Payments

The Payments module is where you record, view, and manage all money received from students and guardians. Every payment is linked to one or more invoices and generates a receipt automatically.

Navigation: Finance → Payments

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Payments page

The Payments page shows all payment transactions across the school. Use the filter bar to narrow down by:

• Date range
• Payment method (Cash, Card, Mobile Money, Bank Transfer, etc.)
• Student name or ID
• Status (Completed, Voided)
• Grade / Class

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Recording a payment

You can record a payment from two places:

• From the invoice — open the invoice and click Record payment (recommended, as it links the payment automatically)
• From the Payments page — click + New payment and select the student/invoice manually

Step-by-step (from Payments page)

1. Click + New payment
2. Search for the student by name or ID
3. Select the invoice(s) to pay against — you can split a payment across multiple invoices
4. Enter:
   • Amount received
   • Payment date
   • Payment method (see payment methods below)
   • Reference number — e.g., bank deposit slip, mobile money transaction ID
   • Notes (optional)
5. Click Record payment

A receipt is automatically generated. The linked invoice(s) are updated.

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Payment methods

Method	When to use
Cash	Parent pays directly at the school office
Cheque	Payment by cheque — enter cheque number in the reference field
Bank transfer	Parent paid via bank deposit, ZIPIT, or RTGS — enter bank reference
Card (Stripe)	Payment taken via the school's Stripe card terminal or payment link
PayNow	Payment via the PayNow gateway (Zimbabwe)
InnBucks	Wallet, QR, or USSD payment via InnBucks
EcoCash	Mobile money payment via EcoCash
OneMoney	Mobile money via NetOne OneMoney
Telecash	Mobile money via Telecel Telecash

Gateway payments (automated)

Payments made through online gateways (PayNow, InnBucks, EcoCash) are automatically recorded when the gateway confirms the transaction via webhook. You do not need to manually record these — they appear in the Payments list automatically.

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Partial payments

If a parent can only pay part of an invoice:

1. Enter the amount they are paying (less than the full invoice amount)
2. The system creates a partial payment record
3. The invoice status changes to Partially Paid
4. The remaining balance stays on the invoice and is still due

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Splitting a payment across multiple invoices

A parent may want to pay multiple invoices with one payment (e.g., Term 1 tuition + registration fee):

1. Click + New payment
2. Search for the student
3. Select multiple invoices using the checkboxes
4. Enter the total amount
5. The system allocates the payment across the selected invoices proportionally, or you can manually set the split

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Viewing payment details

Click any payment row to open its detail view:

The detail view shows:

• Payment reference number
• Student and invoice links
• Payment breakdown (which invoices it covers)
• View receipt button — opens the associated receipt
• Created by / timestamp

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Voiding a payment

If a payment was recorded in error (e.g., wrong amount, wrong student):

1. Open the payment detail
2. Click ⋮ menu → Void payment
3. Enter a reason
4. Confirm

caution

Voiding a payment:

• Reverses the balance on the linked invoice(s)
• Cancels the associated receipt
• Cannot be undone — you must record the correct payment separately

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Exporting payments

1. Use the filter bar to narrow down the payments you want to export
2. Click Export → CSV
3. The file includes: reference number, student name, student ID, amount, payment method, date, linked invoice number, and status

This export is useful for daily cash-up reconciliation or submitting reports to the bursar.

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Daily cash-up

At the end of each day, the finance officer should:

1. Filter payments by today's date and method = Cash
2. Verify the total matches the physical cash in the safe
3. Export the list as a CSV for the daily cash register