---
title: "Choosing the right payment scenario - NexPay"
description: "The payment wizard starts by asking who pays and offering scenarios. Here's what each one means and how to pick the right one for your situation."
lastModified: "2026-06-02"
lang: "en"
url: https://nexpay.com.au/training/payments/choosing-a-payment-scenario
---
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# Choosing the right payment scenario - NexPay

## At a glance

- **Intended for:** Agents & school admins
- **Reading time:** 6 minutes
- **Last updated:** 1st June 2026

**TL;DR:** The "Who pays?" step has three paths. "Student or family pays" covers tuition — manually, or via a payment link with set amounts or percentage splits, plus allowances to individuals. "My company pays" covers paying a school or supplier, refunding a student, and payroll. "School or partner pays" creates a request for a service invoice or owed commission. Pick the path that matches who's funding it, then the scenario that matches what you're doing.

{/* Body content for choosing a payment scenario */}

## One wizard, many situations

NexPay handles a surprising range of payments — a family paying tuition, an agency collecting a commission, a school refunding a student, a business running payroll. Rather than build a different tool for each, NexPay uses one wizard that adapts. The way it adapts is through the very first step: **Who pays?**

Getting this first choice right matters, because it decides the payer, the kind of payment, and which later steps you'll see. This article is a map of every path and scenario so you can choose confidently.

> **The 95% case — start here.** If you're an agent or school taking a standard tuition payment, pick **"Student or family pays"** then **"Manually create a payment (tuition or other fees)."** That single combination covers the large majority of everyday payments. Everything else below is for specific situations — read on only when one of those applies.

> **For agents:** The split-link and commission scenarios are built for your workflow. They let you collect your share in the same payment, with no separate disbursement to chase.

## The three paths

Every payment starts by answering who's funding it:

**Student or family pays.** The money comes from the student, a family member, or an unknown payer opening a link. This is the home of tuition and most education payments.

**My company pays.** Your own organisation funds the payment — paying a supplier or school, refunding a student, or paying your employees.

**School or partner pays.** You're on the receiving end. You create a request, and a school or partner sends funds to you.

Pick the path first. The scenarios underneath it are tailored to that payer.

## Scenarios when a student or family pays

**Manually create a payment (tuition or other fees).** You enter everything — the recipient, the amount, the payer's details — and the payment is ready to submit. This is the go-to for tuition when you're handling it for the family. It's the most common scenario on the platform.

**Re-usable payment link with specific amounts.** You set the amount and generate a link. The payer opens it, fills in their own details, and pays the institution (or you) directly. Reach for this when the payer wants to pay in their own time, with their own method.

**Re-usable payment link with percentage splits.** Like the above, but a single payment is divided by percentages you define — the institution receives its portion and your organisation receives its portion, automatically, in one transaction. This is how a commission split happens without a separate payout.

**Pay an individual (allowance).** Send an allowance to a person — living expenses, a stipend — paying as the student, a parent, or a relative. The recipient here is an individual rather than an institution.

> **Choosing between manual and a link:** If you have all the payer's details and want to drive it yourself, go manual. If you'd rather hand the payer a link and let them complete it, choose one of the link scenarios. Splits are only relevant when you're collecting a share alongside the institution.

## Scenarios when your company pays

**Pay school, partner or supplier.** Pay an institution, partner, or supplier from your business account. Use this for your organisation's own outgoing payments rather than a family's tuition.

**Refund a student.** Send money back to an individual student from your funds. You can link the refund to an original NexPay payment, or record an external reference if the original payment didn't go through NexPay.

**Pay your employee(s).** Run payroll for one or more team members in a single batch. This is a newer capability and works hand in hand with your [Employees](/training/team-and-account/managing-your-team.md) list — you pick employees, and each gets their own quote.

## Scenarios when a school or partner pays

**Request payment for a service invoice.** Create a request link so a school or partner can pay you for a service you've provided. They open it and pay; the funds come to you.

**Request payment of your commission.** Similar, but specifically for commission a partner owes you — you send a request link and they pay the commission through it.

> **Worth knowing:** Both "school or partner pays" scenarios produce a request that someone else completes. You're not entering their payment details — you're asking them to.

