How Online Payments Work for Families
Once you have Stripe connected, families can pay invoices online directly from their invoice email. They click a "Pay now" link, enter their card details on a Stripe hosted checkout page, and that's it. The payment is re
The Family's Experience
When you send an invoice with a payment link, the family receives an email containing a Pay now button or link. Clicking it opens Stripe's hosted checkout page — a secure, mobile-friendly page managed by Stripe directly.
On the checkout page, the family enters their card details and confirms the payment. Stripe processes the payment and shows a confirmation screen. The family does not need an Octavia account or a Stripe account to pay — they pay as a guest.
After the payment goes through, the family receives a receipt. This is the same receipt they would receive for a manual payment recorded by you — there's no difference from their perspective.
What Happens Behind the Scenes
When the family's payment completes, Stripe sends a notification to Octavia automatically. Octavia records the payment against the invoice in the billing ledger. The invoice balance updates immediately — once the payment covers the full balance, the invoice shows as paid.
You don't need to mark the invoice paid manually or take any action. The whole process is automatic once you've sent the invoice.
Who Receives the Invoice Email
Octavia uses the same recipient logic for Stripe-linked invoice emails as for regular invoice emails:
- If the student has hub billing access enabled and has their own email address, the invoice is sent to the student directly
- Otherwise, the invoice goes to the payment-responsible parent (or the first linked parent as a fallback)
Stripe Handles the Money
Payments go directly to your Stripe connected account — Octavia is not in the payment chain. Stripe deposits funds to your bank account on its standard payout schedule (typically a few business days, depending on your country and Stripe account settings).
Because each school has its own connected Stripe account, your money is always yours. You can see your payment history and payout status in your Stripe dashboard directly.
What Families Cannot Do Online
The current online payment integration covers full invoice payment via Stripe Checkout. Partial payments, subscription management, and direct debit setup are not available through this flow.
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