Billing
Collect chess academy fees without chasing parents
ChessCore keeps one invoice per fee and shows who owes what. Recurring invoices generate on their own, the fee reminder template you switch on goes out before, on and after the due date, and a part payment stays a part payment. Families pay through Razorpay, including UPI AutoPay, or Stripe on Grow and above.
The AI does not collect fees. When a fee note needs a personal touch, the AI drafts it and a person edits and sends it. The routine reminders are fixed templates that go out on a schedule the academy switches on. For how billing sits next to enquiries, classes and reports, see chess academy management software.
See a fee-tracking workflow
Matched automatically through StripeHow it works
Routine follow-ups go out; personal notes wait for you
Sara A.’s monthly fee at Knight’s Gate, a made-up academy, shows the four steps.
One invoice per fee
Each fee is an invoice tied to one student, sent, paid, partially paid or overdue, with the open balance shown.
The reminder you switched on
A fixed template filled from the invoice goes out by email before, on and after the due date. No AI text.
A part payment stays a part payment
Omar A. pays USD 60. The invoice is partially paid and the remaining USD 60 stays due.
A person sends the personal note
An AI draft about the balance waits in the approval queue until Layla edits it and sends it.
Invoice lifecycle
Reminders quote what’s still owed, not the full fee
Pick a stage. The balance, the reminder it quotes and the approval queue follow the invoice, and UPI AutoPay covers the recurring side.
- Fee
- USD 120
- Paid
- USD 60
- Balance
- USD 60
Omar A. pays USD 60. The invoice allows part payment, so USD 60 stays open and later reminders quote it.
Reminder template, email
Sara A.’s fee of USD 60 is due. Filled from the invoice, no AI text.
Approval queueempty
Personal fee notes appear here as AI drafts. Nothing in the queue sends itself.
- Due 5thInvoice KG-1027 sent, part payment allowed
- 6thReminder template sent by email
- 9thUSD 60 received from Omar A.
- 9thAI draft waiting for Layla
Payment connections
UPI AutoPay for recurring fees
- UPI, cards, netbanking Razorpay
- Payment link opens without logging in
- Card checkout Stripe, hosted
Subscription fee, next month
- The next invoice is generated when it falls due: an amount owed.
- A retry charge needs a saved, authorised payment method.
- Without one the charge is skipped, and the invoice is not treated as paid.
See who owes what without opening a spreadsheet
Each fee is an invoice tied to one student. An invoice is sent, paid in full, partially paid or overdue, and ChessCore shows the balance that is still open. For a student on a subscription, ChessCore generates the next invoice when it falls due. A generated invoice is an amount owed, not a collected payment. The paid amount and the remaining balance on each invoice show what is still open.
Here is one invoice from Knight’s Gate Chess Academy, an example academy with made-up students.
The paid amount and the balance add up to the fee: 1,500 plus 1,500 is 3,000. Nothing here is a real family or a real payment.
- Annual fee for Lucas M.
- USD 3,000, due on 1 Sep, part payment allowed
- Reminder template
- Sent on 2 Sep, filled from the invoice, no AI text
- Payment received
- USD 1,500 on 4 Sep, from his mother Valentina G.
- Invoice status
- Partially paid, USD 1,500 remaining
- Personal note
- AI draft about the USD 1,500 balance, waiting for admin Layla to edit and send
Fee reminders go out on the schedule you turn on
Fee reminders use a fixed template. The academy switches it on, ChessCore fills in the student, amount and due date from the invoice, and it goes out on its schedule: before the due date, on it, and at set points after it. It contains no AI text. These reminders go out by email. A part payment lowers the balance the reminder quotes, and a fully paid invoice gets none.
An AI-written note about a fee is separate from the fixed templates. A draft about an overdue fee waits in the approval queue until staff check the wording and the balance. A person edits it and sends it. The AI does not send it. The AI assistant page lists what needs approval.
Made-up example, AI draft awaiting review. For Sara’s invoice at Knight’s Gate: “Hi Omar, USD 60 remains due for Sara’s monthly fee. Please arrange payment of the remaining balance.”
Made-up example, Layla’s staff revision, not sent. “Hi Omar, thank you for the USD 60 paid on the 9th towards Sara’s USD 120 fee, due on the 5th. USD 60 remains. Could you let us know when you expect to pay the balance? Thank you, Layla.” Layla adds the payment acknowledgement and checks the balance before sending. These are illustrative messages, not a real AI output or a message to a real family.
An invoice that is still unpaid at the last stage raises an item for the academy’s admins to follow up. WhatsApp is used for some payment messages, such as a payment link or a subscription renewal notice, where the parent has opted in. The rules are on the WhatsApp integration page.
Part payments and failed charges keep the balance open
Partial payments. An invoice can allow part payment. ChessCore then accepts an amount below the balance, can require a minimum first payment, marks the invoice partially paid and keeps the remainder open. Sara’s USD 60 is exactly that case.