## A note on legacy names

If you used the old portal, some of these scenarios will feel familiar under different names. Hover over a scenario and NexPay shows its previous name where one exists — for instance, "Pay Provider," "Pay Now Pro," "Pay Company," "Refund," "Pay Request," or "Pay Individual." It's there so you can match the new scenario to the one you knew.

## Why some scenarios may be hidden

You'll only see the scenarios your role and organisation allow. Students don't see the link or partner-request scenarios. Some organisations are configured for company payments only, or individual payments only, which narrows the list. If a scenario you expect is missing, it's an access setting — see [roles and what you can see](/training/getting-started/roles-and-what-you-can-see.md), or ask your admin.

## Your next step

- **Picked your scenario?** Continue through the wizard with [creating a payment](/training/payments/creating-a-payment.md).
- **Going the link route?** Read [reusable payment links](/training/payment-links/reusable-payment-links.md) or [percentage-split links](/training/payment-links/percentage-split-links.md).
- **Running payroll?** See [managing your team](/training/team-and-account/managing-your-team.md) to add employees first.
- **Need to replace an existing payment?** That's a reissue — see [reissue, cancel and replace a payment](/training/payments/reissue-cancel-and-replace.md).

## Checkpoint

After reading this, you should be able to:

- Choose the right path on the "Who pays?" step based on who funds the payment
- Pick the correct scenario for tuition, allowances, supplier payments, refunds, payroll, and incoming requests
- Decide when to create a payment manually versus sharing a payment link
- Explain what a percentage-split link does and when an agent would use it
- Recognise a scenario by its old portal name if you've used NexPay before

## Frequently asked questions

### What's the simplest way to take a tuition payment?

Choose "Student or family pays," then "Manually create a payment (tuition or other fees)." You enter the recipient, amount, and the payer's details, and the payment is ready to go. It's the most direct route when you're handling the payment on the family's behalf.

### When should I use a payment link instead of creating it manually?

Use a link when you want the payer to complete the payment themselves — for example, a parent overseas who'll pay in their own time with their own card or bank transfer. You set it up, share the link, and they fill in their details and pay. Choose manual when you have all the details and want to drive the payment yourself.

### What's a percentage-split link?

It's a payment link where a single payment is automatically divided by percentage between the institution and your organisation. The payer pays once; the school gets its share and you get yours, in the same transaction. It's how agents collect a commission split without a separate step.

### What's the difference between a refund and a reissue?

A refund (under "My company pays") sends money back to a student from your own funds. A reissue is different — it re-creates an existing payment that needs replacing (for example, one that expired), and you start it from the payment's own actions, not this scenario list. See the reissue guide for that.

### What does "School or partner pays" actually do?

It creates a payment request — a link you send so a school or partner can pay you. Use "Request payment for a service invoice" for a service you've provided, or "Request payment of your commission" for commission a partner owes you. They open the link and pay; you receive the funds.

### I don't see one of these scenarios. Why?

Scenarios are gated by your role and your organisation's settings. Students don't see link or partner scenarios, and some organisations have only company or only individual payments enabled. If a scenario you need is missing, ask your admin or contact the support team.

## More on NexPay

**Platform**

- [For students & parents](/for-students-and-parents.md)
- [For ed. agents](/for-education-agents.md)
- [For universities](/for-universities.md)
- [For schools](/for-schools.md)
- [For accommodation](/for-accommodation.md)
- [AI automation](/payments-ai-automation.md)
- [Pricing](/pricing.md)

**Help & resources**

- [Training](/training.md)
- [Contact](/contact-us.md)
- [Developers](/api.md)
- [Zapier integration](/zapier.md)
- [Claude & ChatGPT](/mcp.md) — Claude & ChatGPT integration

**Company**

- [About](/about.md) — About NexPay
- [Jobs](/about.md#jobs)
- [Blog](/blog.md)
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- [Events](/events.md)

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## NexPay

NexPay Pty Ltd (ABN 56 153 910 984) holds Australian Financial Services Licence No. 560782 and is authorised to provide non-cash payment services to retail and wholesale clients in Australia.

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