linked Charge
If the charge is linked to an ad hoc charge, the system will restrict deletion to prevent errors.
You may need to remove or unlink the ad hoc instance utilizing that charge before proceeding with deletion.
❌ Data Loss
Deletion is irreversible. Ensure the charge and any associated data are no longer needed before confirming.
By following these precautions, you can avoid disruptions and maintain accurate billing records. 🪴
🕵 How to Review a Charge
Locate the Charge
Navigate to the Charge List under Product Management.Open Detailed View
Click on the charge name to open its detailed view, which will display all associated settings and configurations.Edit or Delete (If Needed)
Use the pen icon ✏️ at the top left corner to edit the charge details.
Use the trash bin icon 🗑️ to delete the charge if necessary.
By reviewing charges regularly, you can ensure they are accurate and up to date for efficient billing.𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒
💎Important Note on One-Time Charge Products and Closing Days
Unlike individual products such as sessions and items, products set up as one-time charge products cannot be excluded from billing on closing days.
✔️Why One-Time Charges Are Not Excluded
One-time charge products represent fixed fees (e.g., registration fees, late fees, or one-time administrative costs) that are not tied to attendance, schedules, or operational days. These charges are applied independently of whether the center is open or closed.
Key reasons include:
Fixed Purpose: One-time charges are administrative or special-purpose fees that are not linked to a specific day’s operations, making them unaffected by closing schedules.
Consistency: Ensures that charges like registration or late fees are applied uniformly, regardless of the center’s calendar.
Transparency: Eliminates confusion by ensuring one-time charges remain consistent and predictable on invoices, regardless of closing days.
✖️Weekly and Monthly Charge Products
In contrast, weekly and monthly charge products are attendance-based and can be excluded from billing on closing days. This flexibility allows daycares to adjust recurring charges to reflect actual service availability, ensuring fairness for parents.
💡 Key Takeaways
One-Time Charges: Always billed, as they are not linked to attendance or operational days.
Weekly and Monthly Charges: Can be excluded from billing on closing days, reflecting non-operational periods.
By maintaining this approach, the system guarantees fairness and accurate financial records for both the daycare and parents. ☘️
💁🏾Pro Tip
You can mark products as non-chargeable (💲❌ not billed) for days when the daycare or organization is officially closed, ensuring accurate and fair billing.
For more information on how to configure this, check out our detailed guide (Set Non-Chargeable Products for Closing Days: A Complete Guide]