Setting up recurring tuition

Recurring tuition is the engine of most schools. Rosterra runs it through Stripe subscriptions, so the rhythm is steady and predictable.

How the schedule works

Each program has a billing cadence, set when you create it at /settings/programs. The most common is monthly, charged on the same day of the month the family enrolled. So a family that signs up on the 12th is billed on the 12th of every following month.

If you prefer everyone to charge on the same calendar day (the 1st, for example), pick Aligned monthly when creating the program. Rosterra prorates the first charge so the first month is partial and every month after lands on the 1st.

What runs when a charge happens

• Stripe attempts the card on file.
• If it succeeds, the family gets an email receipt and the payment shows up in /billing.
• If it fails, Stripe retries automatically over the next several days. While retries are in progress, the membership is marked past due but stays active.
• If the retries also fail, the membership is marked past due (unresolved). You decide whether to pause, cancel, or reach out manually.

Updating a card

Families update their own card from the parent portal at /portal/billing. They click Update payment method, land on a Stripe-hosted page, enter the new card, and come back. Rosterra never sees the card number.

If a family asks you to update the card for them, ask them to do it from the portal. PCI rules prevent staff from typing card numbers into anything except a card-present terminal.

Changing the price for one family

Open the membership and edit the price. The new amount takes effect on the next charge. Past charges are not changed.

Stopping a charge

To pause for a month (vacation, injury), click Pause on the membership. Pick the resume date. No charges happen while paused. To cancel entirely, click Cancel. The membership ends at the end of the current paid period, so the family does not lose the month they have already paid for.