Billing Models Explained

Clefora supports two billing models: termly and per-lesson. You can set a default for your studio and override it on a per-student basis. This page explains how each model works so you can choose the right one.

Comparison

	Termly	Per-lesson
How it works	One invoice covers all lessons in a term	An invoice is generated after each completed lesson
When parents pay	At the start of the term	After each lesson
Best for	Regular weekly students with a fixed schedule	Irregular schedules, casual students, trial periods
Invoice frequency	Once per term	Weekly or after each lesson
Income predictability	High — you know the total at the start of the term	Variable — depends on lessons completed
Cancellation handling	Credit or make-up lesson	No charge (invoice is not generated)

Termly billing

With termly billing, Clefora calculates the total by multiplying the number of lessons in the term by the student’s lesson rate. Holidays and breaks that you mark on the term calendar are automatically excluded.

How the calculation works

Total = (Weeks in term - Holiday weeks) x Lesson rate

Example

A student takes weekly 30-minute piano lessons at a rate of £25 per lesson. The term runs for 12 weeks with 1 week of half-term holiday.

Total = (12 - 1) x £25 = 11 x £25 = £275

The parent receives a single invoice for £275 at the start of the term.

Handling cancellations

If a lesson is cancelled during a term that has already been invoiced:

• Credit: Apply a credit to the parent’s account. The credit is deducted from the next term’s invoice.
• Make-up lesson: Schedule a replacement lesson within the term. No billing adjustment is needed.
• Refund: Issue a partial refund through Stripe for the value of the cancelled lesson.

Tip

State your cancellation policy clearly at the start of each term. Many teachers allow one free cancellation per term with notice, and charge for additional cancellations.

Per-lesson billing

With per-lesson billing, an invoice is generated automatically after you mark a lesson as complete. The parent pays for each lesson individually.

How it works

1. You teach the lesson
2. You mark the lesson as “Complete” in Clefora
3. An invoice is automatically created and sent to the parent
4. The parent pays through Stripe

Example

A student takes a 45-minute guitar lesson at a rate of £30. After the lesson, you mark it complete. The parent receives an invoice for £30 and pays online.

Handling cancellations

If a lesson is cancelled, no invoice is generated. There is nothing to credit or refund since the parent only pays for completed lessons.

Mixing billing models

You can use different billing models for different students. Set your default in Hub → Settings → Payments, then override individual students on their profile in the billing section.

Common scenarios for mixing models:

• Regular students: Termly billing for predictable income
• New or trial students: Per-lesson billing until they commit to a full term
• Irregular students: Per-lesson billing for students who don’t attend every week

Note

Changing a student’s billing model mid-term does not affect existing invoices. The new model applies from the next billing cycle.

Setting up billing

For step-by-step setup instructions, see Set up billing for the first time.