---
title: Understanding Account Credit
description: Learn how credit works in Class Manager and why it may not appear as available account balance. Understand how credit is automatically applied to outstanding orders and instalments.
---

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April 6, 2026

# Understanding Account Credit

## Learn why credit may not appear as available account balance and how Class Manager automatically applies credit to outstanding orders or instalments.

Credit is always used to reduce what a family owes first. It will only appear as available account credit if the family has no outstanding orders or instalments to be paid.

If you need help adding credit, see ➡️ [Adding a Credit to a Family’s Account](https://guides.classmanager.com/adding-a-credit-to-a-familys-account?hsLang=en)

Below are some common scenarios that explain how credit is applied.

---

### 1. Adding credit to an unpaid or part-paid order

Credit will reduce the amount owed, rather than appearing as account credit.

**Example**

Order total: £100  
Credit added: £20

Amount still owed: **£80**

The £20 is already used to reduce the order, so it will not appear as account credit.

---

### 2. If the order has unpaid instalments

Credit will reduce the earliest instalments first.

**Example**

Order instalments:

- Instalment 1: £40
- Instalment 2: £40
- Instalment 3: £40

Credit added: £20

Result:

- Instalment 1 becomes **£20**
- Other instalments stay the same

---

### 3. If there are no outstanding orders

If the order is fully paid and there are **no other outstanding orders**, credit will appear as account balance that can be used through the checkout or when an automated payment is taken.

**Example**

Order total: £100  
Amount paid: £100  
Outstanding fees: £0  
Credit added: £20

This is an overpayment for that specific order so the credit will be available on the account balance.

Available account credit: £20

---

### 4. When credit is added but another order is still unpaid

If a family still owes money on another order, the credit will **reduce the total owed**, not appear as available credit.

**Example**

Outstanding order (#00002): £100  
Credit added to paid order (#00001): £20

Account balance shows: £80 owed

The credit has already been applied to reduce what the family owes.

![image-20260309-123131](https://guides.classmanager.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image-20260309-123131.png?width=670&height=437&name=image-20260309-123131.png)

#### Ways to resolve this

If you want the credit to appear as account balance, you have two options:

##### Option 1: Ask the family to pay the order (#00002) in full

If the family pays the full £100, there will be no outstanding orders on the account. The £20 credit will then appear as £20 account balance to be used going forward.

##### Option 2: Leave part of the order (#00002) unpaid

You could ask the family to pay £80 and record a manual payment in Class Manager, leaving £20 still outstanding on the order.

This keeps the account in the same state as if the credit had been used to pay off the outstanding order.

If you see an issue with credit on a family’s account get in touch with us by emailing hello@classmanager.com

 

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