Skip to main content
Make Changes to a Balance
Julia Rose avatar
Written by Julia Rose
Updated this week

There are a number of options on Famly that let you change a bill payer's balance. You can add a credit, a surcharge, or a positive or negative payment to change their balance.

How to Add a Credit to a Bill Payer Account

If you want to change a bill payer's balance by adding to it, you can enter a credit onto their bill payer account, which will be picked up on their next invoice. To do so:

  • Log in to the app and go to the profile of the child you need to credit

  • Select the Bookings tab and under the bill payer, click Add

  • From the drop-down menu, select Credit

  • Once you click Credit, a pop-up will open

  • Enter the amount you wish to credit to the account

  • You can add a note, to explain the credit, and press Add


How to Add a Surcharge

If you want to change a bill payer's balance by subtracting from it, you can enter a surcharge onto their bill payer account, which will be picked up on their next invoice. To do so:

  • Log in to the app and go to the profile of the child you need to surcharge

  • Select the Bookings tab and under the bill payer, click Add

  • From the drop-down menu, select Surcharge

  • Once you click Surcharge, a pop-up will open

  • Enter the amount you wish to charge to the account

  • You can add a note, to explain the surcharge, and press Save


How to Change a Bill Payer's Balance Without Invoicing

If you'd like to amend a bill payer's balance without needing to send an invoice (like you would need to do with Credits and Surcharges), you can enter a payment (either positive or negative in value) instead.

To do so:

  • Navigate to a child's Bookings tab

  • Click on Add

  • Then select Payment

For example, say a parent's balance is incorrect by £10 and you'd like to deduct this amount. To correct their balance effective immediately, add a payment for -£10 (by typing out -10 in the relevant field) and choose Other as the payment method. You can also add a note to say this payment represents a balance adjustment.

This payment will now show in the Bill payer overview section and the balance will have been adjusted accordingly:


How to Show you've Refunded a Bill Payer

If a parent has overpaid (and is in credit on the their bill payer account), you can use the same method of adding a negative payment to show that you've issued a refund. This is particularly useful, as issuing a refund isn't a feature directly available on Famly. Instead, you can represent a refund by adjusting a bill payer's balance and adding a note to mention it's a refund for accounting purposes.

💡 Please note, you will still need to send the bill payer a refund outside of Famly, as this cannot be processed through in-app payments. Once the refund has been sent from your bank account, you can add a negative payment to reflect this on the bill payer account

If you've refunded bill payer outside of Famly and would like to reflect this in their balance:

  • Navigate to a child's Bookings tab

  • Click on Add

  • Then select Payment

  • Enter the amount you refunded the bill payer. For example, if you refunded the bill payer £10, enter negative £10 (-10) into the Amount field

  • Set the payment type as Other and type Refund in the Note section

The refund will be reflected to their balance and they'll no longer be in credit.

Did this answer your question?