Failed payments. Reminders follow the unpaid invoice. Scheduled fee emails quote its remaining balance when you have enabled them. When a card is declined or a payment fails, ChessCore records the failure instead of marking the invoice paid. For a subscription fee with a saved, authorised payment method, it can try the charge again at set points after the due date. A family whose payment keeps failing stays on the overdue list until someone resolves it.
Refunds. ChessCore does not refund automatically. A refund is something a person does, and when it is requested through the AI copilot a second person has to approve it. The person who asks cannot be the one who approves.
Online payments matched to the right invoice for you
Online payments. ChessCore matches payments made through Razorpay or Stripe to their invoices automatically. A payment it cannot match needs a member of staff to review it.
Cash and bank transfers. A payment that did not come through Razorpay or Stripe is recorded by hand. Your admin enters it against the invoice, and the balance updates the same way.
Part payments. An invoice can accept part payments, with a minimum first instalment if you set one. The remaining balance stays open and later reminders quote it.
Families pay by UPI, UPI AutoPay or card
Two different payments are involved, and this page covers only the first. The first is your academy collecting tuition from families, which is what the connections below do. The second is what your academy pays ChessCore for the software. That is a flat capacity plan billed in US dollars, not a charge per student, and its amounts, billing cycle and limits are on the pricing page.
Razorpay and UPI AutoPay, for rupee fees
Razorpay is the main route for Indian academies, on Grow and above from $109 a month billed annually. It supports UPI, including UPI AutoPay mandates for recurring fees, and payment links that a parent can open without logging in. Rupee fee collection for India is described on chess academy software for India, and the connection itself is on the Razorpay payment setup page.
Stripe, for card payments
Stripe is available on Grow and above. ChessCore supports hosted card checkout. A recurring invoice is not an automatic card charge: a retry charge needs a saved, authorised payment method, and without one the charge is skipped rather than treated as paid. Which countries, currencies and card types you can use depends on your Stripe account and its country, and on how ChessCore has set it up for your academy. Check this before you plan around it.
These are the two payment connections that exist today. They are not a promise that every country or every payment method works, and the integrations page lists what each connection needs and which connections are only planned. For how payment data and access are protected, see ChessCore security. To see this with an overdue fee of your own, use the demo button below.
See a fee-tracking workflowAt a glance
What billing does and does not do
1 + 1
Paid plus balance equals the fee
USD 60 paid and USD 60 open add up to Sara’s USD 120. The invoice shows both.
0
AI words in fee reminders
The reminder is a fixed template the academy switches on, filled from the invoice.
2
Payment connections today
Razorpay with UPI and UPI AutoPay for rupee fees, and Stripe hosted card checkout.
2nd
Approver for a copilot refund
A refund requested through the copilot needs a second person, never the one who asked.
By hand
Cash and bank transfers
An admin records them against the invoice and the balance updates the same way.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is the fee reminder sent by the AI?
No. The automatic fee reminder is a fixed template with no AI text, and it goes out only if the academy has switched it on. A more personal note that the AI drafts waits in the approval queue until a person edits and sends it.
What happens when a parent pays only part of a fee?
If the invoice allows partial payment, the payment is recorded against it, the status changes to partially paid and the remaining balance stays due. The academy can also set a minimum first payment. Later reminders quote the remaining balance, not the full fee.
Does ChessCore refund payments automatically?
No. A refund is a separate action taken by a person. When it is requested through the AI copilot, it is a high-stakes action that a second person has to approve.
Is a recurring invoice the same as a collected payment?
No. ChessCore generates the next invoice for a due subscription on its own, but that only creates the amount owed. A retry charge needs a saved, authorised payment method. Without one, the charge is skipped and the invoice is not treated as paid.
Which plans include Razorpay and Stripe billing?
Grow and above, from $109 a month billed annually. Which countries, currencies and card types you can use also depends on your Stripe or Razorpay account and its country.
Does this page cover what I pay ChessCore?
No. This page is about an academy collecting tuition from families. ChessCore’s own subscription is a flat capacity plan billed separately in US dollars, not a charge per student, and the amounts and billing cycle are on the pricing page.
Related features
Run the rest of your academy without typing anything twice
- Batches and attendanceSet the timetable once: recurring batches, one class moved without touching the rest, and make-up credits settled from attendance.
- Parent portalParents stay informed without messaging you: attendance, homework, reports and invoices behind their own login, nothing to install.
- White label and your brandYour academy’s brand on the screens families use: logos and colours, chain branding with current limits, and installable parent and student web portals.
- Stockfish game reviewGame reviews your coaches don’t have to type up: Stockfish flags the mistakes, the AI drafts the explanation and the coach approves it.
- Student trainingStudents practise between classes, and you see it: homework and puzzle sets from 6,095,563 rated puzzles, with completion and accuracy per assignment.
- Progress trackingMonthly progress reports that go out on their own once you switch them on. AI-written report text waits for a coach.
- Live online classesTeach online without a second app: built-in video, a shared board and recording. Screen sharing, a whiteboard and live polls are planned.
- TournamentsRun tournaments without the spreadsheet: Swiss, round robin, knockout, arena, team and simul events, with live standings and FIDE reports.
Written by Abhishek Tiwari. See our editorial standards.
