# How to set up parent payment plans for a school trip

Source: https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/school-trip-parent-payment-plans  
Publisher: Roamly Travel  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-30  
Audience: Schools

## Short answer

A parent payment plan splits the price of a school trip into dated instalments that finish before your suppliers' balance deadlines. Check what your school is legally allowed to charge first, because maintained schools and academies must follow the charging rules for school activities. Then set a deposit and later payments, write the withdrawal and refund terms down, and make sure no non-refundable supplier payment is made before the matching parent money has arrived.

## Key takeaways

- Maintained schools must follow sections 449 to 462 of the Education Act 1996 on charging, and academies are required through their funding agreements to comply with the same law.
- A charge for an optional extra cannot exceed the actual cost of providing it divided equally between participating pupils, and it cannot include a subsidy for other pupils.
- Voluntary contributions must be genuinely voluntary, and no pupil should be excluded because parents are unwilling or unable to pay.
- Set parent payment dates two to four weeks before the supplier payment each one funds, and never commit to a non-refundable supplier payment until the matching parent money is in.
- Payment and cancellation terms with parents should match your commitments to providers, so a late withdrawal does not leave the school out of pocket.

## What can a school legally charge parents for a trip?

DfE's [Charging for school activities](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charging-for-school-activities) advice explains that sections 449 to 462 of the Education Act 1996 set the law for local-authority-maintained schools in England, and that academies, free schools, studio schools and UTCs are required through their funding agreements to comply. The advice is written for maintained schools and academies, so independent schools should check their own parent contract.

- **Cannot charge for** education provided on a visit during school hours, or outside school hours where it is part of the national curriculum, a prescribed exam syllabus or religious education.
- **Can charge for** board and lodging on a residential visit, up to the actual cost. Parents who receive certain benefits are exempt from paying the cost of board and lodging, and the school bears that cost.
- **Can charge for optional extras**, if the school has a charging policy and a remissions policy. The charge must not exceed the actual cost divided equally by the number of pupils taking part, so it cannot subsidise other pupils.
- **Can invite voluntary contributions** towards any activity, provided it is made clear there is no obligation to pay.

Whether a trip counts as taking place in school hours depends on a half-day calculation set out in the advice, which also covers residential visits. Work that out before you design the plan, because it decides what you can charge. OEAP guidance 3.2c summarises the rules for visits.

## How do you structure the instalments?

Work backwards from your supplier deadlines. Each supplier sets its own deposit, balance and cancellation terms, and group terms are usually stricter than individual bookings. Our [group travel budget guide](https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/group-travel-budget) recommends setting each participant payment date two to four weeks before the supplier payment it funds, to allow for late payers and chasing.

*A parent payment schedule built from supplier deadlines*

| Stage | Parent payment | Supplier payment it funds | Check |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Expression of interest | None, or a small refundable holding sum | None | How long supplier quotes and holds are valid. |
| Deposit | Deposit per pupil | Group deposits for flights and accommodation | Cancellation charges start here, so make the deposit match the first non-refundable commitment. |
| Middle instalments | Equal monthly or termly payments | Further deposits and interim payments | Supplier name, numbers and rooming deadlines. |
| Final payment | Balance per pupil, due ahead of the supplier balance | Balances and ticketing | Final passenger names and passport details. |
| After the trip | Refund of any surplus, if promised | Extras and local taxes | Reconcile every invoice and receipt. |

> **Do not pay suppliers with money you have not received**
> OEAP guidance on contracts says that if your ability to pay depends on payments from parents, the payment and cancellation terms you agree with parents should match your commitments to providers. Never make a non-refundable supplier payment until the parent money that funds it has cleared.

## What should the payment terms say?

OEAP's list of information for parents includes costs, deposits, whether surplus funds will be returned or retained for another visit, and cancellation terms. Put these in writing, in plain language, at the start:

- the total price, what it includes and excludes, and the minimum number of pupils the price depends on
- each instalment date and amount, and how to pay
- what happens if a payment is late
- what is refundable if a pupil withdraws, and when that changes as supplier charges rise
- who pays any fee for replacing a pupil with another
- what happens to any surplus or shortfall after the trip
- what happens if the trip is cancelled by the school or a supplier
- the circumstances in which a pupil may be sent home, and who bears that cost

Parents should agree to the financial terms, which is why trip-specific consent is usually better than a one-off form. See our guide to [what a school trip consent form should include](https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/school-trip-consent-form-what-to-include). If numbers fall, read what happens if a school trip is cancelled.

