Integration
Razorpay and UPI AutoPay for chess academies
On Grow and above, ChessCore collects recurring academy fees through Razorpay and UPI AutoPay: a parent approves a mandate once, ChessCore charges each cycle on schedule, and confirmed payments match their invoices. Unmatched payments need staff review. Plans and billing terms are on the pricing page.
This is the integration page for billing. For how billing fits the rest of an academy’s weekly operations, read the in-depth chess academy management software guide.
Invoice to reconciliation
What the Razorpay integration does
The integration connects your own Razorpay account to ChessCore so fee collection runs from inside the platform instead of a separate dashboard. ChessCore issues the invoice, UPI AutoPay debits the parent’s approved mandate each cycle, and Razorpay reports the result back. Because the invoice already knows the student, the batch, and the amount, a confirmed payment lands on the correct ledger with no manual matching. Unmatched payments remain on a reconciliation screen for staff to resolve.
Stage 1 of 4
ChessCore issues OCT-0421 for Ishaan P. before it goes out, stamped with the student, the batch and the October billing period.
Stage 2 of 4
The Patel family approved a UPI AutoPay mandate once in their UPI app, tied to the fee plan. An approved mandate is not yet a payment.
Stage 3 of 4
On the due date Razorpay debits the mandate and reports the result back. A paused, cancelled or expired mandate is never treated as paid.
Stage 4 of 4
Because the invoice already knows the student and the period, the confirmed payment lands on Ishaan’s ledger. One payment ChessCore cannot match waits for Wei.
Illustrative screens from a made-up demo academy.
Mandates
How UPI AutoPay mandates renew
For recurring tuition, the parent first authorises a mandate in their UPI app. ChessCore schedules charges against that mandate. A paused, cancelled or expired mandate cannot be treated as a paid fee; your staff still need to follow up on an unpaid invoice.
Before you switch it on
What to check before enabling UPI AutoPay in India
Start with your own Razorpay account. Complete the business details, KYC and bank verification required for your business type, then confirm that Razorpay has enabled Live mode. Signing up for ChessCore does not activate a payment account. Razorpay's account setup guide lists the documents and verification steps.
In the Razorpay Dashboard, open Account & Settings, then UPI/QR under Payment methods, and check that UPI AutoPay is activated. If it is not, contact Razorpay support or your account manager. The parent needs a supported UPI app and bank, and must authorise the mandate before recurring collection starts. Check the UPI AutoPay activation guide and supported payment methods before inviting families. These requirements were checked on 11 October 2026. Confirm your academy's ChessCore payment configuration before relying on live collection.
Four steps
The collection flow, step by step
1. Parent approves a mandate
A UPI AutoPay mandate is approved once in the parent’s UPI app, tied to the student’s fee plan.2. ChessCore collects each cycle
On the due date Razorpay debits the mandate; recurring fees can be collected while the mandate is valid.3. Payment reconciles to the student
Razorpay confirms the charge; ChessCore matches it to the invoice and marks that student’s fee paid.4. Dues and reminders stay live
Failed or expired mandates surface on the dues view, and the academy can enable reminder templates for staff to follow up.
Two routes
Mandate or payment link?
Use a mandate for tuition that repeats on a schedule and a payment link for a single balance. In both cases the question staff ask is the same: does the invoice show as paid? An approved mandate or a sent link is not a payment.
| Situation | Route | What staff check before the fee counts as paid |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring tuition with a valid, supported mandate | UPI AutoPay mandate; Razorpay debits each cycle | The invoice status for that cycle. Paid only after Razorpay confirms the charge and ChessCore matches it to the invoice. |
| An unpaid or part-paid invoice balance | Payment link for the remaining amount | The invoice balance. It clears only when the linked payment is confirmed and matched, not when the link is sent. |
| A mandate that has expired, been paused or been cancelled | Staff follow up: a new mandate approval or a payment link | The dues view. The cycle stays unpaid until a payment is confirmed. |
Attribution
Payments reconcile to the right student
The job that quietly breaks an academy’s books is attribution: a parent pays, but which child and which month was it for? ChessCore solves this at the source. Each invoice is stamped with the student and the billing period before it goes out, so when Razorpay confirms a payment the platform matches it back to that invoice and marks the fee paid. A parent with two children in different batches gets two distinct invoices and two clean ledger entries. Staff still review any payment the system cannot match to an invoice.
When a charge fails
Dues, failures, and reminders
A mandate charge can fail, including when funds are insufficient or the authorisation has lapsed. ChessCore treats an unpaid cycle as a fact to surface, not to hide: it marks the cycle unpaid, shows it on the dues view, and can send the parent a reminder to re-authorise. Reminders and reports about a child’s progress reach parents through the parent communication channels ChessCore already runs, and automatic fee reminders use templates the academy enables. AI-written personal notes wait for staff to edit and send. An unpaid fee remains visible for staff to resolve.
A retry charge needs a saved, authorised payment method: a saved customer and token. Without one, the retry is skipped, and a skipped retry is not a paid fee. Check the unpaid invoice rather than assuming a retry succeeded. See what a fee mandate authorises for the difference between permission to collect and a payment, and invoices, dues and payment records for where staff read the result.
Limits
What if a term fee is larger than one month?
Confirm the amount, the parent's bank and UPI app, and Razorpay's support for that amount before you promise recurring collection of a larger term fee. Razorpay's supported payment methods page, retrieved on 16 October 2026, lists UPI AutoPay mandate creation up to INR 1,00,000 and frictionless debits up to INR 15,000 for businesses outside banking, financial services and insurance. A bank rule and a provider limit are different things, and neither tells you what your Razorpay account and ChessCore setup will accept. Ask your Razorpay account manager first. Until you have that answer in writing, collect the larger amount with a payment link.
India
Built for how Indian academies actually collect
ChessCore supports Razorpay payment links and UPI AutoPay for recurring tuition. If you run an academy here, the broader fit is covered on the chess academy software India page. Payment data is handled with the same care as the rest of your records, see how on the security page, and you can see the full feature set on the features page. Academies billing families outside India can use Stripe, covered in the billing page. When you are ready to compare plans, see collection plans and billing terms.
Collecting fees
See which plan includes online payments, or ask how collection would work for your academy.
Frequently asked questions
- Does ChessCore charge fees automatically with UPI AutoPay?
- Yes. A parent approves a UPI AutoPay mandate once, and ChessCore collects each cycle on schedule through Razorpay. Collection depends on a valid mandate and a successful charge; failed payments stay unpaid.
- How does a Razorpay payment reach the right student?
- Every invoice carries the student and batch reference, so when Razorpay confirms a payment ChessCore reconciles it to that student and marks the fee paid. A parent paying for two children sees two separate, correctly attributed invoices.
- What happens when an AutoPay mandate fails or expires?
- ChessCore marks the cycle unpaid, flags it on the dues view, and can send a reminder so the parent re-authorises. An unpaid cycle stays visible for staff to resolve.
- Do I need a separate Razorpay account?
- You connect your own Razorpay account to ChessCore. Settlements land in your bank on Razorpay’s schedule; ChessCore reads the payment status to keep each student’s ledger accurate. The Razorpay connection is on Grow and above, from $109 a month billed annually.
Written by Abhishek Tiwari. See our editorial standards.
