How to Collect Fees Online in Your Tuition Centre (Razorpay + Stripe)

Collecting fees in cash or by bank transfer has one big problem: you spend the first two weeks of every month chasing parents on WhatsApp. Online fee collection fixes this — parents pay when they get the reminder, and your ledger updates automatically.

This guide covers how to set up and use online fee collection in TuitionDesk with Razorpay (India) or Stripe (international).

Why Online Fee Collection Matters

Before we get to the steps, here is what changes when you move collections online:

• Fewer defaults — one-tap UPI payment when the reminder lands is much easier than cash hand-off at class
• Automatic records — every payment is logged in the student's fee ledger with amount, date, and mode
• Partial payment support — parents who cannot pay the full amount can pay part, and TuitionDesk tracks the outstanding balance
• Receipt on the spot — payment receipts are sent automatically, no manual receipt books

Setting Up Online Collections

Step 1: Connect Your Payment Gateway

Go to Settings → Payments in TuitionDesk.

Select your gateway:

• Razorpay — recommended for India (supports UPI, cards, net banking, wallets)
• Stripe — for international or global student bases

Enter your API key (live key from your Razorpay/Stripe dashboard). Save.

TuitionDesk will verify the connection and show a green "Connected" status.

Note: You need a Razorpay business account (KYC required). Sign up at razorpay.com — it typically takes 1–2 business days to activate.

Step 2: Add a fee plan

For online collection to work, students need an active fee plan. If you have not set one up:

1. On a computer open Fees → Plans in the left sidebar. On a phone open Menu → Fees → Plans. The bottom Fees tab is outstanding dues, not the plan list.
2. Click + Add fee plan
3. Steps are Who, Fee, and Schedule. Pick the student or class, the amount, and how often.
4. On Schedule, set Due Day of Month (for example the 1st or the 5th) and First due date
5. Save

The plan is what each student owes and when. Saving a monthly plan creates the dues.

Step 3: Send a Payment Link to a Parent

There are two ways to trigger a payment:

Option A: From the Outstanding Dues page

1. On a phone tap Fees on the bottom bar. On a computer open Outstanding from Fees → Plans, or the dues on Home
2. Find the student
3. Click Send Payment Reminder
4. TuitionDesk sends a WhatsApp message (if enabled) or SMS with a payment link
5. The parent opens the link, pays via UPI/card, and the ledger updates instantly

Option B: From the Student Profile

1. Open the student profile
2. Go to the Fees tab
3. Click Collect Fee or Send Reminder
4. Choose the month and amount
5. Send or copy the payment link

Step 4: Track What Was Paid

All payments appear under Fees → Summary and on the payment history for that student. For each payment you see:

• Amount paid
• Payment mode (UPI, card, etc.)
• Date and time
• Outstanding balance remaining (if partial)

Handling Partial Payments

This is where TuitionDesk saves you the most time. Many parents cannot pay the full month's fee at once — they pay ₹1,500 now and ₹1,000 next week.

TuitionDesk handles this with a rebalancing ledger:

1. Parent pays ₹1,500 against a ₹2,500 monthly fee
2. TuitionDesk marks ₹1,500 paid and ₹1,000 outstanding
3. The outstanding rolls forward to next month's dues
4. You see the exact amount owed per student per month — no spreadsheet needed

You can also record cash and offline payments in the same ledger so everything is in one place.

Common Questions

Can parents pay without downloading an app? Yes. The payment link opens in any browser. No app download required.

What happens if a payment fails? Failed payments do not update the ledger. The parent sees an error and can retry. You see a failed payment event in the transaction history.

Can I generate receipts automatically? Yes. TuitionDesk generates a receipt PDF automatically for every successful payment. Parents can download it from their portal or you can share it manually.

What are the gateway fees? Razorpay charges approximately 2% per transaction (UPI transactions may be lower). These are paid directly to Razorpay — TuitionDesk does not add any additional payment processing fee.

Moving from Cash to Online: A Practical Plan

If your centre currently collects only in cash, switch gradually:

Week	Action
Week 1	Connect Razorpay, set up fee schedules for one class
Week 2	Pilot with 5–10 parents — share payment links manually
Week 3	Send reminders via TuitionDesk for the full class
Month 2	Enable for all classes, track first full month online

Most centres see 70–80% of parents switching to online payment within the first month once they experience one-tap UPI.

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Already using TuitionDesk? Set up your Razorpay connection in Settings → Payments. Not yet? Start free — up to 10 students at ₹0/month.