Childcare billing software that saves you hours.
Stop chasing payments. Childcare billing software that automates tuition invoicing, payment collection, and financial tracking — so you can focus on the children.
Free for home daycares · $99/mo per location · 60-day money-back
Invoices, autopay, and balances — the real product, in miniature.
What is childcare billing software?
Childcare billing software automates the financial operations of daycares, preschools, and childcare centers. Instead of manually creating invoices, chasing payments, and tracking who paid, billing software handles it all automatically.
Modern daycare billing software like Bloomily includes recurring invoicing, ACH and credit card processing, auto-pay enrollment, late fee automation, subsidy tracking, and financial reporting. Centers typically save 8-15 hours per week and reduce late payments by 40-60%.
Manual billing vs. automated billing.
See how childcare billing software eliminates the tedious tasks that consume your week.
| Manual process | With Bloomily |
|---|---|
| Creating invoices manually each month | Invoices generate automatically on schedule |
| Chasing parents for late payments | Auto-pay collects payments automatically |
| Tracking who paid and who didn’t | Real-time payment status dashboard |
| Calculating late fees manually | Late fees apply automatically per policy |
| Reconciling bank statements | Payments match automatically to families |
| Generating end-of-year tax forms | Tax statements generated with one click |
How Bloomily compares.
Flat monthly pricing. No marked-up processing rates.
| Feature | Bloomily | Other software |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring billing | Included | |
| ACH payments | 1.0% ($0.50–$8) | 1-2% fee |
| Credit card processing | 3.5% fee | 3-5% fee |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly | $1-5/child |
| Subsidy tracking | Premium tier | |
| Late fee automation | Limited | |
| Parent payment portal | Extra cost | |
| Financial reports | Basic |
Childcare billing features.
Everything you need to automate tuition collection and financial management.
Set up tuition plans once, and invoices generate automatically. Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly billing cycles with automatic amount calculations.
Accept ACH bank transfers (1.0%, $0.50 min / $8 max) and credit/debit cards (3.5%, plus $0.30 on transactions under $60). Parents choose their preferred method and save it for auto-pay.
Automatic email and push notification reminders before and after due dates. Customize timing and messaging to match your policies.
Automatically apply late fees based on your policies. Flat fee or percentage, with grace periods and customizable rules.
Track government subsidies (CCDF, state programs) and employer childcare benefits. Split invoices between parent-pay and subsidy portions.
Revenue reports, aging reports, payment history, and tax documents (1099s). Export to QuickBooks, Xero, or your accountant.
Transparent payment processing.
| Payment method | Rate | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| ACH bank transfer | 1.0% | $8 cap per transaction. Most parents prefer ACH for recurring tuition. |
| Credit/debit card | 3.5% + $0.30 | All major cards accepted. Processing fees are passed through from Stripe at cost — we don’t mark up payment fees. |
- Can invoices include tuition, registration fees, camp add-ons, credits, and late fees?
- Can the system show parent-pay and subsidy balances separately?
- Can families enroll in AutoPay and update saved payment methods themselves?
- Can staff record manual payments without losing the audit trail?
- Can directors export payment history for an accountant or bookkeeper?
- Can the billing system connect to attendance, enrollment, and family records?
Recurring tuition and schedule-based charges
Childcare billing is usually a mix of recurring tuition, schedule changes, discounts, deposits, registration fees, late pickup fees, and occasional credits. Bloomily helps directors create predictable tuition plans while still handling the exceptions that happen in real centers. Families can see invoices and balances in the parent app, and the office can review which payments are pending without checking a separate processor dashboard.
Subsidies, split payers, and agency reporting
Many centers need to track parent-pay balances separately from subsidy, voucher, employer benefit, or agency amounts. The operational requirement is not just collecting a payment. It is knowing which portion a family owes, which portion an agency owes, what documentation is needed, and whether the center can explain the balance to a parent quickly.
Late fees and payment reminders
Late payment follow-up is one of the highest-friction administrative tasks in childcare. A consistent system should send reminders, show when a family has viewed an invoice, support AutoPay, and apply the center’s late fee rules consistently. That reduces awkward conversations and prevents directors from becoming the payment reminder system.
