Understanding Autopay

Understanding Autopay

For caregivers who regularly top up their Kindo wallet via automatic bank transfer, Autopay automatically allocates those funds to payment requests — without them needing to log in each time. Payments flow through to your school consistently, without your team having to follow up.

How Autopay Works

Autopay is designed for caregivers who regularly top up their Kindo wallet via automatic bank transfer. 

Autopay runs in three stages:

1. Set — From the myKindo Wallet page, the caregiver opts in once and sets their preferences:
  1. What to cover - All payment request types, Compulsory only or Voluntary only.

  1. Any per student payment shares

  1. And a minimum Wallet reserve that won't be used by Autopay



2. Notify — 48 hours before allocation runs, the caregiver receives a notification email listing exactly what Autopay plans to cover and what it plans to skip. If they want to make any changes, they can log in and adjust or pause Autopay before it processes.

3. Allocate — Funds are allocated automatically between 3–5pm, 48 hours after the notification email is sent.

What Autopay includes

Included:
  1. Compulsory payables (set in the Payable Catalogue)
  2. Voluntary payables, if the caregiver has chosen to include these
Not included:
  1. Kindo Shop only (optional) items such as uniforms or fundraisers.
  2. Payables with parental permissions or consent forms attached.

Allocation Order

When All payment request types is selected, Autopay allocates in this order:

1. Compulsory pay-in-full payables
2. Compulsory part-pay payables spread evenly
3. Voluntary payables

How Payable Settings Affect Autopay

How your payables are set up directly affects how Autopay works for your families. Two settings in the Caregiver Payment section of the Payable Catalogue are worth reviewing:

Compulsory vs voluntary

By default, payables are compulsory. If a payable should be voluntary, tick Payment is voluntary in the Caregiver Payment settings. Autopay prioritises compulsory payables first, so it's important this is set accurately for each payable.


For more guidance on voluntary and compulsory payments, see the Ministry of Education website.

Part payments
By default Part pay allowed is ticked, meaning caregivers can pay in parts towards the total cost. If you untick this, Autopay will only process the payable if the caregiver has the full amount in their wallet — if they don't, that payable will be skipped until sufficient funds are available.


What You Can See

When you look up a student on the Point of Sale page, you can see whether their caregiver has Autopay set up and whether it's active or paused. This shows next to the caregiver's name.

If a family has agreed to a payment arrangement, for example spreading fees over the year, you can easily check and confirm Autopay is running.


How Autopay Works in Practice

Scenario 1: Regular automatic bank transfer

A caregiver has a set amount transferring into their Kindo wallet each fortnight. Previously, the money would sit in their wallet until they logged in to allocate it — sometimes that didn't happen. With Autopay set up, when funds arrive they are automatically allocated to outstanding payables. The caregiver receives a notification email 48 hours before any funds are allocated, and your school gets paid consistently, without your team having to follow up.

Scenario 2: Split family

Two caregivers share the costs for a student. Each caregiver sets up their own Autopay preferences independently, including their share of the costs and a minimum wallet balance. Each pays their portion automatically without needing to coordinate, and without either caregiver accidentally covering more than their share.

Notes

  • Autopay is not a direct debit. Families top up their wallet as they always have — Autopay handles the steps after that.
  • Nothing changes in how you create or manage payables.

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