Tutoring Centre Payment and Subscription Management

Per-session billing records a charge against each completed lesson and generates an invoice automatically from the session record, so the admin team is not manually creating invoices after each day of sessions. Session package management allows parents to purchase a block of credits upfront -- ten sessions, twenty sessions, or any volume the centre sells -- with the package balance stored against the student record and visible to the admin team and the parent at any time. When a session is marked complete, the credit is debited from the balance automatically without any manual entry. Low balance alerts fire when a student reaches a configurable credit threshold so the centre can prompt the parent to renew before the package runs out mid-term. Package purchase history is stored against the student record so the admin team has a complete credit and transaction history for every student.

Monthly subscription plans are configured with the billing amount, the billing date, and the payment method stored against the student account. On the configured date, the charge is processed automatically and an invoice is generated and sent to the parent without any action from the admin team. Plans can be set at a fixed monthly rate or calculated from a per-session rate multiplied by the sessions scheduled in the billing period, depending on how the centre structures its pricing. Subscription status -- active, paused, or cancelled -- is visible on the student record so the scheduler and the billing team are working from the same information. When a parent requests a pause, the plan is suspended from the next billing date and reactivated on the configured restart date without manual reconfiguration. Invoices for all recurring plans are stored against the student and the billing period for reference and dispute resolution.

When a payment fails -- card declined, insufficient funds, expired card -- the system starts an automated retry sequence on the schedule configured by the centre, typically attempting again after one day, three days, and seven days before escalating. A notification goes to the parent at the point of failure explaining what happened and providing a link to update their payment method or pay manually through the parent portal. The centre is also notified so the admin team can follow up if the automated sequence does not resolve the balance. Session hold rules are configurable: the centre can set whether sessions continue during the retry window or are placed on hold until the outstanding payment is resolved. Every failed attempt, notification sent, and payment resolution is recorded against the student's billing history so there is a complete audit trail if a payment dispute arises.

Refund processing for unused package credits is managed from the student record -- the admin team initiates the refund against the remaining credit balance and the payment is returned to the original payment method via the Stripe integration without requiring manual processing outside the system. Late cancellation charges are applied automatically based on the notice period rules configured by the centre: a cancellation within 24 hours of a session start time triggers the configured charge and adds it to the parent's account balance for collection on the next billing cycle. Refund and cancellation rules are configurable per plan type and per student so the centre can apply different policies to different enrolment tiers. Every refund, cancellation charge, and credit adjustment is recorded with a timestamp and the staff member who initiated the action, giving the centre a clear record for any parent dispute.

Revenue is reported by student, by tutor, by subject, and by time period so the centre has a clear view of where income is generated and where it is at risk. Monthly revenue summaries show billed amount, collected amount, outstanding balance, and write-offs for the period -- giving the centre director a reliable picture of financial performance without manual assembly from multiple spreadsheets. Aged receivables show which student accounts have outstanding balances and how long those balances have been unpaid, so collection effort is directed to the highest-value and oldest accounts first. Package renewal forecasting shows how many student packages are approaching zero credits in the next 30 days so the centre can proactively prompt renewals before students stop attending. Subscription churn reporting shows which plans have been cancelled or paused in the current period and the revenue impact of those changes.

Card payments for per-session invoices and package purchases are processed through Stripe with the parent entering card details once and the card stored securely for future charges. ACH and direct debit are available for recurring subscription plans, offering lower transaction fees for centres with high monthly billing volume. The parent-facing payment portal allows parents to view their current balance, outstanding invoices, package credits, and payment history, and to pay outstanding balances or update their payment method without contacting the centre. Stripe's webhook infrastructure ensures that payment events -- successful charge, failed charge, refund processed -- update the student's billing record in real time so the admin team always has an accurate account balance. All card data is handled by Stripe and never stored in the centre's system, so PCI compliance scope is limited to the integration layer.