Accept Online Payments from Families
Procare offers built-in payment processing, powered by Tuition Express. Collect tuition, registration and other fees directly from families by credit card, debit card or bank account (ACH) through the website or Child care mobile app, and have the funds deposited into your center’s bank account. This article explains how to get started and links to the resources you will need along the way.
Learn About Payment Processing
3 min video
Watch this short video to learn about the payment options available to families.
Share with your leadership team
This one-page overview explains the benefits of processing payments with Procare.
Get Started
Before families can pay online, your account needs to be configured to accept payments. If you’re not sure of your account setup, Procare Customer Support can help.
Contact Customer Support using one of the following methods:
Chat: Log in to Procare Online and click Tucker
in the bottom right corner.Phone: (800) 964-1729. Support is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET.
Customer Support will review your account and connect you with a Billing Specialist if it is not yet set up to accept payments.
Once your account is ready, set up the payment options described below.
Your Billing Specialist can also help you choose the payment setup that fits your center’s needs.
Set Up Your Payment Options
Add Your EIN
Your EIN (Employer Identification Number) is your center’s federal tax ID. Adding it to your school profile ensures it appears on family tax statements. If your center has an EIN, go to School Settings > School Profile, click Edit Profile and enter it.
Autopay automatically withdraws a family’s invoice balance on the due date. Families can turn it on or your center can require it.
Parent Wallet lets families save up to six payment methods and choose one as their default.
You can collect registration and enrollment fees online.
Bank Account for Deposits
To change the bank account where your payments are deposited, contact Customer Support. You cannot update this account in Procare Online.
Help Families Get Started
Share these steps and articles with parents/guardians. You can also give families the Parent Payment Letter.
Each parent/guardian sets up their own payment method.
Families can pay in full or enter a different amount.
If your center does not require it, families can turn it on themselves.
Add more payment methods (optional).
Families can manage several methods in their Parent Wallet.
Families can view their current balance and payment history.
Families can print statements for year-end taxes or reimbursement.
Record Payments for Families
Some families may pay you directly instead of using the website or Child care mobile app. In that case, you can record the payment for them:
When Payments Are Deposited
When a family pays through Procare, the payment is deposited into your bank account. Funds typically arrive the next business day, depending on your bank’s own funding and processing approvals.
Cutoff time: 7:00 PM in your local time zone. This applies to ACH (bank account) and debit/credit card payments.
Paid by 7:00 PM
Typically deposited the next business day.
Paid after 7:00 PM
Deposited in two business days.
Payments made after 7:00 PM begin processing the following business day, so they appear in that day’s report instead of the current one. If a payment seems to be missing, check the next day’s report before assuming something went wrong.
Note
ACH payments show an In Process status while they settle, which can take up to four business days. The status changes to Success once the payment clears.
Banking holidays can delay deposits. Payments can still be submitted on holidays and weekends, but processing begins the next banking business day.
If a Payment Is Over the Transaction Limit
Procare sets a maximum amount for each payment to keep processing secure. The default limit is usually between $1,200 and $2,600, depending on your account.
If a family tries to pay more than your limit, they see this message:
Validation: The amount exceeds the maximum allowed.
You have two options:
Best for occasional large payments
Ask the family to make more than one payment, each within your limit. For example, if your limit is $2,500 and the amount due is $3,000, the family can make two payments of $1,500.
Option 2: Request a Limit Adjustment
Best if families often pay more than your limit
Contact Customer Support to request an adjustment.
Manage Payments After They Are Made
I want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
Refund a payment (full or partial) | |
Understand why a payment failed | |
Learn about fees for failed or declined payments | |
Match deposits to payments in my bank account | |
Find and run payment reports | |
Learn about passing card fees to families |
Monitor Returned, Declined and Failed Payments
Sometimes a payment processed through Procare is later returned by the family’s bank (ACH) or declined by the card issuer. The reports and information below help you find out what happened and what to do next.
Look Up a Returned or Declined Payment
The ACH Returns / Credit Card Declines report is the best place to find out why a specific payment failed.
Important
To see Tuition Express Reports, you need Full Access to both Reports and Reports - Tuition Express.
Go to Reports > Reports Library > Tuition Express.
Select ACH Returns / Credit Card Declines.
Select a date range.
Click Generate Report.
For help reading this report and other Tuition Express reports, see Reconciliation Guidance.
Next Steps When a Payment Fails
When a credit card, debit card or ACH payment fails, Procare Online shows a specific, actionable error message instead of a generic failure notice.