Overview
Navigate to Aeries Payments > Payment Transactions.
This article explains how to use the Payment Transactions page in Aeries to view and manage a student's payment transactions.
Users with appropriate permissions can access the Payment Transactions page for a student. For details about the permissions required, see the Security article for this feature.
Transactions ↑
Transaction records are the foundation of the Aeries Payments system. Think of them like entries on a bank or credit card statement—each fee or payment is logged as a separate transaction, and a running balance is maintained at all times. Aeries handles transactions in the same way, ensuring transparency and accuracy throughout the payment lifecycle.
Add a Fee ↑
To add a new fee, click the Add Fee button. The following window will display.
Enter the following information for the new transaction:
Date - The date the fee was charged. This defaults to the current date. Be sure to enter the correct date, as it cannot be changed once the transaction is created.
Code - If code table records have been created for FTD.CD using the Payment Accounting Codes page, a drop-down list will display those codes. Select a code from the list to automatically populate the Amount field, instead of entering it manually.
Course Fee - If the student is enrolled in a course with associated fees, those values will appear in the drop-down list. Selecting one will automatically populate the Amount and Description fields. This serves as an alternative to the Import Course Fees option described later in this article.
District Asset - This drop-down lists any assets currently checked out to the student. If the fee is related to a district asset, select the asset and specify whether it is for Damage or Replacement.
Amount - Enter the fee amount. Please ensure accuracy, as this value cannot be changed after the transaction is created.
Tuition/Related Expense - Check this box if the transaction is related to tuition.
Required on Next Payment - Check this box if the full amount should be applied to the next scheduled payment. If left unchecked, the amount will be distributed across all future scheduled payments.
School - The school to which the fee applies. This defaults to the current school.
Description - Enter a description for the transaction.
Click Add Fee to save the transaction, or click Close to return without saving.
Add a Payment ↑
To add a new payment, click the Add Payment button. The following window will display.
Enter the following information for the new transaction:
Date - The date the payment was made and it defaults to the current date. Please ensure the correct date is entered, as it cannot be changed once the transaction is created.
Amount - Enter the payment amount. Please ensure the correct date is entered, as it cannot be changed once the transaction is created.
Payment Type - Select the appropriate payment type. Values from the FTD.PT code table can be used. Each code can be configured to default the status to Pending or Completed by specifying a value of 1.00 in the amount field for Completed.
If no codes are defined, the default options are: Cash, Credit Card, Personal Check, Credit, and Balance Adjustments.
A Balance Adjustment is used to correct errors in fee entries, such as mistakenly applied charges. Since transaction amounts cannot be edited after creation, a Balance Adjustment offsets incorrect data by adjusting the student’s balance accordingly.
Reference # - A check number, last 4 of credit card, or other reference number may be entered if applicable. This field is optional and informational only. For security reasons, Aeries does not recommend storing the full credit card number in this field and suggests no more than the last 4 digits simply for reference purposes.
Status - Choose either Pending or Completed. A Pending payment will not be credited to the student’s balance until it is marked as Completed. For example, you might set a payment to Pending while waiting for a check to clear.
Note: If the payment type is Cash or Balance Adjustment, the status will automatically be set to Completed, regardless of the selected status. For this reason, it’s recommended to use code table values from FTP.PT to manage status defaults effectively.
Description - Enter a description for the transaction.
Apply to Charges - Select from the drop-down list of all outstanding fees that have not yet been paid in full.
You may select more than one fee if needed. Fees marked with the Require Next Payment flag will be automatically included and cannot be deselected.
Note: Selecting multiple items from the Apply to Charges dropdown will not split the payment evenly across the selected fees. Payments are applied in the order selected. If the total payment amount is insufficient, some fees may remain unpaid.
Click the Add Payment button to save the transaction, or click Close to go back.
Balance Adjustments ↑
To make a Balance Adjustment, select the Add Payment option. When the form opens, select Balance Adjustments as a Payment Type.
Enter the following information for the new transaction:
Date - Enter the date the adjustment was made. The field defaults to the current date. Please ensure the correct date is entered, as it cannot be changed once the transaction is created.
Amount - Enter the amount of the adjustment. Please ensure the correct amount is entered, as it cannot be changed once the transaction is created.
Payment Type - Select the Balance Adjustments payment type.
A Balance Adjustment is used when a fee was entered and the amount needs to be reduced. Since Balance Adjustments are strictly reductions in cost, they cannot be changed once created.
Applying a Balance Adjustment will reduce the amount of the associated fee. To view the details of an adjustment, click the Details button for the fee being adjusted and view the blue information message.
Status - Select either Paid or Completed to indicate the transaction’s current state.
Description - Enter a brief description for the transaction to provide context or details.
Apply to Charges - Choose from the drop-down list of all outstanding fees that have not yet been paid in full.
You may select more than one fee if needed.
Edit a Transaction ↑
To edit a transaction, click the Details button to the far right of a transaction. The following window will display.
Note: Depending on the transaction type and status, certain fields may be locked from editing. In some cases, transactions cannot be edited at all, and the Edit button will not be available. For example, transactions imported from Destiny Fundraising Manager are not editable.
