Frequently Asked Questions

(Invoicing & Payments)

Invoicing

1. How do we adjust an invoice?
You can edit an existing invoice on the customer’s ledger by:

• Clicking on the Action drop-down for the associated invoice

• Selecting the Edit button

2. How can I get a list of overdue invoices?
You can generate a list of overdue invoices in the Payment Summary by:

1. Opening the Payment Summary  (Go to payment list in main menu)

2. Adjusting the enrolment date filters (e.g., dates for the current term)

3. Optionally narrowing by Date Initiated (when the invoice was created)

4. Using the Payment Status filter to select Pending and/or Partial

This will return all invoices with an outstanding balance.

3. Is there a way to get a comprehensive list of customers’ account balances?
Yes. Go to: Reports → Ledger Balance Report.
This will display all outstanding balances by customer.

4. How can we send an invoice?

There is no direct way to "send" an invoice in First Class.

Customers invoices are found within their portal/app under the Payments section.

Customers can view, download and pay for invoices in these section.

You can send a Statement (summary of a customer’s outstanding invoices) via the Send Statement feature on the parent profile.

• Located on the bottom left side of the parent profile.

5. How can we add bank details to an invoice?

Bank details can be added using the Invoice Footer feature.

• Go to: Settings → Facility → Invoice Footer

6. Where can I see all customer credits?

Go to: Reports → Credit Report.
This will display all available credits.  (Credits yet to be applied to an invoice)

7. Can we adjust the format of our invoices in First Class?

Invoice formatting is limited, but you can change the description of lessons by editing the label of the tuition charge type in payment settings.

• Example: Change Class Fees → Lesson Fees.

You can also add additional information into the invoice footer

You can add your business number via the account settings

8. Is there an option in online bookings for customers to book by age?

Yes. The Age Filter setting allows customers to filter classes by age, making it easier to find age-appropriate levels.

There is also the age restriction feature that allows you to set up an ‘allowed age range’ for a class. 

This feature can be turned on via the account settings- go to profile > account settings.

Once turned on, you will be able to apply an allowed age range to each class which will prevent students from being booked who are not within that age range. (Note- This restriction applies to online bookings only)

9. Can auto discounts be turned off for some classes and not others?

Yes. Auto discounts apply to all classes unless turned off for specific terms.

How to set this up:

• Create certain classes under a different term date range than the main term.

• Keep auto discounts on for main term classes, and off for the others.

10. Are credits added automatically to open invoices?
Yes.

• If a customer has an unpaid invoice, new credits are added automatically.

• If fully paid, credits remain on the account until the next invoice.

• If the credit exceeds the balance, an excess credit will be created.

Payments 

1. Can you back date the date of a payment
Yes.

• The date of a payment made manually will automatically reflect the current date, however, you can update this by editing the date of the payment record on the customers ledger

• Use the edit pencil symbol next to the date stamp to edit the back date

2. How can I get an end of day report for reconciling takings ie. Cash or eftpos

The best option for an end of day report is to use the payments report found in your reporting menu.

This shows every payment item within the selected date range.

Tip- Do not use the payment summary for an end of day report because the paid date here reflects the last payment made on the specific invoice, therefore if an invoice has had multiple payments/partial payments, this will not match your takings. (Hence why the payments report is the correct option)

Direct Debit

1. How can a customer set up a direct debit authority?
Customers can set up direct debit in three ways:
a) Send them a Direct Debit Authority form via the Establish Direct Debit button on their profile.
b) They can log in to their Portal → My Payments → Establish Direct Debit.
(Note: Must be enabled in account settings.)
c) They can complete an online enrolment and choose direct debit as their payment option.

Note: A direct debit authority means the customer is debit-ready. It is not the same as a payment plan/instalments.

2. How can I know if a customer is direct debit ready?

• Check the Payment Token in their profile (left panel).

• In lists, look for YES in the Direct Debit column.

• You can also search via list filters: Direct Debit = YES.

3. Once direct debit ready, how do we create a payment plan/arrangement?

• Term-based programs (Ezidebit):

  • Go to Create Ezidebit Schedule.

  • Select invoices and set schedule parameters (frequency, start date, etc.).

  • Useful post-term rollover for scheduling new debits.

• Perpetual programs (monthly invoicing):

  • No schedule required—payments are automatically processed monthly.

  • (Note: Perpetual classes only support monthly direct debit.)

4. Once established, can I edit a debit?
Yes. Go to: Ezidebit Report or Direct Debit Tab in the customer profile.
Here you can:

• Use Edit to adjust the scheduled amount

• Or Void the payment completely

Note: You can only edit a future debit that is yet to be processed.

5. How can I see a list of failed payments?

• If using Ezidebit, go to: Ezidebit Report → Filter by Failed Payment Status.

6. What happens when a payment fails?

First Class has an automation feature to re-try failed debits after 3 days.

This feature can be turned on via your account settings. Go to profile > account settings.

When turned on, this feature will automatically re-schedule failed debits after 3 days.

If the re-try then fails, there is a final option to re-schedule the payment on a selected day via the payment gateway report.

Note: Some payment gateway providers have their own failed payment re-try rules. It is important to ensure that these are turned off before enabling the automated re-try feature in First Class, otherwise you could end up with duplicated retries.

7. How can I customer update their payment method?

Customers can update their saved payment method within the portal:

• Go to the payments section and click on the update direct debit method option.

• This will open a secure window where the customer can update their saved payment method.

Xero

1. Does First Class sync automatically with Xero?

Yes, if you have have auto sync enabled in your settings, the system will automatically sync 2 times per day at 12 am and 12pm.

2. What data is shared between First Class and Xero

Invoices----> From First Class to Xero 

Credit notes----> From First Class to Xero

Payments------> Both directions

Note-By default, reconciled payments in Xero will flow into First Class. However, you can set up specific payment types to flow from First Class into Xero. This can be used for payments that are auto-reconciled in First Class such as credit card or direct debit payments.