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Online Payments for Small Schools

Automated School Payment Software for Small Schools — One Portal, Payments Made Easy.

SchoolCues gives small schools a complete online payment system, with auto-pay, flexible tuition plans, ACH and card collection, real-time student balances, invoices, and receipts. All included, with no setup, training, or support fees.

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✓ ACH, credit card, cash & check ✓ Every fee, paid in one place ✓ Parents pay in under a minute ✓ Zero setup fees, zero hassle
SchoolCues online school payment software dashboard — tuition, fees & donations for small schools

SchoolCues is an online school payment software for small private, Montessori, Catholic, Christian, Charter, Faith based, independent and Micro Schools. It collects tuition, enrolment fees, activity fees, field trip fees, lunch fees, and donations via ACH, credit card, cash, or check, with auto-pay, sibling discounts, flexible payment plans (full, semester, monthly, or custom), and tax statement generation, with no setup, training, or support fees.

See the full School Management Software for Small Schools platform this payment system is part of.

SchoolCues payment platform: by the numbers

The Numbers Behind How SchoolCues Runs Small-School Payments

Platform-wide aggregates across all SchoolCues schools, updated monthly.

$0

Payment module is FREE with the purchase of the Communications module, includes unlimited training and support

$35

The BeneFAQ application fee will be waived for all SchoolCues customers and the parents will only be charged $35.00 for each financial aid application.

4

Payment methods accepted: ACH bank transfer, credit card, cash, and check, all reconciled in one dashboard

24–48 hrs

Time to go live: set up, training and support included

Ready to automate school fee collection?

No setup fees. No training fees. No hidden charges.

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What SchoolCues payment management software helps you manage

All your school payments managed online.

SchoolCues handles four categories of school payments: all configured from one admin dashboard and paid by parents from the web portal.

Tuition & Subscription Payments

Set up recurring tuition with custom frequencies: pay in full, by quarter, semester, trimester, monthly, or a completely custom schedule. Auto-pay enrolment keeps collections on track without manual reminders or follow ups. Runs on the SchoolCues Tuition Management System, so every plan updates automatically each cycle.

Auto-pay · Recurring billing · Custom frequency · Semester billing

One-Time Fees

Collect field trip fees, event fees, registration fees, and any other one-off charge on demand. Assign each one as mandatory, optional, or at-will so families know exactly what they owe versus what is voluntary. Fees collected here connect directly to your Admissions & Enrollment workflow.

Field trips · Events · Registration · At-will payments

Activity & Afterschool Fees

Manage afterschool programs, extracurricular activities, and lunch accounts with itemized fees separate from tuition. Parents see each charge clearly labelled. No confusion about what was paid or still due.

Afterschool programs · Lunch accounts · Extracurricular

Donations & Miscellaneous

Run school donation drives and collect miscellaneous fees through the same payment portal used for tuition payments. Every donation and payment is tracked, categorized, and available for reporting.

Donations · Miscellaneous fees · Shopping cart payments

Tuition and subscription payment plans — auto-pay & recurring billing software for small schools

Easy setup, intuitive interface with powerful features

Your School's Complete Payment Workflow in Three Steps

SchoolCues online tuition management system is built to run with minimal admin effort: set it up once, and the system handles invoicing, collection, reminders, and bookkeeping reports automatically.

Step 1

Configure Your Payment Structure

Create your payment structure: tuition plans, fee categories, payment frequencies, sibling discounts, late-fee rules, and grace periods. Set each fee as mandatory, optional, or at-will. Assign account codes for bookkeeping. Done once. The system runs it every cycle. This is the same SchoolCues Tuition Management System used to configure fees across the platform.

SchoolCues supports pay-in-full, quarterly, monthly, and fully custom payment schedules: all from the same setup screen, accessible anytime from the web portal.

Step 2

Parents Pay From Any Method

Parents log in to SchoolCues. They see every outstanding balance: tuition, activity fees, field trips, donations, itemized and due. They pay via ACH, credit card, cash, or check. Auto-pay handles recurring tuition and other recurring payments automatically.

No need to call the school to check their balance. Real-time account status is always visible in the SchoolCues parent portal.

