School Fee Management & Payments Guide

Goal: Understand how term fee invoices are issued, how parents pay and submit receipts, and how bursars verify and settle student accounts.

EduTrack simplifies school fee tracking. Bursars can monitor payments in real-time, and parents can easily submit fee payment receipts from mobile banking apps, bank branches, or mobile money services.

1. Setting Up Receiving Accounts (School / Bursar)

Before parents can pay fees to the school, the Bursar or School Administrator must publish official payment details:

1. 1
   Navigate to Settings → Payment Rails (or the Receiving Accounts tab in the Bursar portal).
2. 2
   Click Add Account.
3. 3
   Select the account type: Bank Account, Till/Paybill, or Mobile Wallet.
4. 4
   Enter the required details (Account Name, Bank/Branch, Account/Paybill Number).
5. 5
   Click Save. These verified accounts are immediately displayed to parents in their portal.

2. Term Fee Invoices

Schools do not need to generate fee invoices manually for each student:

• Term fee obligations are generated automatically when a new term is initialized.
• Invoice balances reflect standard term tuition, transport, boarding, and activity fees for the student's grade level.
• Parents receive an in-app notification when new term invoices are ready.

3. How Parents Pay School Fees (Parent Portal)

When paying school fees, follow these steps in your parent account:

Step 1: Check School Payment Details

1. 1
   Open the Fee Payments tab in your parent portal.
2. 2
   Select Where to Pay Fees to view official school account options.
3. 3
   Every account displays copyable details (Bank Name, Account Number, and your child's unique Payment Reference).
4. 4
   On desktop: Scan the QR code with your mobile phone camera to open the payment screen directly on your phone with your student's fee reference pre-filled.

Step 2: Make the Payment

• In your banking app or mobile money provider, transfer the fee amount.
• Always paste your unique Payment Reference into the payment description/memo field so the bursar can identify your payment instantly.

Step 3: Submit Fee Payment Proof

1. 1
   Switch to the Submit Fee Claim tab.
2. 2
   Choose your proof submission method:
3. Upload Receipt: Select a screenshot or PDF receipt from your bank or mobile banking app.
4. Paste Message: Paste the confirmation SMS received from your mobile money provider.
5. 3
   Verify the payment details in the confirmation preview and click Submit Claim.
6. 4
   Your claim will immediately appear under Claims & Receipts, freezing any late fee notices while the bursar confirms the deposit.

4. How Bursars Review and Confirm Fee Payments

Bursars review incoming parent submissions from the Fee Payments hub (/bursar/payments):

Confirming a Parent Claim

1. 1
   Open Pending Claims.
2. 2
   Review the submitted receipt and transaction details.
3. 3
   Click Settle to confirm receipt.
4. 4
   The student's fee ledger updates immediately, and an official school fee receipt is issued to the parent.

Verifying a Payment In Person (Single Verifier)

If a parent presents a cash deposit slip or bank confirmation code in person:

1. 1
   Open the Single Verifier tab in the Bursar portal.
2. 2
   Paste the SMS message or enter the bank transaction reference code.
3. 3
   EduTrack matches the transaction against open student fee obligations.
4. 4
   Click Confirm Settlement to mark the fee paid and generate an official printable receipt.

5. Overdue Fees & Grace Periods

• School fees are due by the deadline set on the term invoice.
• When a fee payment claim is submitted by a parent, late fee penalties are paused during bursar verification.