Set Up Billing for the First Time

Before you can invoice parents, you need to connect a Stripe account, choose how you bill, and set your rates. This guide walks you through the full setup.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

• A Clefora teacher account
• A bank account or debit card for receiving payments
• Your lesson rates decided (per lesson or per term)

Connect Stripe and start billing

1. Connect your Stripe account

   Go to Hub → Settings → Payments and select Connect with Stripe. You are redirected to Stripe to create or link an account. Follow the prompts to enter your business details and banking information.

   Note

   Clefora uses Stripe Connect so payments go directly to your bank account. You don’t need an existing Stripe account — one is created for you during setup.

2. Choose your billing model

   After connecting Stripe, select your preferred billing model:

   Termly billing

   You invoice parents for the entire term upfront. Clefora calculates the total based on the number of lessons in the term multiplied by the student’s lesson rate. Best for teachers who prefer predictable income and fewer transactions.

   Per-lesson billing

   An invoice is generated automatically after each lesson is marked complete. Parents pay for each lesson individually. Best for flexible arrangements, pay-as-you-go students, or irregular schedules.

   Tip

   You can use different billing models for different students. Set the default here, then override it on individual student profiles if needed.

3. Set your lesson rates

   Go to Hub → Pricing Templates and enter your rates. You can set rates by duration (e.g. 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes) and by instrument if your pricing varies.

4. Assign rates to students

   On each student’s profile, confirm the correct rate is assigned. If a student has a custom rate, you can override the default on their profile in the billing section.

5. Create your first invoice

   Go to Hub → Invoices and select New Invoice. Choose the student, select the billing period (a specific term for termly, or individual lessons for per-lesson), and review the total. Select Send to email the invoice to the parent.

Verify your setup

After completing setup, check the following:

• Your Stripe account shows as “Connected” in Settings → Payments
• At least one rate is configured
• Your first invoice status shows “Sent” under Invoices

Tip

Test the parent experience by sending yourself a test invoice. This helps you see exactly what parents receive.

Next steps

• Prepare for a new term to generate invoices for an entire term
• See Billing models explained for a detailed comparison
• Having trouble? Check Payment and billing issues