Industry demo · Private & international schools
The finance office a school needs, in the UK and in Asia.
Most private schools have some international pupils, and international schools have many. This demo follows one UK private school and one international school in Asia through the same term: fees, arrears, VAT, admissions, payroll, budget and the fees between campuses.
Example company: Riverside Schools Group
A UK private day and boarding school with international pupils, and a sister international school in Kuala Lumpur. Autumn term 2026, three terms a year, fees billed termly, KL campus pays a yearly brand fee to the UK school.
Termly fees billed and collected
Day pupils, boarders, primary and secondary, with sibling discounts, bursaries and scholarships applied before the bill goes out. UK private school fees carry VAT; the international school bills without it.
- Day pupils · 420 × £7,200
- £3,024,000
- Boarders · 80 × £13,500
- £1,080,000
- Sibling discounts, bursaries and scholarships
- −£310,000
- VAT on fees at 20%
- £758,800
- Billed to families
- £4,552,800
- Primary · 380 × RM 22,000
- RM 8,360,000
- Secondary · 300 × RM 31,000
- RM 9,300,000
- Sibling discounts, bursaries and scholarships
- −RM 640,000
- Billed to families
- RM 17,020,000
Fees paid in advance, earned over the term
Parents pay at the start of term, but the school earns the fees as the term goes on. In month 2 of 4, half is earned and half is still owed in teaching, so the accounts don't overstate the surplus.
Riverside School (UK): £3,794,000 of term fees (after discounts, before VAT) are released month by month until December.
Riverside International School, Kuala Lumpur: RM 17,020,000 of term fees (after discounts) are released month by month until December.
Fee arrears by family, with the next step
Unpaid fees listed by family account, not by pupil. Reminders go out automatically; the bursar is told when to call and when the Head should write. Ting can run credit control for you as an add-on.
- Reminder sent
Family F-1042 · £8,640
12 days overdue · Paying by monthly plan, first instalment due
- Call the family
Family F-1187 · £16,200
38 days overdue · Boarder, parents overseas
- Head's letter
Family F-0931 · £32,400
64 days overdue · Two pupils, no reply to reminders
- Reminder sent
Family K-2210 · RM 31,000
9 days overdue · Company-sponsored, invoice with employer
- Call the family
Family K-1876 · RM 44,000
41 days overdue · Two pupils, paying in SGD
- Head's letter
Family K-1502 · RM 62,000
75 days overdue · Place for next term at risk
VAT on fees for UK private schools
VAT on fees, VAT reclaimed on the school's costs and the amount to pay HMRC, worked out from the fee bills each quarter.
- VAT charged on Autumn term fees
- £758,800
- VAT reclaimed on school costs
- −£182,000
- VAT to pay HMRC
- £576,800
Sample figures. A Ting tax professional checks which costs the school can reclaim VAT on before the return is submitted.
Overseas parents pay in their own currency
Families in Singapore, China, Indonesia and beyond pay in their own currency. The school sees every payment in ringgit, matched to the right family.
- Paid in SGD · 48 familiesRM 2,350,000
- Paid in CNY · 61 familiesRM 2,980,000
- Paid in IDR · 22 familiesRM 1,010,000
- Paid in USD · 35 familiesRM 1,720,000
- Paid in GBP · 14 familiesRM 690,000
RM 8,750,000 this term. Parents pay in their own currency through Ting Pay, and each payment is matched to the family account automatically.
Admissions and education agents, both schools
Ting CRM follows every family from first enquiry to deposit, and counts who is staying next year. Agent commissions on international pupils are tracked and paid on time.
| Stage | UK school | KL school |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries | 260 | 410 |
| Visits and open days | 150 | 230 |
| Applications | 96 | 170 |
| Assessed | 81 | 142 |
| Offers | 70 | 120 |
| Deposits paid | 52 | 88 |
| Enquiry to deposit | 20% | 21% |
| Re-enrolment confirmed | 93% | 88% |
Education agents
- Agent in Hong Kong · 6 pupils · UK school£9,720Paid
- Agent in Vietnam · 4 pupils · UK school£6,480Due
- Agent in China · 11 pupils · KL schoolRM 54,000Due
- Agent in Indonesia · 5 pupils · KL schoolRM 23,500Check
Staff payroll in each country
Teachers and support staff paid through Ting HR: PAYE, NI and pension in the UK; EPF, SOCSO and EIS in Malaysia, plus allowances for international teachers.
- Teachers · 62Pay, PAYE, NI and pension£412,000
- Boarding and support staff · 48Including term-time-only contracts£158,000
- International teachers · 58Housing and flight allowances includedRM 1,240,000
- Local teachers and staff · 71EPF, SOCSO and EIS contributionsRM 610,000
Set next year's fees with the numbers in front of you
Ting CFO builds the budget from the enrolment forecast, so governors can see how many pupils the school needs and what a fee change does.
Change the fee, bursaries or pupil numbers and the budget, cash flow by term and VAT update together, so governors can see the effect before fees are set.
Fees between campuses, checked
When one campus pays another for the brand, curriculum or management, the withholding tax and transfer pricing are checked before the money moves.
- 5% of KL fee income (RM 51,060,000)
- RM 2,553,000
- Withholding tax in Malaysia (sample 8%)
- −RM 204,240
- Paid to the UK school
- RM 2,348,760
Ting Pay holds the payment until the withholding tax check is done, and the fee is tested against transfer pricing rules. A Ting tax professional confirms the current rate.
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