How to Create Discounts
This guide walks you through the steps of creating a discount in Onespot, from entering details to finalizing the setup.
Discounts
A discount is a reduction in the total amount owed, applied as either a percentage or a fixed amount.
It is used for staff perks, promotional offers, tuition adjustments, or other financial considerations.
For example, you might apply a 10% discount for staff members on monthly tuition.
Note: Discounts are separate from the Service Fee and ACH Discount, which are payment-method offsets configured in your Onespot Payments settings and applied automatically when an invoice goes out. See: Offset your school fees.
Creating Discounts
Step 1: Go to the Discounts screen
Click the ⚡ Lightning Bolt (Admin Superpowers) and go to the Discounts section.
Step 2: Add a New Discount
- Find and click the “+” button located at the bottom right corner of the Discounts page.
Step 3: Enter Discount Details
- Enter the name of the discount (e.g., Staff Discount).
- Select the discount type:
- Percentage (e.g., 10) - up to 100%
- Fixed amount
Step 4: Set Duration
- Specify how long the discount applies:
- One-time
- Forever (for subscriptions, like tuition)
Important
- Duration applies only to subscription products—on invoices and Billing Plans, a discount applies to each invoice it's attached to, regardless of this setting.
- (Optional) Add a description to provide context for the discount.
Step 5: Create the Discount
- Click Create Discount to save and finalize.
Note: Discounts can't be edited once created—to make a change, create a new discount and use it going forward. Deleting a discount stops it from being applied to anything new, and invoices that were already sent keep their discount.
⚠️ Before deleting a discount, check whether it's used on any Billing Plan. Scheduled (not yet sent) Billing Plan invoices still point to the original discount. If it's deleted, those invoices will fail on their send date with an error like "No such coupon" and won't be sent to the family.
See Fixing Billing Plan invoices after a discount is deleted below.
🎥 Video Tutorial
Stacked Discounts
A stacked discount is when more than one discount is applied at the same time on a single invoice.
Only one saved discount can be applied per invoice. To stack more, add the additional discounts as custom items with negative amounts—used when multiple discounts or adjustments apply to the same family or student.
For example, a parent might receive both a 10% sibling discount and a $50 promotional discount.
Adding Multiple Discounts Using Custom Items
Step 1: Access the Create Invoice Section
- Navigate to the Create Invoice section.
- Make sure you've selected a child's profile.
- Locate the option to add items.
- Confirm that there is at least one item in the invoice (e.g., tuition fee).
Step 2: Add First Discount
- Scroll down to the discount section.
- Select the appropriate discount (e.g., staff discount).
Step 3: Add a Custom Item for an Additional Discount
- Scroll up and click + Add Another Item.
- Select 'Add Custom Item'.
- Enter the discount amount as a negative number (e.g., -50).
- Add a description for the custom discount (e.g., 'Sibling Discount').
Step 4: Review Invoice Summary
- Check the invoice summary to ensure all discounts are applied correctly.
- A percentage discount is calculated on the subtotal after any custom-item discounts are applied.
Apply a Discount to a Billing Plan
Discounts work the same way when the invoice repeats as a Billing Plan:
- The selected discount and any negative custom items apply to every invoice in the plan—the summary shows the discounted per-invoice amount and the number of invoices before you confirm (e.g., 4 invoices of $135.00).
- This applies regardless of the discount's Duration setting—on a Billing Plan, both One-time and Ongoing discounts carry to every installment.
- Each invoice in the plan lists the discounts as their own line items, so families can see exactly what was applied.
Note: Discounts are locked in when the plan is created and can't be edited afterward. To change a discount on a running plan, cancel the remaining invoices and create a new plan with the updated discount.
Don't delete a discount that a Billing Plan is using. Each remaining invoice in the plan uses that discount when it sends. If the discount is deleted, the remaining invoices will fail instead of sending, and a deleted discount can't be restored.
Fixing Billing Plan invoices after a discount is deleted
1. Open the failed (or upcoming) invoice and click Edit in the Line Items card.
2. Click the trash icon next to the deleted discount to remove it.
3. Click + Add Custom Item and enter the same discount as a negative amount (e.g., -200, "Siblings Discount"). Check that the New amount matches what the family should owe.
4. Click Save Changes, then click Retry on a failed invoice. Saving doesn't resend it on its own.
5. For the rest of the plan, use Bulk edit remaining invoices to remove the discount and add the same custom item. Invoices you already edited one at a time are skipped, so check the yellow warning and edit those separately.
Discounting a single month of a Billing Plan?
A discount attached to a Billing Plan applies to every installment in the series — it can't be limited to just one month. To reduce a single charge, keep the plan at full price and send that one month as a separate standalone invoice with the discount applied.
See How to Set Up a Billing Plan for the full walkthrough.