Overview
Fees are how you collect money—registration costs, equipment charges, travel expenses, or any other amount owed. PlayState lets you assign fees broadly to entire teams or precisely to individual athletes, with options for due dates, partial payments, and installment plans.
Before You Create Fees
Make sure you have:
- Stripe connected — Payouts must be configured before fees can be paid (see Set Up Stripe Connect Payouts)
- Teams and rosters set up — Fee assignment depends on having athletes on rosters
- Season-team links — Athletes must be on a team-season roster to receive team-based fees
Creating a Fee
- Navigate to Payments or Fees
- Click Create Fee
- Fill in the fee details (see sections below)
- Assign the fee to recipients
- Save and confirm
Fee Details
Name
Clear and descriptive. Guardians will see this name, so make it obvious what they’re paying for.
- Good: “Spring 2025 Registration Fee”
- Not helpful: “Fee 1”
Amount
The total amount due. Enter the full amount even if you’re enabling installments—you’ll configure payment options separately.
Description (Optional)
Additional context about what the fee covers. Helpful for itemized fees or when the name alone doesn’t tell the full story.
Due Date
When payment is expected. This date:
- Displays to guardians
- May trigger reminder notifications
- Helps you track overdue payments
Leave blank if there’s no specific deadline.
Assignment Scope
Choose who owes this fee:
Team Assignment
Assign to all athletes currently on a team’s roster for a specific season.
- Select Team as the assignment type
- Choose the team from the dropdown
- Select the season
Every athlete on that team-season roster will owe this fee. If you add athletes to the roster later, you’ll need to create a separate fee for them or use individual assignment.
Individual Assignment
Hand-pick specific athletes who owe this fee.
- Select Individual or Athletes as the assignment type
- Search for and select specific athletes
- Add all athletes who should receive this fee
Best for: One-off charges, fees that don’t apply to the whole team, or corrections.
Multi-Team Assignment
Some fee creation flows allow selecting multiple teams at once. Each team’s roster receives the fee.
Payment Options
Partial Payments
When enabled, guardians can pay less than the full amount. The remaining balance stays open until paid in full.
- Enable for: Flexible payment situations, financial hardship accommodations
- Disable for: Fixed fees that should be paid in full
Installment Plans
Break a large fee into scheduled payments:
- Enable Installments
- Set the number of installments
- Define the schedule (monthly, custom dates, etc.)
Guardians see the full amount but can pay according to the installment schedule. Helpful for large registration fees.
Review and Confirm
Before saving:
- Verify the amount is correct
- Confirm the right athletes will be assigned
- Check the due date
- Review payment options
Once created, the fee is live. Athletes and guardians will see it in their payment section.
After Creating a Fee
Viewing Fee Status
Check the fee detail page to see:
- Who has paid
- Who has partial balances
- Who hasn’t paid at all
- Total collected vs outstanding
Sending Reminders
Depending on your settings, you can send payment reminders to athletes/guardians with outstanding balances.
Editing Fees
Some fee properties can be edited after creation (like due date or description). Amount changes may be restricted once payments have been received.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Fee assigned but athletes have no guardian
If an athlete doesn’t have a connected guardian, there’s no one to pay. Make sure guardian connections are established.
Wrong team-season selected
Double-check you’ve selected the correct season. Last season’s roster is different from this season’s.
Duplicate fees
If you create a team fee and then individual fees for the same charge, athletes might see duplicates. Plan your fee structure in advance.
Troubleshooting
“I can’t create fees”
Check that your Stripe payout account is connected. Fees require an active payment setup.
“An athlete didn’t get the team fee”
They might not have been on the roster when the fee was created. Create an individual fee for them, or verify their roster status.
“The wrong amount is showing”
Edit the fee if no payments have been made. If payments exist, you may need to void or adjust differently.
Best Practices
- Name fees clearly — Guardians should immediately understand what they’re paying for
- Set realistic due dates — Give families enough time to plan
- Finalize rosters first — Create team fees after your roster is stable
- Communicate first — Let families know fees are coming before they see them
What’s Next?
Fees created, payments coming in—now you need to manage them. Learn how to manage payment records: refund, void, mark offline paid, and reminders.
