Many companies collect a fee at enrollment that they want credited toward a larger cost later, such as tuition. In Enrollsy, this is called a Deposit. This article covers what a Deposit is, how to create a Deposit Charge Item, how Deposits behave inside different Payment Plans, how to add a Deposit to a Program or Class, and how to confirm it's working with a test enrollment.
What is a Deposit?
The word Deposit means different things to different people. In Enrollsy, most clients use a Deposit to collect a payment at enrollment that is later credited against a future balance due. If that's what you want to do, follow the steps below to create a Deposit that's charged at enrollment.
NOTE: Only one Deposit Item is allowed per company
How to Create a Deposit Charge Item
Step 1 — Create a new Charge Item
Go to My Company > Items. Next to Charge Items, click the blue plus button to create a new Charge Item.
Step 2 — Enter a label
Enter a label such as Deposit or Tuition Deposit, or choose your own name for it.
Step 3 — Choose your options
Select the settings that fit your use case:
Type: Standard Fee
Required: choose Required at enrollment or Optional at enrollment
Quantity: choose whether a quantity is specified
Under Payment Plans, select Due at Enrollment so the Deposit option appears.
With the Deposit toggle set to Yes, complete the following:
Choose the Charge Item the Deposit will apply a credit toward.
Choose the Discount Item the credit will be applied as.
How Deposits Work Inside Payment Plans
How a Deposit is applied depends on the type of Payment Plan:
Scheduled Payment Plans: apply the Deposit to the first invoice, the last invoice, or evenly across all future invoices.
Installment Payment Plans: the Deposit is always applied evenly across future invoices.
Subscription Payment Plans: the Deposit behaves as a regular Charge Item and does not work as a deposit.
Scheduled Payment Plan
Deposit Example
Example: A Deposit of $200 is due at enrollment. It's set up so a credit is applied toward the Tuition Charge Item, using a Discount Item called Deposit, applied to the first invoice.
How to Set Up a Deposit on a Program or Class
Pricing
In the Pricing section of the Program or Class, under What is the total Program/Class cost?, add the Deposit Charge Item along with the corresponding Charge Item.
NOTE: Make sure the Charge Item here is the same Charge Item you selected on the Items page for the Deposit to credit toward.
The Deposit amount (in this example, $200) will be credited toward the Tuition Charge Item, whether it's charged at enrollment or on a future date as part of a Payment Plan. The credit will appear as Deposit (the Discount Item name).
NOTE: Don't add the Deposit Charge Item under Program Enrollment Fees. Doing so cancels out the Deposit feature when it's set up per Enrollee, and also increases the displayed cost on the Browse page.
Payment Plans
Click Add/Remove Payment Plan to create or edit a Payment Plan. In the Payment Events section, a note confirms that if the Deposit is charged at enrollment, it will credit toward this Charge Item as Deposit.
In the Due At Enrollment section, the Deposit amount credits toward the specific Charge Item due at enrollment or on a future date within the Payment Plan. The credit appears as Deposit.
NOTE: The actual Deposit amount doesn't show on the admin side in the Payment Plan section. Do a test enrollment to see the Deposit credit applied.
Click Save to save the Program or Class.
Note About "Returning Customer Discounts" on Payment Plans
If you offer a Returning Student Discount (applied when someone enrolling uses an email address already on file) on a Charge Item tied to a future Payment Plan, there's a current system limitation: Enrollsy may treat the new customer as returning, since they'll already have an account by the time the invoice is generated. This does not currently work correctly.
Do a Test Enrollment
Do a test enrollment to confirm the Deposit is working as expected. There are a few ways to test enroll; see How to Test Your Enroll Form Before Going Live for detailed steps.
Under Plan Costs, you'll see where the Deposit is credited. In this example, it's credited to the first invoice.
