What it does
AltEd keeps a running ledger between each family and each provider they work with, so nobody has to do mental arithmetic or have the awkward "what do we owe you?" conversation:
- Lesson pricing — the provider sets a price per lesson type, once.
- Charges — completed sessions raise charges automatically from that pricing.
- Credits — goodwill gestures, cancelled classes or corrections are added as credits, and go through an approval step so both sides agree before the balance moves.
- Absences — a missed session becomes an absence request for the other side to approve, so make-ups and charges never become arguments.
- Transaction history — every charge, credit and payment in one running record that family and provider both see.
- Card payments — families settle a balance by card, processed securely by Stripe. AltEd never sees or stores card numbers.
Where to find it
- The ledger and balances:
/dashboard/credits - Sessions (which raise the charges):
/dashboard/sessions
Step by step
Set lesson pricing (providers)
- Open your pricing from the credits area (
/dashboard/credits). - Add a price for each type of lesson you offer — for example an hour of maths tuition.
- Save. From now on, every completed session of that type charges the right amount automatically — no per-session invoicing.
Let sessions raise charges
- Schedule sessions with a student as usual (
/dashboard/sessions) — they appear on the family's shared calendar automatically. - After a session happens, both sides confirm it. A session confirmed by provider and family is what raises the charge.
- If a session was missed, record the absence instead — an absence request goes to the other side for approval, and an approved absence doesn't charge.
Add a credit (with approval)
- From the ledger, add a credit against the family — for a cancelled class, a goodwill gesture, or to correct a mistake.
- The credit sits pending until it's approved by the other side.
- Once approved, it reduces the balance and appears in the shared history like any other entry.
Check the balance and history
- Open Credits (
/dashboard/credits) to see the current balance with each provider (or, for providers, with each family). - The transaction history lists every charge, credit and payment in order — the same view for both sides, which is the point.
Pay a balance by card (families)
- From the ledger, choose Pay now on the balance you want to settle.
- You're taken to a secure Stripe checkout to enter your card details — AltEd never sees the card number.
- When the payment completes, it appears in the transaction history and the balance updates for both sides.
Tips
- Providers: set pricing before your first sessions, so the ledger is right from day one.
- The approval steps (on credits and absences) are deliberate — a balance both sides have agreed to, entry by entry, is what keeps the relationship friction-free.
- Card payments require the provider's payment setup to be enabled; if Pay now isn't available, the balance still stands in the ledger and you can settle it however you and the provider agree.
Sessions paid for in advance
Many families buy a block of lessons up front. When your provider records a session pack, those sessions are simply used up as they're taught — no charge appears for them, because you've already paid.
On Payments, a Sessions in credit panel shows what's left with that provider: "4 of 5 sessions left", what you paid, and an expiry date if there is one. When a pack runs out, later sessions are charged as normal.
A pack only covers the lesson type it was bought for — a maths pack won't quietly pay for a music lesson.
Reminders
If a charge goes past its due date, AltEd emails you a single reminder covering everything outstanding with that provider, with a link to your balance. You won't be emailed about the same debt more than once a week, and never at all if your balance is settled. If you've already paid and it just hasn't been marked off yet, no action is needed.