Early Payment Discount — Support Guide

What it is

A billing program or a one-time charge can offer up to two discount tiers, e.g. "$30 off if paid within 3 days". The discount is a read-only line on the invoice. If the invoice isn't paid in full when a tier ends, the discount steps down automatically.

Setting it up

In the schedule step, under Payment Due, the director turns on Early payment discount, chooses $ or %, and fills in one or two tiers: "If paid within N days after an invoice is created, discount X". A preview shows the price for each pay-by date.

• Tier 2 must end after tier 1 and give a smaller discount.
• The last tier must end on or before the payment due day.
• Not available for monthly programs due on a set day of the month, or for one-time charges added to the next invoice.
• A fixed amount larger than a child's total is accepted with a warning, then capped.

On the invoice

The invoice gets a read-only "Early payment discount" line. Parents see a pay-by schedule under the total and on the pay screen, with amounts already paid subtracted.

• Step-down: every 15 minutes, an invoice not paid in full when a tier ends moves to the next tier. After the last tier, the line is removed. A partial payment doesn't keep a tier.
• Parents: they get a reminder email the day before a tier's last day, and a warning if they pay less than the current row.
• Line labels: "(until Aug 17)" while open, "(kept)" once paid in time, "(frozen)" after a write-off.

Parent screens above: UX mockups from #3033; the shipped screens may differ.

Common questions

• Paid but lost the discount: only a payment of the full remaining amount, made before the tier ends, keeps it.
• Discount came off after payment: the payment was reversed (ACH return, chargeback, or moved to another invoice). The parent and the center are emailed.
• Carried over at full price: expected. An unpaid invoice merged into the next one loses its discount.
• No late fee yet: no late fee is added while a tier is open. Once the last tier ends, it is calculated on the full price.
• Error 409 from the mobile app: older app versions can't edit a discounted invoice. Use the website.

More questions? Contact us at support@dailyconnect.com