Setting Up a Recurring Billing Plan

This article walks through setting up recurring billing on a program: turning on the billing model, creating a billing plan, and choosing the charge date and start date that fit how you collect. For what recurring billing is and how it compares to an installment payment plan, start with the article Recurring Billing: An Overview. 

Setup happens in two places: Registration Options, where you choose the billing model for the program, and the Billing Plans page, where you build the plans members will choose from. 

In this article

• Before you start
• Turn on recurring billing for a program
• Create a billing plan
• Choosing when charges run
• Choosing when billing begins
• Offer more than one plan
• Review the snapshot before you save
• FAQ

Before you start

Two constraints are worth knowing before you build, because both are hard to undo:

Before anyone registers you can still switch the model, but switching deletes any standard payment plans you may have already built on that program. You will see a warning before it happens.

A plan is also locked once members are enrolled on it. You cannot change its price, cadence, or end date for members who have already agreed to those terms. That is not a reason to delay building, but it is a reason to get your amount and cadence right before you open registration.

Turn on recurring billing for a program

1. Open the program, then go to Registration Options.
2. At the top of the page, choose your billing model. You will see two options: Fixed pricing & Installment Plans and Recurring Billing.
3. Select Recurring Billing, then save.
4. Under program Settings, Billing Plans link appears. This is where you create and manage the plans for this program.

The Billing Plans menu link does not appear until you have selected recurring billing and saved. If you are not seeing it, that step has not been completed yet.

Create a billing plan

Open Billing Plans, then create a new plan. This page is also where you view, edit, close, and cancel plans once they exist.

Plan name

Members see the plan name when they choose during registration, so treat it as member-facing copy. Name it the way you want a parent to read it, such as "Gold", "Monthly Membership", or "Three Days a Week".

Amount

What the member is charged each cycle.

Cadence

How often the member is charged. Monthly and Twice Monthly are available.

Who the plan is for

Plans are available to free agents and team players. If you use groups or teams to segment your members, define which one this plan applies to so the system knows which price to apply. This lets you charge different amounts for different groups within the same program.

Staff can register into a recurring billing program but are never billed.

End date

Optional. Leave it empty for programming that runs indefinitely — billing then continues as long as the member is enrolled and their invoice is active.

Set an end date when you want billing to stop on a known date: an annual membership year that everyone re-registers for, or a plan you already know you will replace when you overhaul your pricing.

Public or private

A private plan is hidden from the registration flow. Members unlock it by entering a code during registration, the same way discount codes work on other programs. This is how you offer a scholarship, a staff rate, or a negotiated price without exposing it to everyone.

Discount codes themselves are not supported on recurring billing. A private plan at the lower amount is the equivalent.

Choosing when charges run

You have two options, and the choice changes how your month looks.

• Registration date — each member is charged on their own registration date every cycle. Someone who registers on the 13th is charged on the 13th every cycle.
• A fixed day for everyone — everyone on the plan is charged on the same day each cycle. You choose the day.

A fixed day puts the whole plan on one schedule, so your charges land together and you reconcile once a cycle. This is the more common choice.

The registration date option gives each member their own billing day, which spreads your income across the month rather than landing it all at once. It also means a member's charge date always matches the date they signed up, which can be easier to explain to families.

Choosing when billing begins

This setting controls the member's first charge, and it is the one most worth thinking through.

At registration

The first charge runs as soon as the member registers, prorated so it covers only the remainder of the current cycle. Their next charge is a full amount on the next billing date.

For example, on a plan that charges on the 1st, a member who registers on the 20th pays a prorated amount for the rest of that month at registration, then the full amount on the 1st going forward.

This is the right choice for most live programs. It is what removes the manual invoice adjustments that mid-cycle joiners used to require.

On or after the program start date

The first full charge runs on the first billing date once the program has started. There is no proration.

Use this when you want registration open before billing begins. Once the program start date passes, members will be prorated. 

Offer more than one plan

A program can run several billing plans side by side, and the member picks one during registration. Each plan carries its own amount, cadence, charge day, and end date, so your options do not have to share a schedule.

Common setups:

• Membership tiers, such as a gold plan and a silver plan at different monthly prices.
• Access levels, such as one day a week through five days a week, each priced for what it includes.
• An individual plan alongside a family plan.
• A monthly plan alongside a twice monthly plan, so members choose the cadence that suits them.

You can mix public and private plans in the same program, which is how you offer a scholarship or negotiated rate alongside your standard tiers. You can also spread plans across multiple programs if that fits your structure better.

Review the snapshot before you save

As you build a plan, a snapshot shows what happens if a member registers today: the amount due at registration, including any proration, and the dates of the next two charges. Use it to confirm the plan behaves the way you expect before you save.

Once you save, the plan appears on the Billing Plans page and is immediately available during registration. You can add more plans from the same page, and you can edit a plan before anyone enrolls on it.

Edits made after members have enrolled apply only to new registrants. Members already on the plan keep the terms they agreed to. For how to change pricing after the fact, see the article Managing Recurring Billing Plans.

FAQ

Can I test recurring billing before I use it on a real program?

Yes, and it is worth doing. Create a new program, set it to recurring billing, build a plan, and register a test account to see the full member flow.

Why can't I see the Billing Plans link?

The link only appears after you have selected Recurring Billing in Registration Options and saved.

Can I switch a program from fixed installment plans to recurring billing?

Only before anyone has registered, and switching will delete any plans you have already built on that program. Once there are registrations under billing terms, the model is locked and you will need a new program.

What happens if I set the charge day to the 31st?

Charges fall back to the last day of any month that is shorter. A plan set to the 31st charges on February 28th, April 30th, and so on.

Can I change a plan's price later?

Not for members already enrolled on it. Create a new plan at the new amount and close the old one, which keeps existing members at their current price while new registrants get the new one. See the article Managing Recurring Billing Plans.