Kindo pricing and fees explained

Kindo pricing and fees explained

With Kindo there is no subscription, setup, contract, or cancellation cost. You pay a single variable licence fee of 3.95% + GST, capped per transaction, only on the payments you collect.

Fees and caps

Kindo charges a 3.95% + GST licence fee on transactions. There is no fixed per-user or per-student charge, and no separate software subscription.

The fee is capped per transaction:

  1. $25 for state schools
  2. $50 for private and state-integrated schools
Because the fee is a percentage of what you collect rather than a fixed cost, it scales with your school. In quieter months you pay less; there is no flat charge to carry when payment volumes are low.
Your licence fee covers support for administrators and parents, such as the Customer Support and Success teams, along with the platform itself: maintenance, security, and ongoing development. For most payment options, Kindo also covers the transaction and merchant fees charged by banks and payment gateways, so those are free to schools.

What parents pay

Parents choose how they pay, and can see any fee before they confirm. POLi, Online EFTPOS, and bank transfer are free to parents. Card payments and Alipay carry a transaction fee, most of which goes to the payment provider.

 Payment Gateway
 Cost to Parents
 Kindo Cost to
 school
 Typical SMS - Cost to
  school
 Pre-Processed
 (reconciled, GL - coded, amalgamated)
 Refund & Receipt
 Automation
 Bank Transfer

 Free


 Free

 Free
 Only with Kindo
 Only with Kindo
 POLi
 Free
 Free
 ~ 1%
 Only with Kindo
 Only with Kindo
 Online EFTPOS
 Free
 Free
 ~ 1%
 Only with Kindo
 Only with Kindo
 Stripe
Credit Card/Debit Card, Google Pay, Apple Pay
 1.97% + $0.30
 Free
 Varies
 Yes with Kindo.
 Partly with SMS
 Only with Kindo
 Alipay
 2.9% + $0.30
 Free
 -
 Only with Kindo Only with Kindo


A transaction fee, sometimes called a merchant fee, is the charge for securely moving money into a Kindo wallet or to the school's bank account. If a parent pays by card, they pay this fee, most of which goes to the payment provider, who in turn pays the banks and payment networks. If a parent uses POLi or Online EFTPOS, it is free, because Kindo covers the fee. Every payment option is free to the school.

Passing the licence fee on to parents

Schools have full discretion over whether to pass the licence fee on to parents, and can decide this item by item. To pass it on, add 3.95% + GST to the value of the item. This keeps budgeting simple: you choose which items carry the fee and which the school absorbs.

Why a variable licence fee

Kindo uses a variable licence fee rather than a fixed per-user cost, for a few reasons:
  1. Fair to all. Linking the fee to transaction volume means costs adjust naturally for school size and EQI.
  1. Aligned goals. Kindo is only paid when parents use the platform, so improving your collection is in Kindo's interest too. Free consulting on maximising locally raised funds is part of the service.
  2. Cashflow-friendly. You pay only when money reaches the bank, so the fee moves with your income rather than against it.
  3. Self-funding. Reducing bad debt, or lifting donations by as little as 1 to 2%, can cover the cost of the platform. It is also the only pricing model that costs less in leaner years.
A fixed fee per student can seem simpler, but it is less fair to smaller schools and to any school with uneven payment volumes. A flat charge stays the same even when collections dip, whereas the variable model falls with them, keeping Kindo affordable through quieter periods.


Kindo and your Student Management System

Kindo does not replace your Student Management System; the two work in partnership. An SMS focuses on student performance, while Kindo is a registered Financial Service Provider (FSP) focused on student purchases and payments.

Because Kindo is a registered FSP, it pre-processes every parent payment no matter how a parent pays. That means Kindo can:

  • Reconcile payments and handle GL coding automatically
  • Batch payments for your accounting system
  • Automate refunds
  • Provide advanced credit control
  • Issue IRD-compliant tax receipts for donations
  • Run your online shops
  • Handle parent payment enquiries through the Customer Support team

Many Student Management Systems include a finance module that presents charges to parents and moves money into your bank account. That is useful, but without FSP registration a payment gateway cannot pre-process payments, so the reconciliation and coding work stays with the school. Kindo takes that work off your desk.


Have questions?

If you have any questions about pricing or fees, our Support team is happy to help.
Contact us
Email: support@kindo.co.nz
Phone: 0508 4 KINDO (0508 454 636)
Hours: 7.30am – 4pm, Monday to Friday

Related articles
  1. Payment methods for topping up
  2. Using Bank Transfer for paying and topping up
  3. Are my credit card and bank details secure?

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