Your childcare center has set up in-app payments in Famly to make paying your child's fees as easy as possible. Instead of bank transfers or cash, you can view your invoices and pay directly in the app - all in one place.
How In-app Payments Work
Your childcare center decides which payment methods are available to you. Depending on their setup, you may be able to pay by:
Debit or credit card - pay instantly
ACH Direct Debit - payments are collected directly from your bank account
💡 You can also use FSA cards for in-app payments. FSA (or Flexible Spending Account) cards are payment cards that use pre-tax funds to cover eligible healthcare-related expenses
You'll only see the options your childcare center has enabled.
ℹ️ Your payment details are secure. All transactions are processed by Stripe, a trusted payment provider. Neither Famly nor your center has direct access to your card or bank account information
Adding a Payment Method
There are three places you can add a payment method:
From an outstanding balance:
Tap on the Home icon in your sidebar
Select Balance
Tap Pay on the outstanding payment
Follow the prompts to add a payment method and complete the payment
From the automatic payments section:
Tap on the Home icon in your sidebar
Select Balance
Scroll to the Automatic payments section
Tap Add payment method
Follow the prompts to add a payment method
From your Account settings:
Tap on your profile picture
Select Account preferences
Tap Payment methods
Tap Add payment method
Follow the prompts to add a payment method
💡 There will be no option to add payment methods if your child's center has chosen not to use in-app payments
Add a Payment Card
To pay by debit or credit card:
Tap Add payment method
Select Card
Enter your card detail
Tap Save
Your card is ready to use straight away — no waiting around.
[Screenshot: Add card screen]
💡 If you're using Famly in a browser (not the mobile app), you can also use Apple Pay or Google Pay to enter your card details quickly
Add an ACH Direct Debit
Direct Debit lets your center collect payments directly from your bank account.
Tap Add payment method
Select Add direct debit mandate
Enter your bank details in the window that opens
Read the confirmation message and tick the box
Tap Confirm
Once your Direct Debit is set up, it's ready to use - but payments won't be taken automatically unless you enable automatic payments. You can set this up by following our guide: How to set up automatic payments.
[Screenshot: Direct Debit setup screen]
Some banks require an extra verification step before the ACH mandate becomes active. When this happens, Stripe sends one or two small deposits, called microdeposits, to your bank account. Then you'll confirm these deposits to prove you own the account.
Here's what to expect:
Microdeposits typically appear in your bank account within 1–2 business days
You'll receive an email from Stripe with a link to a verification page
On that page, you'll enter either:
A 6-digit code starting with "SM" (from a single $0.01 deposit), or
The exact amounts of two small deposits labelled "ACCTVERIFY" on your bank statement
Once verified, the mandate is active and payments can be collected as normal
⚠️ Important: Parents have 10 days to complete the verification. If they don't verify within this window, the setup expires, and they'll need to add their bank details again
Managing Your Payment Methods
You can update or remove your payment methods from your account settings at any time.
Where to Find Your Payment Methods
Tap on your profile picture
Select Account preferences
Tap Payment methods
Here you'll see all your saved payment methods.
Remove a Payment Method
To remove a payment method you no longer use
Go to Settings → Payment methods
Tap the trash icon next to the payment method you'd like to remove
💡 If you have automatic payments set up with this payment method, deactivating it will also stop your automatic payments. You can set up a new payment method and re-enable autopay afterwards. Read more about Automatic Payments here
If Your Center Requires a Payment Method
Some nurseries ask parents to add a payment method before they can access Famly. If this applies to you, you'll see a message when you log in explaining what's needed.
Simply follow the steps above to add a payment method, and you'll be able to use Famly straight away.
Your center may also require you to set up automatic payments as part of this process. If so, adding a payment method will automatically enroll you in autopay - your balance will be charged on the center's scheduled payment day. You'll always receive a notification 1 day before you're charged.
🔒 If you don't want to add payment details, we'd recommend reaching out to your child's center directly to discuss your options