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Debtors and payment reminders ​

When you need this ​

To see who owes the school and for how long, and to remind the parents of students who are overdue, by email, SMS or both. A good moment is a week or two after a term's due date.

Steps ​

Read the list ​

  1. Open Debtors in the menu.
  2. Pick the currency at the top if the school bills in more than one. Amounts in different currencies are never added together.
  3. Sort with Most overdue, Largest balance, Oldest debt or Name. Turn on Overdue only to hide students who owe but aren't late yet.

The strip at the top gives Total owed, Overdue, the amount in each overdue band (1–30, 31–60, 61–90, 90+; Not yet due shows per student in the table, not in the strip), and the number of Students. Each row is one student:

  • Not yet due, 1–30, 31–60, 61–90, 90+: what they owe, by how many days past the due date.
  • Total: everything they owe in this currency.
  • Overdue: the part past its due date. Click it to see those invoices.
  • Reminded 3 days ago, under the name, when they were last sent a reminder.

Click a student's row to open their page. To find one student, type their name in the search box.

Send reminders ​

  1. Tick the students to remind, or press Select all overdue on this page. Only students with something overdue can be ticked.
  2. Press Send reminder (n).
  3. In Send payment reminders, choose Email, SMS or both. Email is on to start with.
  4. Read the preview before sending:
    • the count line, for example 12 students · 12 by email · 9 by SMS · 1 skipped;
    • the Email subject and a Sample SMS;
    • each student, the amount overdue, and the addresses and numbers it will go to, or why it won't go (No email, No phone number, Nothing overdue, Reminded …).
  5. Press Send N reminders.
  6. Read the outcome, then press Done.

Each student gets one reminder for what is overdue in the chosen currency, sent to their own email or phone and to each parent who receives the bills.

SMS costs money. Each SMS is charged to the school's SMS balance, one message per phone number. Email is free.

Export ​

Press Export to download the list, in the chosen currency, as an Excel file.

What you should see ​

The outcome in the drawer, for example 11 sent · 1 skipped, with a line per student and channel. Back on the list, each reminded student shows Reminded a few seconds ago.

If something goes wrong ​

  • A student is skipped with "Reminded …": they were sent a reminder on that channel in the last 24 hours. It won't be sent again until then.
  • "No email" or "No phone number": neither the student nor a parent who receives the bills has one. Add it on the student's or the parent's record. No billing contact · N linked means parents are linked, but none is set to receive the bills.
  • "Some SMS weren't sent – your SMS balance ran out.": press Top up SMS balance, then send again to those students. The emails have already gone.
  • "Amount looks entered in the wrong currency": an invoice's amount looks typed in the wrong currency. The student's row is marked on the Debtors list: click the mark to review it, then remind them.
  • "Couldn't send the rest": some were sent, the rest weren't. Press Try again to send the remainder.
  • No "Send reminder" button: your role isn't allowed to send messages. Ask the bursar or administrator.