Step 3

Reconcile With One Click

Every payment posts to the student account in real time. Pull payment reports filtered by student, class, payment type, or date range. Generate year-end tax statements for every family in seconds.

Payment reports sync account codes, amounts, and payment types directly: configured once, runs automatically with every payment cycle.

Get trained on our easy payment setup for your school in an hour or less. Onboarding included at no extra cost.

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Payment management tools

Every Payment Capability Included: No Add-Ons, No Extra Fees

Every feature below is part of the SchoolCues Payments System from day one. No feature is gated. No per-family or per-transaction license applies. Because payment records are tied to live student profiles, this data stays in sync with the Student Information System automatically.

Flexible Tuition Plan Setup

Configure tuition with pay-in-full, semester, monthly, or custom frequency options: all from the same setup screen, accessible anytime from the web portal.

ACH, Credit Card, Cash & Check

Four payment methods in one system. ACH and card payments are processed online; cash and check are recorded by staff and post to the student account instantly.

Auto-Pay & Recurring Billing

Parents enroll in auto-pay for tuition and any subscription charge. The system collects on the scheduled date. No manual follow-up from your office.

Sibling & Family Discounts

Set up complex sibling discount structures, percentage or flat amount, per child or per family, and the system applies them automatically at billing.

Late Fees with Grace Periods

Configure late payment rules with or without a grace period. SchoolCues applies the late fee automatically on the defined date. No manual intervention required.

Electronic Invoicing

Deliver invoices digitally to parent accounts in the web portal. No paper, no postage, no manual distribution.

Over & Under Payment Handling

Accept partial payments and overpayments without system errors. Balances update correctly in the student account and are visible to both admin and parent.

Account Codes for Bookkeeping

Account codes to every payment category: tuition, donations, activity fees, and more.

Automatic Payment Reminders

SchoolCues sends automatic reminders before and after every due date via email, so your staff stops writing individual follow-up messages.

Refund & Adjustment Management

Process refunds and payment adjustments from the admin dashboard. Every adjustment is documented and reflected in the student's real-time account balance.

Payment Reports & Tax Statements

Generate customized payment reports and year-end tax statements for every family in one click, filterable by student, class, payment type, and date range.

Real-Time Student Account Balances

Every payment posts to the student account instantly. Parents see their live balance in the SchoolCues parent portal, eliminating balance-inquiry calls to your office.

Mandatory, Optional & At-Will Payments

Define each fee as mandatory (required), optional (offered), or at-will (pay anytime). Parents see the distinction clearly in their payment dashboard.

Back-End & Cash Payment Recording

Staff use the admin dashboard to enter cash and check payments received in person. The student account updates immediately, the same as any online payment.

Built for two audiences

A unified system, seamlessly integrated for administrators and parents.

SchoolCues online school payment software is built from two perspectives: the administrator who needs clean books and zero follow-up, and the parent who needs to pay any fee in under a minute from their phone.

For School Administrators & Bookkeepers

Complete Payment Control from One Dashboard

  • ✓All fee categories in one view: tuition, enrollment, activity, field trip, lunch, and donations managed from a single admin dashboard, not across separate tools
  • ✓Real-time student account reconciliation: every payment, refund, and adjustment posts instantly; no end-of-day batch processing or manual balancing
  • ✓Automated late fees and reminders: set grace periods and late fee rules once; SchoolCues enforces them automatically on every account, every cycle
  • ✓One-click tax statements: generate year-end tax statements for every family on demand; no manual compilation from multiple reports

For Parents

All Charges Payable From One Place

  • ✓Pay from the SchoolCues parent web portal: no additional account required; the same portal parents use for School Newsletters, alerts, and announcements
  • ✓Auto-pay enrolment for tuition: set it up once and recurring tuition is collected automatically on schedule; no monthly reminder needed from the school
  • ✓Choose their own payment plan: pay in full, by semester, monthly, or on a custom schedule; each family sees only the options the school has configured for them
  • ✓Live balance visible at any time: tuition, field trips, activities, and donations all visible with real-time balances; no need to call the school office
  • ✓Automatic due-date notifications: email reminders go out ahead of every due date, so families never miss a payment

SchoolCues Payment Questions, Answered Specifically

Every answer below is specific to SchoolCues payment functionality, drawn directly from how the platform works for Montessori, Catholic, Christian, Independent, Charter, and Canadian schools today.

