LessonbookHow to put a cap on make-up credits
"It would [be] nice to limit the amount of makeup credits someone can get per month without having to go back" — that wish appears in a review of a tutoring program on Capterra, while a music teacher writes about the opposite problem: "I had to spend a bunch of time helping parents navigate how to do a make up lesson." Both are solved by rules that are few, clear and written down.
Three rules that must be written down
1. Does a lesson the student cancels in time earn a make-up credit at all? Some teachers say no, and charge for every lesson the slot was held for. 2. How many make-up credits can be earned per month or per term? A cap protects your timetable from ten cancellations turning into ten extra lessons in May. 3. How long does a make-up credit last? An expiry date, say 60 days, stops old credits from piling up. Also write down what counts as "in time", for example by noon the day before.
Example policy wording
"Lessons cancelled by noon the day before earn one make-up lesson, up to two per term. Make-up lessons must be taken within 60 days. Lessons not cancelled in time are charged, with no make-up. Lessons I cancel myself are always made up and do not count towards the cap." Adjust the numbers to your own timetable. The point is that a parent can read the answer without having to ask you.
What happens when the cap is reached
The lesson is charged as usual, and no make-up credit is given. What matters is that this appears on the statement as its own dated line: "no make-up credit: the cap for this period is reached". Then it is the rule saying no, not the teacher, and the conversation is shorter.
Cancelled by the teacher is different
When you cancel, the family did not choose to miss the lesson. It should not be charged, taken from a prepaid package, or counted against the cap. On term pricing, where the family has paid for a number of lessons, it is fair that such a lesson earns a make-up credit that does not expire.
How to record it in Lessonbook
For each family you choose whether a lesson missed with notice earns a make-up credit, the cap per month or per term, and how many days a credit lasts. When you mark a lesson "missed with notice", the statement says whether it earned a credit and, if so, until which date. A make-up lesson always uses the credit that expires first, and an expired credit becomes its own dated line.
Frequently asked questions
Should make-up credits expire?
An expiry date makes the rules predictable for both sides and stops a pile of old credits from having to be taught at the end of the year. How long they last is up to you.
What is the right cap?
There is no single right answer. Pick a number you actually have free slots for in your timetable, and put it in the agreement before term starts.
Can I change the rules in the middle of a term?
You can, but the change should apply from then on. In Lessonbook the rules are saved on each lesson as it is recorded, so a change never rewrites lessons already in the ledger.