## How do you support families who cannot pay in full?

DfE's charging advice says that if a trip depends on voluntary contributions, the school should make that clear at the outset, and that no child should be excluded simply because their parents are unwilling or unable to pay. If insufficient contributions are raised and the school cannot fund the visit another way, it must be cancelled. Schools should state their policy for allocating places in advance.

- Parents must not be made to feel pressurised. The advice says to avoid colour-coded reminder letters and not to send direct debit or standing order mandates when requesting voluntary contributions.
- Voluntary contributions can be used to subsidise pupils of lesser means and to pay the travel and accommodation costs of accompanying teachers (OEAP 3.2c).
- OEAP notes parents eligible for Tax-Free Childcare may be able to use it for a visit, or part of one, outside the normal school day that is not part of compulsory education. Check eligibility on the government's childcare pages.
- Do not charge families for the extra staffing that a pupil with SEND needs. See our guide to [school trips abroad for pupils with SEND](https://www.roamlytravel.com/guides/school-trips-abroad-pupils-with-send).

## How do you keep the money safe and the records clean?

- Follow your employer's or trust's finance rules on how trip money is collected, banked and accounted for. Where a school can, hold trip money so it is visible separately from operating funds.
- Record each payment against a named pupil, the date, the method and the receipt reference, and chase overdue payments on a set timetable.
- Reconcile supplier invoices after the trip and return any promised surplus promptly.
- Treat payment records as personal data, in line with your data protection policy.

Test the plan before you publish it. The free [group travel calculator](https://www.roamlytravel.com/group-travel-calculator) shows how the per-pupil price moves if numbers fall, and the [trip timeline builder](https://www.roamlytravel.com/trip-timeline-builder) helps you place instalment dates ahead of supplier deadlines.

## How Roamly can help

Roamly provides itemised group costings and a schedule of supplier deadlines through its [logistics](https://www.roamlytravel.com/services/logistics) and [group flights](https://www.roamlytravel.com/services/group-flights) services, so you can date your instalments against real commitments. Your charging and remissions policies stay with the school. [Contact us](https://www.roamlytravel.com/contact) to talk through a trip.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many instalments should a school trip payment plan have?

There is no set number. Use as many as you need to make each parent payment land two to four weeks before the supplier payment it funds, and keep the final payment ahead of the supplier balance.

### Can a school charge parents for the whole cost of a trip abroad?

Only for what the charging rules allow. Education during school hours cannot be charged for, but board and lodging can, up to actual cost, and optional extras can be charged at cost with a charging and remissions policy.

### Can pupils whose parents miss payments be removed from the trip?

It depends on whether the trip is funded by charges or voluntary contributions, and on your published policy. For voluntary contributions, DfE says no child should be excluded simply because parents are unable to pay. Take advice from your governors or trust.

### Should the school pay suppliers before parents pay in full?

Avoid it for non-refundable payments. Match each supplier deadline with the parent payment that funds it, and keep a clear policy on who carries the risk if a parent defaults.

## Sources

- [DfE: Charging for school activities (May 2018)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charging-for-school-activities)
- [OEAP National Guidance 3.2c: Charging for School Activities](https://oeapng.info/downloads/download-info/3-2c-charges-for-off-site-activity/)
- [OEAP National Guidance 3.2i: Contracts and Waivers](https://oeapng.info/downloads/download-info/3-2i-contracts-and-waivers/)
- [OEAP National Guidance 4.3d: Parental Consent and Informing Parents](https://oeapng.info/downloads/download-info/4-3d-consent/)
- [OEAP National Guidance 4.4i: Special Educational Needs and Disability](https://oeapng.info/downloads/download-info/4-4i-special-educational-needs-and-disability/)