Link the siblings under one family number, then use Family-wise payment to collect for all of them together and print one receipt for the family. If the parent clears several months at once, a consolidated receipt replaces one slip per month.
Why collect fees per family rather than per child?
When a parent has two, three or four children in the same school, collecting each child's challan separately means more counter time, more slips to hand over and more chances of a mistake in the cash-up. Parents also find it easier to understand one total and one receipt than a pile of separate vouchers.
Family-based fee collection treats the household as the paying unit while still keeping each child's charges, discounts and dues on that child's own record. The finance office sees one payment at the counter, but the books still show exactly which challan each rupee settled.
How do I link siblings under one family number?
Family collection only works once the school knows which children belong together. In EDUBase, siblings are linked under one family number through Family grouping, so fee vouchers, payments and reminders can work per family.
The family number is captured on the Admission form along with guardian details, session and fee plan. For students who are already enrolled, Bulk update lets you change a field for many students at once, so existing siblings can be brought under the same family without editing each record one by one.
- Enter the family number when admitting a new child whose brother or sister is already enrolled.
- Check the student's siblings before taking payment, so no child is left out of the family total.
- Use the Student change log to see who changed a student's details, and when, if a family link is ever questioned.
How do I take one payment for all siblings and print one receipt?
Once siblings share a family number, Family-wise payment lets the counter collect for all of them together and print one receipt for the family. Each child's challan is still settled individually behind the scenes, so every student's payment history stays accurate.
Before the parent arrives, you can also print a family voucher instead of separate slips, since challans can be printed as single, family or compact multi-per-page vouchers.
- Search for the family rather than an individual student.
- Review each child's outstanding challans, including any arrears carried forward from earlier months.
- Record the amount received and save the payment.
- Print the single family receipt and hand it to the parent.
What if a parent pays several months at once?
Some families prefer to pay a quarter or a term in advance, or to clear several months of old dues in one visit. Rather than printing one slip per month, Consolidated receipts let you print one receipt covering all the months paid.
Because unpaid balances roll into the next challan automatically, a family that has fallen behind will see its old dues on the voucher, and a month-wise breakdown of old dues can print on it so the parent understands the total before paying.
What controls apply to family payments?
Family payments go through the same controls as any other payment. Discounts on a challan, and payments themselves, can be set to wait for a manager's approval, which is useful when a sibling concession is applied at the counter.
Staff only see the screens and actions they have been granted, and User Logging records who created, changed or deleted a record, so a reversed or edited family payment can always be traced to a person.
How do I check family payments afterwards?
Every payment a student or family has ever made appears in Payment History. For the daily cash-up, Day Wise Paid Challans shows everything collected by day and by user, so a family payment taken at the counter reconciles like any other.
To follow up with families who have not paid, the fee defaulters report can be viewed by family as well as by total amount or by month, with print and SMS/WhatsApp actions. Every fee report exports to Excel or CSV, and fee payments post to the finance ledger without re-entry.
Ways to collect fees from a family with several children
| Approach | What happens at the counter | Receipts the parent gets | When it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay each child separately | Each child's challan is paid one at a time | One receipt per child | A single child, or siblings whose parents pay separately |
| Family-wise payment | All siblings' challans are collected together in one transaction | One receipt for the family | Siblings linked under one family number paying the same month |
| Consolidated receipt | Several months are paid in one visit | One receipt instead of one slip per month | Advance payments or clearing several months of old dues |
| Family voucher before payment | Challans for all siblings print on one family voucher | Receipt depends on how the payment is then taken | Sending one bill home instead of separate slips |
| Bank payment by consumer number | Parent pays at a bank, app or kiosk using the consumer number printed on the challan | Payment is posted automatically and appears in Payment History | Families who prefer not to visit the school counter |
Related modules
- Student Management & Admissions — Every student record, from first enquiry to leaving certificate, in one place.
- Fee Management & Challans — Fee plans, monthly challans, discounts, family payments and receipts, without spreadsheets.
- Fee Reports & Defaulters — Know what was billed, what was collected and who still owes, per class, family or month.
- Bank Fee Collection — Parents pay at the bank, in their banking app or at a kiosk; EDUBase posts it automatically.
- Finance & Accounting — Chart of accounts, journals, ledgers, trial balance, P&L and balance sheet, fed by fees and payroll.