How to apply late fees in bulk after the due date in Inkwelly

1. Open Invoices and switch to the Overdue tab

Open Inkwelly → Student Fee from the left sidebar, then click Invoices under the COLLECTION section. Four status tabs sit above the table: All, Pending, Overdue, Partial and Paid. Click the Overdue tab. The count chip on the tab is the size of the batch — for a Tier-2 school after the first April due date this is typically 80 to 250 invoices. The KPI strip at the top updates so Overdue and the total overdue rupee value match the filtered list.

2. Set the as-of date to today

The as-of date is the date Inkwelly uses to count days overdue on every invoice in the batch — the same date prints as the Late fee line date on the invoice and on every parent reminder. Click the date filter and pick today. Most schools run this batch on the first working day after the due date plus the grace period — for a Q1 installment due 10 April with 7 grace days, that is 18 April. Leaving the as-of date blank defaults to today, but setting it explicitly makes the audit trail unambiguous.

3. Pick the active late fee rule for this session

Inkwelly applies whichever late fee rule is marked Default on the Configuration → Late Fee Rules list — for example Standard late fee at Flat Rate ₹100 per day. To use a different rule for a specific group of overdue invoices, open the rule list and toggle Default to the right one before starting the batch. Schools that run separate penalties for hostel and day fees keep two rules and switch the default between them; most schools use one Default rule for every overdue invoice in the session.

4. Optionally narrow the batch by class or fee group

Use the Class filter and the More filter in the Invoices toolbar to narrow the batch — for example only Class 9 and Class 10 if you want to bill the late fee on senior classes a week before the rest. The Overdue count chip updates as the filters change so the batch size is always visible. Leaving every filter open includes every overdue invoice in the session, which is the usual choice. Withdrawn students stay excluded automatically.

5. Preview the batch — invoices affected and total late fee

Inkwelly runs a dry-run preview before posting any charge. The preview shows three numbers: invoices affected (every overdue invoice that does not already carry a late fee for the as-of date), total late fee in rupees (the sum across the batch using the chosen rule), and skipped (paid invoices, already-late-fee-posted invoices, RTE-excluded children). The preview never changes the database, so it is safe to read the numbers and back out without committing.

6. Confirm the run and post the late fee line

Click Apply late fees. Inkwelly opens a final confirmation that restates the rule, the as-of date, the invoice count and the total late fee in rupees, and warns that posted late fees can only be reversed one by one with the Waive late fee action. Click Yes, apply. Inkwelly posts a separate Late fee line on every affected invoice, dated as-of, and updates the invoice total. The success card shows applied, skipped and failed counts.

7. Verify on Invoices and the dashboard

Close the dialog and open any overdue invoice. The Late fees section now shows a single charge dated the as-of date, with the rule name, the days overdue chip and the calculated amount — plus a Waive action if the case is genuinely a hardship. The Invoices list refreshes so the Overdue tab still reads the same count but the Outstanding column for each row has climbed. The Student Fee dashboard Outstanding and Today Pulse tiles reflect the new total within seconds.