---
title: "Fee mandate"
description: "A fee mandate is permission for scheduled recurring payments, such as UPI AutoPay, within an approved amount and frequency. A parent approves it once, usually in a payment app, and later charges draw on that approval. It authorises collection. It does not mean a fee has been paid."
canonical: "https://chesscore.io/glossary/fee-mandate"
author: "Abhishek Tiwari"
datePublished: "2026-07-20"
dateModified: "2026-10-16"
---

Written by Abhishek Tiwari. Drafted with AI, fact-checked and approved by a human before publishing. Editorial standards: https://chesscore.io/editorial

## Fee mandate

A fee mandate is permission for scheduled recurring payments, such as UPI AutoPay, within an approved amount and frequency. A parent approves it once, usually in a payment app, and later charges draw on that approval. It authorises collection. It does not mean a fee has been paid.

## Context

A mandate, an invoice and a payment link do three different jobs. The mandate is the authorisation to collect: the parent sets a maximum amount, a frequency and a validity period once. The invoice is the amount owed for one billing period, tied to a student and batch. A payment link is a way to pay an unpaid invoice when no mandate is in place. Approved does not mean paid. A debit can fail, for example when the balance is short or the parent has paused or cancelled the mandate, and the invoice then stays unpaid until a payment arrives. Razorpay's documentation also describes a notice to the parent at least 24 hours before each debit. ChessCore takes payments through Razorpay, including UPI AutoPay mandates and payment links, on Grow and above, and staff follow up on any invoice that is still unpaid. Outside India, a card subscription through Stripe plays the same role. For the practical next step, see how UPI AutoPay collection runs in ChessCore, and how invoices and unpaid balances are shown.

## Read next

- [The full guide](https://chesscore.io/blog/chess-academy-fee-structure)

## Related terms

- https://chesscore.io/glossary/enrollment-funnel
- https://chesscore.io/glossary/guardian-portal
- https://chesscore.io/glossary/parent-update

## Sources

1. [Razorpay docs: About UPI Autopay (customer sets maximum amount, frequency and validity; notice before each debit)](https://razorpay.com/docs/payments/recurring-payments/upi/), razorpay.com, accessed 2026-10-16
2. [Stripe docs: how subscriptions work](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/overview), docs.stripe.com, accessed 2026-10-16