Setting Up Payments with GoCardless

GoCardless and Scoutworks#

Scoutworks uses GoCardless to collect payments from parents in two ways:

• Direct Debit for subscriptions — regular payments such as termly or monthly subs.
• Instant bank payments for one-off charges — camp costs, event fees and anything else you charge once. These use GoCardless Instant Bank Pay (open banking), so the parent does not need a Direct Debit mandate.

Connecting GoCardless#

1. Go to Finance → Online Payments.
2. Follow the GoCardless connection steps.

This connects your group's bank account to GoCardless so you can collect subscriptions and one-off payments.

How Direct Debit works#

Direct Debit is used for subscriptions. When you add a member to a subscription plan:

1. Parents receive a notification.
2. They set up a Direct Debit mandate with GoCardless and approve the subscription.
3. GoCardless collects each payment from their bank account on the plan's dates.
4. Funds arrive in your group's bank account (typically 3-5 business days).

How one-off payments work#

One-off payments do not use a mandate. The parent taps Pay Now and approves a single instant bank transfer in their banking app. See One-Off Payments.

Parents are protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee — they can claim a refund from their bank at any time if a payment is taken in error.

Creating payments#

Once GoCardless is connected:

1. Open the Finance Actions dropdown.
2. Select Create Payment.
3. Fill in the details: Description, Member, Amount (£), Due Date.
4. Send the payment request.

Payment types#

Scoutworks supports two types of GoCardless payment:

• Subscriptions — recurring Direct Debit payments (e.g. termly subs, monthly contributions). See Collecting Subscriptions from Parents.
• One-off payments — single charges for events, trips, or equipment, paid by instant bank payment with no mandate. See One-Off Payments.

Managing payments#

The Finance Actions dropdown provides access to:

• Create Payment — send a new payment request.
• Manage Recurring Payments — view and manage subscription plans.
• Manage One-Time Payments — view and manage one-off payment requests.
• Manage Refunds — view the Refund History of refunds you've issued.

What's next#

• Collecting Subscriptions from Parents — set up recurring payment plans.
• One-Off Payments — collect event fees and one-time charges.
• Refunds — give money back when a member drops out or a payment is taken in error.