--- title: Understanding Billing & Payments in TUIO description: Learn how billing works in TUIO — including how programs, payment plans, enrollments, invoices, and transactions fit together to automate tuition and fee management. --- [Skip to content](https://support.tuiopay.com/understanding-billing-payments-in-tuio#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [![TUIO-logo-cmyk.png](https://support.tuiopay.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TUIO-logo-social-type-400x400-rgb.png?width=125&height=125&name=TUIO-logo-social-type-400x400-rgb.png)](https://support.tuiopay.com?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - English Show submenu for translations - [Contact support](mailto:support@tuiopay.com) [Contact support](mailto:support@tuiopay.com) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Support for TUIO Admins](https://support.tuiopay.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [Billing & Payments](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en) 3. [Overview & Structure](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en#overview-structure) October 21, 2026 # Understanding Billing & Payments in TUIO ## A guide to how programs, enrollments, payment plans, invoices, and transactions connect. ### 🧩 How the main billing objects connect **Programs** are the foundation of your billing structure. Each program represents something parents are charged for , such as *Preschool*, *After-School Care*, *Hot Lunch*, or *Field Trip Fees*. Every **Program** contains one or more **Payment Plans**, which define *when* and *how* families are billed. Payment plans automate invoice creation based on the chosen schedule and pricing. Before you can enroll students into a program, you’ll need to have them in your TUIO account. Students can be **imported in bulk** from a spreadsheet or **created manually** in the **Students** tab. Once students exist, you can create **Enrollments** that link each student , and their parent , to the correct program and payment plan. From the payment plan, **Invoices** are automatically generated according to the schedule you set. Invoices can also be created manually within an existing enrollment if you need to issue a one-off charge , for example, a lost library book or a late pickup fee. This avoids creating an entirely new program and payment plan for a single payment. Each transaction records payment activity, including successful payments, refunds and failed attempts. Check its status to understand the result; a failed attempt is not money received. --- ### 💡 Example workflow 1. Create a **Program** for *Preschool*. 2. Add a **Payment Plan** with ten monthly payments. 3. Import or add **Students**. 4. Enroll each student into the program and assign the payment plan. 5. TUIO automatically creates monthly **Invoices** for each enrollment. 6. Parents link a payment method to their enrollment, and **Transactions** occur automatically on each due date. 7. If needed, admins can issue manual one-off invoices directly from the enrollment. --- ### 🎓 Beyond tuition: using Programs for extras Programs aren’t limited to tuition billing. Schools also use them for ancillary fees such as *Hot Lunch Programs*, *Field Trips*, or *After-Care*. Each of these can have its own payment plan and reporting. This flexibility lets your school centralize all forms of billing within TUIO while keeping records neatly organized. --- ### ❤️ About Donations Donations are managed through Donations and donation funds, separately from tuition payment plans. Schools can record offline donations as well as accept online donations. Review the donation record and its transaction history to check payment and refund activity. --- ### Summary | Object | Purpose | | --- | --- | | **Program** | Defines what is being billed (tuition or extras) | | **Student** | Must exist before enrollment; can be imported or created manually | | **Enrollment** | Links a student and parent to a program | | **Payment Plan** | Automates invoice creation | | **Invoice** | The individual charge parents pay | | **Transaction** | The actual payment, refund, or adjustment | | **Donation** | Optional, parent-initiated contribution | --- ✅ **Next step:** Create or import your students, then set up your first *Program* and *Payment Plan* to automate your billing workflow in TUIO. - [Billing & Payments](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Overview & Structure](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en#overview-structure) - [Programs & Payment Plans](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en#programs-payment-plans) - [Students & Enrollments](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en#students-enrollments) - [Invoices](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en#invoices) - [Donations & Fundraising](https://support.tuiopay.com/billing-payments?hsLang=en#donations-fundraising) - [Forms, Attendance, Class & Student Management](https://support.tuiopay.com/forms-attendance-class-student-management?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Student Management](https://support.tuiopay.com/forms-attendance-class-student-management?hsLang=en#student-management) - [Registration & Non-Registration Forms](https://support.tuiopay.com/forms-attendance-class-student-management?hsLang=en#registration-non-registration-forms) - [Attendance & Class Management](https://support.tuiopay.com/forms-attendance-class-student-management?hsLang=en#attendance-class-management) - [Parent Management & Communications](https://support.tuiopay.com/parent-management-communications?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Parent Management](https://support.tuiopay.com/parent-management-communications?hsLang=en#parent-management) - [Communications & Notifications](https://support.tuiopay.com/parent-management-communications?hsLang=en#communications-notifications) - [Reports, Exports & Reconciliation](https://support.tuiopay.com/reports-exports-reconciliation?hsLang=en) - [Platform Management & Settings](https://support.tuiopay.com/platform-management-settings?hsLang=en) - [Software Releases & Future Roadmap](https://support.tuiopay.com/software-releases-future-roadmap?hsLang=en#main-content) - [🚀 Future Roadmap](https://support.tuiopay.com/software-releases-future-roadmap?hsLang=en#future-roadmap) - [🆕 Software Releases](https://support.tuiopay.com/software-releases-future-roadmap?hsLang=en#software-releases) - [Integrations](https://support.tuiopay.com/integrations?hsLang=en) Copyright © 2026, TUIO