Daycare billing and payment software that gets you paid on time
Chasing tuition by email and reconciling payments by hand takes hours every month. CentreBloom creates recurring invoices, collects payments online, keeps family balances up to date, and sends reminders automatically — so billing runs in the background and families always know what they owe.
What is childcare billing software?
Childcare billing software creates and collects the fees a centre charges families. It holds a fee plan for each child, generates invoices on a recurring cycle, accepts payment, tracks each family's balance, issues receipts and statements, and sends reminders when something is due or overdue. Its job is the money owed between a centre and its families — not the centre's books as a whole.
That last distinction is the one most centres ask about. Billing software is not accounting software. Billing answers "what does the Chen family owe this month, and have they paid?" Accounting answers "what did the centre earn and spend this year, and what do we owe in taxes?" Most centres run both: billing produces revenue records at the family level, and those totals are summarised into the accounting system. A billing tool that promises to replace your accountant should be treated with suspicion.
Recurring childcare billing usually works on a cycle rather than an event. Each child is assigned a fee plan — a rate, a schedule (weekly, biweekly or monthly), and any subsidy or discount that applies. On each cycle the software generates the invoice automatically rather than asking an administrator to rebuild it, applies any payment received, and rolls the difference into the family's running balance. Payments arrive online, by pre-authorized debit, or in person and are recorded by staff.
- What to evaluate: are invoices generated automatically from a fee plan, or built by hand each cycle?
- Can a family hold a credit or an overpayment, and does the balance carry forward correctly?
- Who holds the funds — does money flow to your own payment account, or through the vendor?
- What are the transaction fees, and who pays them: the centre or the family?
- Can you record cash and cheque payments so the balance reflects reality?
- Does it produce the receipts and annual statements families need for childcare expense claims?
Billing features included
- Recurring invoices and fee plans
- Online payments and autopay
- Family statements
- Balance and payment tracking
- Automatic payment reminders (email and SMS)
- Payment receipts
- Financial reports
Set fees once, invoice every cycle
Assign a fee plan to each child and CentreBloom generates the invoices on schedule, so you are not rebuilding the same bills every month. Families get clear, itemized invoices and a running statement of what has been paid and what is outstanding.
When a payment comes in — online or recorded by hand — the family's balance updates and a receipt is available, so your records and theirs stay in step.
- Per-child fee plans and recurring invoices
- Clear family statements
- Balances that stay current as payments land
Payments that collect themselves
Families can pay online, and autopay lets tuition collect automatically each cycle so you are not waiting on cheques. Centres connect their own payment account, which means tuition flows directly to them.
For payments taken in person, staff can record them so every invoice reflects reality regardless of how a family chose to pay.
Fewer awkward reminders
CentreBloom sends payment reminders automatically by email and text as due dates approach, and confirms payments once they are received. That keeps the gentle nudging off your desk and reduces the number of overdue balances you have to follow up on personally.
When a payment is recorded, families get a receipt and an in-app notification, so nobody is left wondering whether their payment went through.
Frequently asked questions
Can I set up recurring tuition invoices?
Yes. Assign a fee plan to each child and invoices are generated on schedule, with clear itemized statements for families.
Can families pay online and use autopay?
Yes. Families can pay online, and autopay collects tuition automatically each cycle. Centres connect their own payment account so funds flow directly to them.
Does CentreBloom send payment reminders?
Yes. Reminders go out automatically by email and SMS as due dates approach, and payment confirmations are sent when payments are received.
Can I record cash or cheque payments?
Yes. Staff can record payments taken in person so every invoice and balance stays accurate, and the family receives a receipt.
Is childcare billing software the same as accounting software?
No. Billing software manages what each family owes your centre — fee plans, invoices, payments, balances, receipts and statements. Accounting software manages your centre's books as a whole: expenses, payroll costs, financial statements and tax filings. Most centres use both, with billing totals feeding the accounting system. CentreBloom does billing and produces financial reports; it is not an accounting package and does not replace your accountant or bookkeeper.
How does recurring childcare billing work?
Each child is assigned a fee plan — the rate and the cycle it is charged on. On each cycle CentreBloom generates that child's invoice automatically rather than requiring you to rebuild it, families pay online or by autopay (or you record a cash or cheque payment), the payment is applied, and any remaining amount carries forward on the family's balance. Reminders go out by email and SMS as due dates approach.
Explore more of CentreBloom
See CentreBloom for your centre
A friendly, no-pressure walkthrough tailored to how your programs actually run — or start the launch offer and run CentreBloom free for 2 months, no card required.