IN BRIEF
Anniversary Charges are not applied automatically by the System. They can be issued through multiple workflows: the Transactions page, the Anniversary Charges task, the Customer Portal/Mobile App, the Enrollment Wizard, or manually from a customer’s ledger. This article explains how each option works and how charges are tracked.
Overview
Anniversary Charges can be issued in four different ways:
- From the TRANSACTIONS page, using the Anniversary Charges task.
- Through the Customer Portal/Mobile App when customers register for classes or camps.
- Through the Enrollment Wizard when staff members create enrollments in the Office Portal.
- Manually, from the customer’s ledger using the Anniversary line item type.
To distinguish these charges from other fees, iClassPro tracks them under the line item type Anniversary. This type is automatically used for system-generated charges. Staff will need to manually select this line item type when adding an Anniversary Fee directly to a ledger.
Anniversary Charge Workflows
When determining whether to apply a charge, iClassPro uses the Last Anniversary Charge Date in conjunction with the Anniversary Timeframe configured in your setup (not the customer’s original anniversary date). This ensures consistency when charges are applied through different workflows.
TRANSACTIONS Page > Anniversary Charges Task
Some families may stay enrolled for long periods or bypass online registration, which could cause charges to be missed. To prevent this, it is recommended to regularly run the Anniversary Charges task from the Transactions page.
Running the Anniversary Charges Task
- Navigate to TRANSACTIONS>ANNIVERSARY CHARGES.
- Choose a Charge Program.
- This determines how the charge is labeled on ledgers and which tax rate is applied.
- Defaults to the Program defined in your Anniversary Charge setup but can be changed.
- Choose a Charge Category to further classify the charge.
- From Enrolled In, select whether to bill fees for families/students enrolled in classes, camps, or both.
- Choose a Student Active option:
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In Month Of – bills customers who are/will be active in the selected month and due anytime before that month ends. (Recommended)
- Using the "In Month Of" option allows you to pre-bill for customers who will be active in the selected month and are due at any point before that month is over. The anniversary time frame will be counted backwards from the last day of the selected month.
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As of Date – Bills only customers who are/will be active on a specific date and due on/before that date.
- Using an "As of Date" will allow you to bill the Anniversary fee for any customers which are active as of that date and due on or before that date. The anniversary time frame will be counted backwards from that specific date.
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In Month Of – bills customers who are/will be active in the selected month and due anytime before that month ends. (Recommended)
- Select a Charge Date (when the fee is assessed).
- NOTE: Future-dating the Charge Date is not recommended, as it will result in payments showing as unapplied in reports until this date arrives.
- Select a Due Date (when payment is due).
- (optional) Filter results with Family, Student, or Class Keywords.
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(optional) Enable Ignore Previous Anniversary Charges to bill all active customers at once.
- NOTE: This ignores timeframe/one-time fee restrictions and charges everyone with an eligibility date not set in the future.
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(optional) Enter an amount in Override Anniversary Fee.
- NOTE: This will apply the override to all previewed customers, ignoring any customer-specific overrides. (If “One-Time Fee” is enabled in settings, the System will display a notice.)
- Click Preview. Once processed, the preview opens automatically.
- Unselect any customers you do not wish to bill.
- NOTE: Selected customers will be marked with a blue box. When unselected, the selection box is white.
- Click Process to issue charges to all selected customers.
Record Keeping
- Once processing is complete, the task status will read Done.
- A down arrow will appear next to the task. Select it to open a summary page of all charges processed and filters used.
- To save the information:
- Select Save to CSV.
- The file will be generated in background tasks.
- Once available, select the document icon or down arrow to download it.
NOTE: The Process Result file includes a column for errors that may have occurred when generating charges. Manual corrections may be required for these entries.
Ledger-Based Charges
When manually billing a family or student:
- Select the ledger icon next to the family or student.
- Select New Charge.
- Enter a Charge Date (when the fee is assessed).
- NOTE: Future-dating the Charge Date is not recommended, as it will result in payments showing as unapplied in reports until this date arrives.
- Enter a Due Date (when payment is due).
- Select Anniversary from the Line Item Type menu.
- If billing per student, select the Student to connect the charge to.
- Choose a Program to label the charge for reporting.
- Defaults to the Program defined in your Anniversary Charge setup but can be changed.
- Enter a Charge Category to label the charge for reporting.
- (optional) Adjust the Line Item Title, Amount, Discount, or Charge Sales Tax fields.
- Select Save to record the charge.
Important: The System will not prevent you from manually adding an Anniversary Charge even if the customer was billed recently. Always check the Last Anniversary Charge Date in the customer’s record before applying manual charges.
Enrollment Wizard Settings
Anniversary Charges can also be applied automatically when staff use the Enrollment Wizard in the Office Portal:
- Navigate to SETTINGS>SETUP>CLASS SETTINGS>ENROLLMENT WIZARD SETTINGS.
- Enable the Anniversary Fee option.
- Uses the same Program defined in your Anniversary Charge setup.
- Any tax rate associated with that Program is applied automatically.
- Enabling this option reveals two additional fields:
- Charge Anniversary Fee for Free Classes – Adds the Anniversary Fee per family or per student if the tuition charge in the shopping cart is $0 and the ledger does not already have an Anniversary line item within the configured timeframe. (Applies to ACTIVE enrollments only.)
- Anniversary Fee Charge Category – Selects a category for labeling the charge.
- After making changes, select Save.
NOTE: At this time, the Enrollment Wizard only supports class enrollments.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
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Why didn’t a customer get charged during registration?
- The student must have an ACTIVE enrollment to be deemed eligible for an Anniversary Fee; enrollment requests do not trigger charges.
- Ensure that the student’s Anniversary Charge Eligibility Date is not in the future.
- Ensure that the student does not have an Anniversary Charge Override in place for $0.
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Can Anniversary Charges apply to free classes?
- Yes. Enable the “Charge Anniversary Fee for Free Classes” option in the Enrollment Wizard settings.
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Can I issue Anniversary Charges earlier than the normal billing cycle?
- Yes. Staff with appropriate permissions can manually create an Anniversary Charge on the family ledger at any time.
- Be aware that if the student is charged early, the system will use the charge date associated with the newest charge to determine future eligibility.
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Why are some charges missing from reports?
- Ensure the correct Charge Program and Charge Date were selected in your report filters. Reports use the charge date to display payment application.
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Will the system ever apply multiple Anniversary Charges?
- Yes, if your setup is configured per location, the family/student may be billed separately for each Location at which they are actively enrolled.