Who should pay the online payment processing fee?

As school districts look for ways to control costs, even credit card processing fees are getting a closer look.

Beginning July 1, 2026, Big Lake Schools began passing electronic payment processing fees to cardholders for certain school-related transactions. The district specifically cited budget pressures and the desire to direct more district funding toward education and student services. Bloomfield Hills Schools announced a similar change for online payments beginning July 1.

The real question: how flexible is your payment platform?

For K-12 finance leaders, these decisions raise an important question:

How much flexibility does your payment platform give your district?

There isn't necessarily one payment policy that's right for every school district. What matters is having technology that supports the district's operational decisions while still making payment easy and transparent for families.

School-configurable processing fee options

SchoolBanks Financial Ops provides secure online payments from any device and includes school-configurable processing fee options. With SchoolBanks, districts can:

• Choose how processing fees are handled for their families.
• Give families visibility into balances and payment history.
• Support partial payments and payment plans when appropriate.

The platform adapts to the district's policy — not the other way around.

Let the platform support the policy, not dictate it

Online payment processing shouldn't dictate your district's financial policy. It should support it.

If your district is reviewing online payments, student fees, or the family payment experience for the new school year, let's talk through your current process.

Book a SchoolBanks demo. We'd be glad to walk through your current process with you.