Receipts and the Master Ledger are available on the Core plan and above. All plans that include fee invoicing automatically include these features.
Automatic Receipt Generation
Edustream generates a receipt for every completed payment without any manual action from school staff. Understanding when and how receipts are created helps you handle parent queries confidently.Online Payments
When a parent completes a card or bank transfer payment on the parent portal, the gateway webhook signals Edustream in real time. A serialised receipt is generated within seconds, the invoice status updates, and the receipt PDF is emailed to the parent’s registered address automatically.
Manually Recorded Payments
When a finance officer records a cash or cheque payment via Finance → Record Payment, the system generates a receipt at the moment the officer clicks Confirm Payment. The receipt number is shown on-screen and the PDF is available for printing immediately.
Wallet Top-Ups
Every wallet top-up completed through the parent portal generates its own receipt, separate from fee invoice receipts. The receipt reference indicates it is a wallet credit rather than an invoice payment.
Partial Payments
Each instalment on a partially paid invoice generates its own receipt at the time of payment. All receipts for the same invoice share the same invoice reference number, making it easy to see the full payment history at a glance.
Receipt Numbering
Receipts are serialised sequentially within your school account (e.g., RCP-2024-000451). Serial numbers are never reused — even voided transactions retain their original receipt number in the ledger, with a Void annotation. This unbroken sequence makes it straightforward to detect gaps during an audit.Accessing and Printing Receipts
- From the Finance Dashboard (Staff)
- From the Parent Portal (Parents)
Open the Receipts screen
In the left navigation, go to Finance → Receipts. The screen displays all receipts in reverse chronological order.
Search for a receipt
Use the search bar to find a receipt by student name, receipt number, invoice reference, or payment date. You can also filter by class, term, payment method, or date range.
View the receipt
Click any receipt in the list to open the full receipt detail view. It shows the school name and logo, student name, class, fee items paid, amount, payment method, date, and the serialised receipt number.
The Master Ledger
The master ledger is a complete, immutable record of every financial transaction that has occurred in your school’s Edustream account. Entries are written automatically and cannot be edited or deleted — this guarantees the integrity of your financial records. Finance officers can search and filter the ledger but cannot modify its contents.Understanding Ledger Entries
Each row in the master ledger represents a single financial event. The columns included are:| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Receipt Number | The unique serialised receipt ID for this transaction. |
| Date & Time | The exact timestamp when the payment was confirmed. |
| Student Name | The full name of the student whose account was affected. |
| Student ID | The school-assigned student ID for unambiguous identification. |
| Class | The student’s current class at the time of the transaction. |
| Fee Item | The specific charge being paid (e.g., Tuition, Library Fee). |
| Invoice Reference | The invoice this payment is applied to. Multiple ledger entries sharing the same reference are instalments on the same invoice. |
| Amount Paid | The amount received in this specific transaction. |
| Payment Method | Card, Bank Transfer, Cash, Cheque, or Wallet Deduction. |
| Processed By | The gateway name (for online payments) or the staff member who recorded a manual payment. |
| Outstanding Balance | The remaining balance on the invoice after this payment was applied. |
Split Payment Entries
When a parent pays an invoice in two or more instalments, each instalment appears as a separate row in the ledger. Both rows carry the same Invoice Reference, making it simple to reconstruct the full payment history for any invoice by filtering on that reference.Searching and Filtering the Ledger
Open the Master Ledger
Go to Finance → Master Ledger. The ledger loads with the most recent transactions at the top.
Use the search bar
Type a student name, receipt number, or invoice reference into the search bar. The ledger filters in real time to show only matching rows.
Apply filters
Use the filter panel on the left to narrow results by one or more of the following:
- Date range — set a start and end date to view a specific period (e.g., a single term).
- Class or grade — view all transactions for a particular class cohort.
- Payment method — isolate online payments, cash collections, or wallet deductions.
- Fee item — filter to see all payments against a specific charge such as Tuition or Development Levy.
- Invoice status — show only entries linked to invoices that are still partially paid or fully cleared.
Exporting Ledger Data
Edustream allows you to export any filtered view of the ledger to Excel or CSV format for use in external accounting tools, board reports, or audits.Apply your filters
Set the date range, class, and any other filters to scope the data you want to export. The export will contain exactly the rows currently visible in the filtered ledger view.
Click Export
Click the Export button in the top-right corner of the ledger screen. Choose either Excel (.xlsx) or CSV from the dropdown.
Real-Time Outstanding Balances
The master ledger drives the outstanding balance calculation for every student in real time. As soon as a payment entry is written, the student’s balance updates — there is no end-of-day reconciliation batch or manual refresh required.You can view an individual student’s current outstanding balance at any time from Students → [Student Name] → Finance Profile. This screen shows all active invoices, the amount paid against each, and the total balance owed — pulling directly from the master ledger.