Bill payers using Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) for automatic payments will see that children's TFC accounts can only be linked to one bill payer at a time, meaning each child must have a separate bill payer account. If parents with multiple children at your nursery request to separate their children's bill payers for automatic TFC payments, this guide will walk you through the process step by step.
💡 If a bill payer has multiple children linked to their account but does not want to automate TFC payments, they can remain linked to all their children but will need to pay manually when using TFC
Two Ways to Set Up Separate Bill Payers
There are two main ways to separate siblings' bill payers:
Assign a different existing contact as a bill payer for one child
Duplicate the existing bill payer's account so each child has their own linked account
Option 1: Assigning Another Contact as a Bill Payer
For example, Kristie is the current bill payer for both Maxine and Sheila. However, since she can only link one child to her TFC account for automatic payments, another bill payer is needed for Sheila. Since their dad, Kellan, is already listed as a contact, we can make him Sheila's bill payer instead.
How to assign a new bill payer to a sibling
Open the profile of the child whose bill payer needs to be changed (e.g., Sheila)
Navigate to the Bookings tab
Click Manage above the Bill Payers section
Hover over the current bill payer's name (Kristie) and click the X to remove them
Click Remove to confirm
Click Add new bill payer
In the Suggested section, select the new bill payer (Kellan)
💡 If the desired contact isn’t listed, scroll down to search for existing contacts to find them there
Click Add, then Save to confirm the changes
Now, Sheila and Maxine each have separate bill payers and can link to their respective TFC accounts for automatic payments.
Option 2: Duplicating a Bill Payer for a Sibling
If only one contact is available to be a bill payer, you can duplicate their account so that each child has their own bill payer record.
How to duplicate a bill payer to assign them to a sibling
Open the profile of the child needing a duplicate bill payer (e.g., Sheila)
Go to the Bookings tab
Click Manage in the Bill Payers section
Hover over the current bill payer's name (Kristie) and click the X to remove them
Click Remove to confirm
Click Add New Bill Payer
Scroll down and select Create Bill Payer
Enter the same details as the existing bill payer (e.g., Kristie's name, address, and email)
💡 Ensure the details exactly match the original bill payer account. However, if a bill payer would like to differentiate between their duplicate accounts, you could add an asterisk (*) or other marker to their name so they know which account is linked to each child
Click Add, then Save to confirm
Now, both siblings have separate bill payer accounts, allowing the same bill payer to link each child to their own TFC account for automatic payments.
💡 Keep in mind that splitting up siblings' bill payers will result in two separate invoices - so they will no longer show on one invoice. It's a good idea to add both bill payers or contacts as Invoice recipients on both accounts so parents can see each child's Balance tab