If the transaction is a fee/charge, only the following fields can be edited:
- District Asset
- Asset Fee Type
- Tuition/Related Expense
- Required on Next Payment (once the fee has been fully paid, this can no longer be edited)
- School
- Description
If the transaction is a Pending payment, only the following fields can be edited:
- Grant (indicates whether the payment is from a grant/scholarship. At this time, this field is informational only.)
- School
- Payment Type
- Check/Card Number
- Status - can be changed from Pending to Completed, Canceled, or Declined. Once the status is changed, it cannot be changed again. Only Completed payments are credited toward the student's balance.
- Description
If the transaction is a Completed payment, only the following fields can be edited:
- Grant (indicates whether the payment is from a grant/scholarship. At this time, this field is informational only.
- School
- Check/Card Number
- Description
Click the Update Transaction button to save changes, or click Cancel to go back. Then, click Close to close the Transaction Details window.
NOTE: The date and amount of a transaction cannot be edited once created. Additionally, transactions cannot be deleted if a payment has already been applied.
If a fee transaction was entered in error, you can create a Balance Adjustment to offset the mistake and correct the overall balance.
If a payment was entered in error and is still Pending, it can be Canceled.
If a payment was entered in error and is already Completed, it can only be corrected by adding a new fee transaction to offset the erroneous payment and restore the correct balance.
To avoid these situations, it’s important to enter transactions carefully and verify details before submission. The date and amount of a transaction cannot be edited once created. Additionally, transactions cannot be deleted if a payment has already been applied.
Delete a Fee ↑
To delete a Fee, select the Details button to the right of the transaction.
Select the Delete Transaction button at the bottom of the form.
Note: A fee transaction can only be deleted if no payments have been applied to it. If any payments are associated with the fee, the Delete Transaction button will not be available.
Remaining Balance ↑
As transactions are added for the student, the Remaining Balance displayed in the upper-right of the page will automatically update. Notice in the example below that the Remaining Balance is the sum of all the transaction amounts.
Payment Details ↑
As payments are entered, they are automatically applied to outstanding fees. The Amount Paid column reflects the total amount paid toward each fee.
To view detailed payment activity for a specific fee, click the arrow to the left of the fee transaction. This will expand a section showing all individual payments applied to that fee. The sum of these amounts will match the Amount Paid value.
Import Course Fees ↑
Click the Import Course Fees button to have the system automatically search for course-related fees based on the student’s current course enrollments.
A pop-up window will display all applicable Course Fees.
Required Course Fees cannot be deselected. However, optional fees may be deselected if necessary. Once your selections are finalized, click the Import Course Fees button to load the selected fees into the Payment Transactions table.
Note: Once a Course Fee has been imported, it will no longer appear in the Student Course Fees pop-up. However, you can continue using the Import Course Fees button at any time to select and import any remaining fees.
Payment Schedule ↑
NOTE: Auto-pay must be enabled before payment schedules can be used. Auto-pay becomes available only after a billing agreement has been signed by a parent or guardian in the parent/student portal.
To verify whether auto-pay can be enabled, check if FTS.CSU = 1, which indicates a valid billing agreement.
This field is system-controlled and cannot be modified via SQL or Aeries query.
Aeries provides functionality to schedule monthly payments for a student. To begin, click the Payment Schedule button.
The following window will appear, displaying available options for configuring the student’s monthly payment schedule.
Enter the following information:
| Start Date | Enter the starting date for the payment calculator. The field will default to today's date. |
| Target Date | Enter the ending date for the payment calculator. The field will default to the last day of the current school year. |
| Day of the Month | Select a day for each scheduled payment. You may choose a fixed calendar day (e.g., the 1st) or a relative day (e.g., 2nd Friday). |
| Schedule Every Other Month | Check this box to schedule payments every other month. Leave it unchecked to schedule payments monthly. |
Once all fields are completed, click the Calculate Payments button to generate the payment schedule. The calculated schedule will display in the same window for review before saving. In the below example, payments were scheduled for the 3rd day of each month from June to August.
Payments are calculated as follows:
- Subtract any outstanding "Required on Next Payment" amounts from the Remaining Balance.
- Divide the result by the number of scheduled payments to determine the regular monthly payment.
- Add the outstanding "Required on Next Payment" amounts (if any) to the first payment.
This approach ensures that certain fees are collected earlier, while the remaining balance is distributed evenly across future payments.
Once the schedule is reviewed, click the Save Payment Schedule button to apply the changes, or click Close to return without saving.
Payment Schedule Report ↑
After a payment schedule has been successfully saved, it can be printed for recordkeeping or distribution. To print the schedule, click the Print button.
The following window will appear:
- Include Signature Line: Leave this box checked if you want a signature line to appear on the printed report.
- To exclude the signature line, simply deselect the checkbox.
Once your selection is made, click the Run Report button to generate the report.
Depending on your web browser, the report may behave differently:
- In some browsers, a download prompt will appear, allowing you to save the PDF file.
- In others, the PDF may open directly in a new browser tab or window.
Be sure to check your browser’s settings if the report does not display as expected.
Reports ↑
The Reports button offers quick access to Payment reports for the current student.
When the Reports button is clicked, the following window will display:
Print Transactions - Run the Payment Transaction History report for the current student only.
Print Statement - Run the Payment Statement report for the current student only.