ACH for recurring tuition
ACH is often best for recurring tuition because fees are lower and families do not need to update expired cards as often. Bloomily lists ACH clearly in the payment flow and supports AutoPay so families can keep weekly or monthly tuition on schedule.
Cards for convenience and one-off balances
Cards are useful for registration fees, deposits, camp balances, and families that prefer rewards or credit flexibility. Directors should make sure card fees are communicated clearly and that invoices still reconcile back to the family account.
Manual records for cash, check, and subsidy adjustments
Even centers that prefer online payments still need clean records for cash, checks, subsidy adjustments, credits, and write-offs. A complete billing workflow keeps those records attached to the child and family account so end-of-year statements and balance questions are easier to answer.
Aging reports are only useful when balances are trusted
An aging report is not helpful if the underlying family balance is unclear. Directors need to know whether a balance is parent-pay, subsidy, registration, camp, late fee, credit, or a failed payment. Bloomily keeps the billing context connected to the family account so the office can answer balance questions without reconstructing history from bank deposits and email threads.
AutoPay needs parent confidence
Families are more likely to enroll in AutoPay when invoices are easy to understand, payment methods are clear, reminders are predictable, and receipts are accessible. If parents do not trust the invoice, they will avoid automatic payment. Billing software should make charges transparent enough that AutoPay feels convenient instead of risky.
Subsidy tracking should not hide parent balances
Subsidy and voucher workflows create confusion when directors cannot quickly separate agency responsibility from family responsibility. A center may need to invoice the family for one amount, record expected subsidy for another, and explain both during pickup. The billing workflow should make those responsibilities visible without building a separate spreadsheet for each agency.
Late fees work best when they are consistent
Late fees are difficult because they combine money, policy, and relationships. When late fees are applied inconsistently, parents feel singled out and staff feel uncomfortable. Software helps by applying the same grace periods, due dates, reminders, and fee rules each time. Directors can still make exceptions, but the baseline policy stays clear.
Billing should connect to enrollment and program changes
Childcare billing changes when a child adds days, moves classrooms, registers for camp, adds after-care, receives a discount, or pauses enrollment. If enrollment and billing are separate, the office has to remember to update the invoice manually. Bloomily keeps those operational changes closer to billing so directors have fewer chances to miss a charge or credit.
Failed payments need a workflow
A failed card or ACH payment should not become a sticky note on the director’s desk. The system should show the failed payment, notify the family, allow a payment method update, preserve the invoice history, and make the balance visible until resolved. A clean failed-payment workflow protects cash flow without turning every failure into a manual follow-up project.
Final evaluation checklist for billing software
Before choosing a billing system, test one recurring invoice, one partial payment, one late fee, one subsidy split, one failed payment, one refund, one credit, and one parent statement. The right childcare billing software should make each scenario understandable to the director and visible to the parent where appropriate.
Why Bloomily keeps billing close to daily operations
Billing questions rarely happen in isolation. They connect to enrollment, attendance, family communication, camp registration, and policy decisions. Bloomily keeps billing inside the broader childcare operating system so directors can understand the story behind a balance instead of treating payments as a disconnected finance task.
Questions, answered
Childcare billing software automates tuition invoicing, payment collection, and financial tracking for daycares and preschools. It replaces manual invoicing with automated recurring billing, online payments, subsidy tracking, and late fee automation.
Costs typically range from $50-300/month. Some platforms charge per-child fees ($1-5/child) or transaction fees. Bloomily offers flat-rate pricing by program size (see your exact price on our pricing page).
Yes, most billing software can track government subsidies (CCDF, state programs) and employer childcare benefits. Look for software that splits invoices between parent-pay and subsidy portions.
ACH bank transfers are most popular (50-60%) due to lower fees, followed by credit/debit cards (30-40%). Auto-pay enrollment typically reaches 70-80% when offered.
Centers typically save 8-15 hours per week by automating invoicing, payment reminders, reconciliation, late fees, and reporting. Most savings come from auto-pay reducing payment collection time.
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