What payment methods does SchoolCues accept for school fees?

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SchoolCues accepts ACH bank transfers, credit cards, debit cards, cash, and checks, all within the same payment system. Online payments (ACH and card) are made by parents through the SchoolCues web portal. Cash and check payments are recorded by school staff in the admin dashboard, and the student's account balance updates in real time regardless of payment method.

How does SchoolCues handle tuition payment plans for families?

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SchoolCues supports four tuition payment structures: pay in full, by semester, monthly, and fully custom schedules defined by the school. Each plan can include sibling discounts, late fees with or without grace periods, and auto-pay enrolment. Parents see only the payment options the school has configured for them and can enrol in auto-pay so tuition is collected automatically each cycle without any action required.

Does SchoolCues integrate with QuickBooks for school bookkeeping?

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Yes. SchoolCues integrates directly with QuickBooks. The integration syncs payment data, including amounts, payment types, and the account codes you assign to each fee category, directly to QuickBooks. There is no manual data entry, no spreadsheet export, and no import process required. Administrators can also generate payment reports and year-end tax statements directly from SchoolCues.

Can parents pay school fees from their phone using SchoolCues?

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Parents access the SchoolCues parent web portal from any device to view all outstanding school fees: tuition, activity fees, field trips, lunch, and donations, and pay online via ACH or credit card. No additional account or app required.

What is BeneFAQ and how does it work with SchoolCues?

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BeneFAQ (Benevolent Financial Aid Qualification) by SchoolRIGHT is a tuition aid verification service. SchoolCues customers pay no annual school fee. Families pay $35 at benefaq.com and receive a FACT Report (Family Anticipated Contribution Total) within 3 to 5 business days, a standardized, IRS-compliant assessment of each family's financial position for aid award decisions.

How quickly can a small school start collecting payments through SchoolCues?

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Most small schools are fully collecting payments through SchoolCues in less than a day. The SchoolCues onboarding team configures your payment categories, tuition plans, fee structures, and parent portal at no extra cost. There are no setup fees and no training fees. Unlimited training and support are included for the life of the subscription, starting at $75 per month for a 12-month school year.

Does SchoolCues reduce balance-inquiry calls to the school office?

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Yes. Parents can view real-time balances through the parent portal, with each balance connected directly to the child's Student Information System profile. This allows families to check their balance independently instead of contacting the school office.

How does SchoolCues make tax season easier for school bookkeepers?

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SchoolCues allows administrators to generate year-end tax statements for families using payment records maintained within the SchoolCues Tuition Management System. This reduces manual work and makes it easier to provide families with the documentation they need.

How does SchoolCues compare with tracking tuition through spreadsheets or paper records?

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Spreadsheets and paper records require manual updates and reconciliation and do not provide families with real-time balance information. SchoolCues records payments and updates account balances within the system, helping schools avoid duplicate data entry and maintain more accurate records.

What is included when our school switches to SchoolCues from another payment system?

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SchoolCues provides ongoing training and support throughout the subscription — not just during a limited onboarding period. Available features include the tuition and payment module, BeneFAQ financial-aid verification, and over forty different kinds of reports for the bookkeeper. The onboarding team also helps configure your payment categories, tuition plans, and parent portal. Contact SchoolCues to learn more about the transition and setup process.

What happens to our school's data if we decide to leave SchoolCues?

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Your school retains ownership of its data. You can export student records and reports, including payment reports, using the built-in SchoolCues reports so your school can retain access to its information after leaving the platform. Reach out to your dedicated support contact.

Will a real person help our school set up payments?

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Yes. Our training specialists will work with you to help you configure and set up your payment categories, tuition plans, and the parent portal. Your school also continues to have access to the SchoolCues support team throughout its subscription. Contact SchoolCues to speak with a team member and begin the onboarding process.

Start Collecting School Payments With SchoolCues

SchoolCues configures your complete payment system: tuition plans, fee categories, parent portal, and reporting tools, in less than a day. Unlimited training and support included.

Pair it with Gradebook for Small Schools to run grades and billing from one platform.

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No setup fees · No training fees · No hidden charges · No support fees