Take Payment lets you charge a student by card or ACH while you're on the phone with them. This guide covers taking a one-time payment and making sure it's tracked to the right student for your reporting.

Who: Admins with Payments access · Where: Contacts › open a contact › Take Payment

Always create or open the student's contact record before taking a payment. Running the payment from the contact attributes it to that student's payment history, which keeps your reporting accurate and gives you a complete record of what they've paid. A payment taken without a contact won't be tied to the student.

On the contact, click Take Payment in the top-right action bar.

In the Take Payment window, enter the amount you're collecting. Then add an internal description of what the payment is for — for example, "application". The description is for your own tracking and reporting; it helps you recognize the payment later.

Choose how the student is paying — card or ACH — and gather their payment details over the phone. For a card payment, enter the card number and details the student reads to you.

Before processing, confirm the required permission and disclosure statements — verifying that the student has authorized you to charge them. Once confirmed, begin processing. When it completes, the payment is recorded on the student's contact and appears in their payment history.

Once a contact record exists, you don't have to collect payment over the phone every time. You can also send the student payment options directly through Payment Apps and Contracts and let them pay on their own.

Create the contact first so every payment is attributed correctly. Use a clear internal description (like "application" or "deposit") so payments are easy to identify in reports. Read the student the disclosures and confirm authorization before you process the charge.