--- 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 25, 2025 # 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 2024–2025*, *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 the actual movement of funds — whether automatic or manual — including payments, refunds, or failed attempts. Transactions are tracked against invoices to give you complete visibility into account status. --- ### 💡 Example workflow 1. Create a **Program** for *Preschool 2024–2025*. 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** work differently from other payment items. They are *optional*, *parent-initiated contributions* that aren’t tied to programs, enrollments, or invoices. Because donation amounts are voluntary, they don’t generate invoices or appear as billable events in the system. --- ### 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 © 2025, TUIO