Require Payment in the Parent Portal
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Last Modified on 07/04/2023 11:55 am EDT

Jackrabbit gives you the option to require payment when parents enroll students in classes or events in the Parent Portal. Like purchasing an item online, the enrollment will not be complete until payment is successfully processed. This can help eliminate late payments and calls from parents while saving you time!

  • Require payment for new enrollments
  • Ensure payment to secure enrollment
  • Process payments during the enrollment process

Expand each section below for more information on requiring payment in the Parent Portal.

Settings to Require Payment in the Parent Portal

To require payment in the Parent Portal you must first be set up for ePayments in Jackrabbit. Learn more here.

There are several settings that control the ability to require payment in the Parent Portal.

Location of SettingSetting
Gear (icon) > Settings > Tuition & Discounting > Tuition Fee Settings (section) > Manage Fee Settings (button)

By Class Fee Settings and By Total Hours Settings

How do you want to post tuition when a student enrolls during online registration, quick registration, via the enroll button/links, or via the Parent Portal?

  • In order to require payment, fees must be posted when a student is enrolled in the Parent Portal. Do not post tuition should NOT be selected.
  • Learn more about Tuition Fee Settings.
Gear (icon) > Settings > ePayments > Credit Card & Bank Account Settings (section) Manage Settings (button) > Parent Portal Settings (left menu)

Accepting Payments & Managing Payment Methods

Can parents make payments through the Parent Portal?

  • In order to require payment, you must first allow parents to make payments in their portal. Set this to Yes.
  • Learn more about Parent Portal ePayment Settings.
Gear (icon) > Settings > ePayments > Credit Card & Bank Account Settings (section) > Manage Settings (button) > Parent Portal Settings (left menu)

Shopping Cart Preferences

Do you want to require payment upon checkout when parents are enrolling using the Parent Portal?

  • When set to Yes, the fees (tuition &/or registration) associated with the enrollment will automatically be processed with the parent’s default payment method when they complete the checkout process.
 Can parents checkout using a payment method not previously saved?
  • If you want to allow parents to checkout using a card or bank account they don't already have saved in their Family record in Jackrabbit, set this to Yes. This gives them the option to use a ‘one-time’ payment method for their checkout experience. While they can save the card/account, they aren’t required to do so.
Class Record > Summary (tab)

Exclude from requiring payment during Parent Portal enrollment

  • When you require payment in the Parent Portal, both class enrollments and event enrollments are included. There may be times, however, when you want to omit a specific class from requiring payment during checkout in the portal.
  • Select Exclude from requiring payment during Parent Portal enrollment to exclude payment processing for a specific class during Parent Portal enrollment. The parent will see messaging in the Cart to indicate that payment for the class will be required at a later date.
Events > Event Type > Summary (tab)

Payment Method Information

Omit this Event Type from requiring payment during Parent Portal enrollment

  • When you require payment in the Parent Portal, both class enrollments and event enrollments are included. There may be times, however, when you want to omit a specific Event Type from requiring payment during checkout in the portal. 
  • Select Omit this Event Type from requiring payment during Payment Portal enrollment to exclude payment processing for a specific Event Type during Parent Portal enrollment. The parent will see messaging in the Cart to indicate that payment for the event will be required at a later date.
  • Learn more about Events Online.

Step Through the Checkout Process in the Parent Portal

Let's have a look at the parent experience when you require payment in the parent portal.

  1. Select students from the list to enroll them in the selected classes and events.
     
    • Class Policies (when applicable) must be agreed to before adding the class to the cart.

    • Click Add to add the class to the card.
  1. Select Continue Shopping to add more classes to the cart, or select Checkout Now, and the Cart is calculated.

    • If any of the students who were enrolled have a Student Fixed Fee in place, you will be notified that no fixed fees will be posted.

  1. You are then presented with a Cart summary detailing the fees and any discounts and taxes, if applicable.

    • The Cart is divided into sections when a Student Fixed Fee is involved and breaks down the Items typically covered by Student Fixed Fee and Items not covered by fixed fees.

    • If you enrolled in an event that is set to Omit this Event Type from requiring payment during Parent Portal enrollment, the event card will highlight that Payment will be processed once fees have been reviewed.

    • If payment is not required for Registration Fees in the Parent Portal, the fee card will highlight that Payment will be processed once fees have been reviewed.
  1. Proceed to the Make a Payment page where you can select from the payment methods saved in the Family record and submit the payment.

    Note: When you send the payment, you are re-agreeing to the organization's policies and agreements.

    • If parents are allowed to checkout using a payment method not previously saved, an Add New button can be used to process the payment to a new card. You will have the option to save the new card to the Family record and optionally make it the primary card.

  1. Payment is processed and a confirmation displays the details, including the Transaction ID. An email confirmation is sent to the person who was logged in to the Portal when the payment was made.

An Enrollment Summary displays the details of the enrollments and payment details. You have the option to print or email a receipt. When you opt to email the receipt, it can also be viewed in the Portal, in the My Messages section. Additionally, it is recorded in the Family record > Misc (tab) > View Sent Emails.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  What happens if a card is declined?

A.  If a payment is declined, the enrollment is not added for the student(s) and any associated fees are not posted. The payment must be successful in order for the parent to complete the enrollment checkout process. The parent will see a notification that there was a problem with the payment and will be returned to the Cart where they can checkout with a different payment method.

The Primary Phone number shown on the Parent Portal notification (below) is found under the Gear (icon) > Account > My Account > Organizational Details (left menu) > General > Primary Phone, and it's the Primary Phone listed for your organization.

Q.  What about other fees that the parent may already owe?

A.  The payment only pays (processes) the fees in the Shopping Cart and the payment is linked to those fees.

Q.  Is it possible to not require payment for a specific class or a specific event?

A.  Yes, it is possible to set certain classes or events to be omitted from requiring payment. On the Class record > Summary tab select Exclude from requiring payment during Parent Portal enrollment to exclude payment processing for a specific class during Parent Portal enrollment. On the Event Type > Summary tab select Omit this Event Type from requiring payment during Parent Portal enrollment.

Q.  What happens if a family has a credit balance on their account?

A. Credit balances on a family's account will not be deducted from the amount owed during enrollment in the Parent Portal.

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