Swim School Software with GoCardless Direct Debit

How GoCardless Direct Debit works in ClassBase

Four steps from invoice to collected payment — fully automated, no manual reconciliation.

1

Generate term invoices

Run a batch invoice for every enrolled student. Each invoice reflects the exact amount owed — variable by class, term length or sibling discount.

2

Batch DD collection

ClassBase creates a GoCardless billing request for each invoice. Payments are collected via Direct Debit — one click to trigger the entire batch.

3

Webhook reconciliation

GoCardless sends real-time webhooks as payments succeed, fail or are retried. ClassBase marks invoices as paid automatically — no manual matching.

4

Portal mandate setup

Parents set up their DD mandate through the parent portal — no paper forms. The mandate is linked to their account for all future collections.

Parents set up Direct Debit themselves

No more chasing paper mandates or reading bank details over the phone. Parents log into the ClassBase portal, click “Set up Direct Debit” and complete the GoCardless mandate flow in under two minutes. Their mandate is automatically linked to their account for all future term invoices.

Self-service mandate setup — parents do it from home, on their phone
Mandate status visible in the parent portal — active, pending, cancelled
Invoice history with payment status — parents see exactly what they’ve paid
No admin overhead — you never touch a bank sort code

ClassBase parent portal showing Direct Debit mandate setup and invoice history

ClassBase vs typical swim school software

Most swim school platforms either lack GoCardless entirely or offer only a basic integration. ClassBase goes further.

Feature	Typical Swim Software	ClassBase
Native GoCardless integration	Some / basic
Variable DD (billing requests)
Automatic mandate management
Self-service portal mandate setup
Real-time webhook reconciliation
Batch invoice generation	Manual
Automatic failed payment retries
Waiting list DD automation

Stop Chasing Payments — Start Free Trial

Only in ClassBase

Waiting list automation meets Direct Debit

When a place becomes available in a class, ClassBase doesn’t just notify the next family on the waiting list — it invites them to set up their GoCardless mandate and enrol in one seamless flow. No admin intervention, no delay, no lost revenue.

Place opens up → family gets an automatic invitation
Parent accepts → DD mandate created → student enrolled
Invoice generated automatically for the remainder of the term
Zero manual steps — the entire flow is hands-off

Student leaves class

Place becomes available

Next family invited

Automatic notification sent

DD mandate created

Parent completes GoCardless setup

Enrolled & invoiced

Zero manual intervention

Why variable Direct Debit matters for swim schools

Fixed-amount Direct Debits don’t work for swim schools. Term lengths vary, class prices differ, and families get sibling discounts. ClassBase uses GoCardless billing requests to collect the exact amount owed each term.

Variable amounts

Each term invoice reflects the real cost — different class prices, term lengths and discounts are all accounted for.

Sibling discounts

Apply percentage or fixed-amount sibling discounts at the family level. The DD collection adjusts automatically.

Pro-rata invoicing

Mid-term joiners pay only for remaining lessons. ClassBase calculates the pro-rata amount and collects via DD.

Frequently asked questions

Which swim school software integrates with GoCardless?

ClassBase has a native GoCardless integration built directly into the platform. Unlike competitors that bolt on a basic GoCardless link or rely on manual exports, ClassBase handles the full lifecycle: mandate creation, batch invoicing, variable Direct Debit collection, webhook reconciliation and failed payment retries — all from one dashboard. Soakly also supports GoCardless but lacks variable DD, billing requests and self-service portal mandate setup.

How does GoCardless Direct Debit work with ClassBase?

ClassBase connects to your own GoCardless account via a secure access token. When you run a term invoice batch, ClassBase generates invoices for every enrolled student and creates GoCardless billing requests for each one. GoCardless collects the payments via Direct Debit and sends real-time webhooks back to ClassBase, which automatically marks invoices as paid. Failed payments are retried automatically.

Can parents set up their Direct Debit themselves?

Yes. When a parent logs into the ClassBase parent portal, they can set up their GoCardless Direct Debit mandate themselves — no phone calls or paper forms needed. The mandate is linked to their account automatically, and future term invoices are collected without any further action from the parent or the swim school.

What happens if a Direct Debit payment fails?

ClassBase receives real-time webhook notifications from GoCardless when a payment fails. The invoice is automatically updated to show the failure reason (e.g. insufficient funds, mandate cancelled). ClassBase retries the payment automatically according to your retry settings. You can also manually retry or write off failed payments from the invoice dashboard.

Does ClassBase support GoCardless billing requests?

Yes. ClassBase uses GoCardless billing requests (variable Direct Debit) rather than fixed subscriptions. This means each term invoice can be a different amount — essential for swim schools where fees vary by class level, number of lessons in the term, or sibling discounts. You generate invoices for the exact amount owed and ClassBase creates a billing request for each one.

How does ClassBase compare to Soakly's GoCardless integration?

Both ClassBase and Soakly integrate with GoCardless, but ClassBase goes significantly further. ClassBase supports variable Direct Debit (billing requests) so each invoice can be a different amount. ClassBase also offers self-service portal mandate setup, real-time webhook reconciliation, automatic failed payment retries, and waiting list DD automation. Soakly’s integration is more basic and doesn’t support variable amounts or self-service mandate setup.

Get paid on time, every term

ClassBase is the only swim school software with full GoCardless lifecycle management — from mandate setup to payment collection to automatic reconciliation. Start your free trial and connect your GoCardless account in minutes.

Start Free Trial

Free trial · No credit card · All features included

Collect Swim School Fees Automatically with GoCardless Direct Debit