Passdesk
User guide

Direct Debit for driving schools

Passdesk works with GoCardless so your school can collect lesson payments and instalment plans from a learner’s bank account. The learner sets up a mandate once, and each payment is collected and matched to its purchase automatically. Schools billing in pounds collect on Bacs Direct Debit; schools billing in euro collect on SEPA Direct Debit. Where the two differ, on collection times and payer protection, this guide says so.

Getting set up

  1. 1

    Connect your GoCardless account

    Open Billing in your school workspace and choose Connect GoCardless. You’re taken to GoCardless to sign in, or to create an account if you don’t have one. We pre-fill your school name and email, and you can edit anything before you submit.

  2. 2

    Get verified for payouts

    GoCardless checks every business before paying out. Until that check completes, collections can start but payouts wait. Your Billing page shows your account status, and if GoCardless needs anything from you it links to the GoCardless dashboard.

  3. 3

    Switch Direct Debit on

    Back on Billing, switch on the Direct Debit toggle. Payment links then offer “Pay by Direct Debit” alongside card. Your Billing page names the scheme you collect on: Bacs if your school bills in pounds, SEPA if it bills in euro.

Collecting payments

One-off payments

Send a learner a payment link as usual. If they choose Direct Debit, they set up the mandate on GoCardless’s secure page: bank name, sort code and account number on Bacs, or an IBAN on SEPA. Passdesk never sees bank details. The payment is then collected against the mandate.

  • On Bacs, money arrives in your GoCardless account in around 3 working days
  • On SEPA, a first collection needs 5 working days of notice and later ones 2, then 3 days to clear
  • The purchase stays pending until GoCardless confirms the collection
  • If a collection fails, the payment link stays live so the learner can pay by card instead

Instalment plans

For lesson packages, offer a deposit plus 2–24 instalments, all collected from one mandate. On Bacs, instalments can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly. On SEPA they can be fortnightly or monthly, because the notice period is too long for weekly collections.

  • Lesson hours unlock in step with the money collected, so a learner can start before the plan finishes
  • A failed instalment retries automatically, after 3 days on Bacs or 7 on SEPA
  • If the learner cancels their mandate, the plan pauses and you can re-send the same link for them to set up a new one. Anything already collected stays with you

Staying on top of it

  • Every purchase shows its current payment status: pending, confirmed or refunded
  • Instalment plans show each instalment’s status, the amount collected so far and the next collection
  • The Billing page lists recent Direct Debit collections with amounts and charge dates
  • A purchase is only marked paid when GoCardless confirms the money has been collected

Common questions

Which scheme do I collect on?

Your school’s currency decides it. A school billing in pounds collects by Bacs Direct Debit; a school billing in euro, in Ireland for example, collects by SEPA Direct Debit. You don’t choose between them, and the Billing page names the one you’re on. The learner goes through the same steps on either scheme; the timings and the payer’s refund rights are set by the scheme, not by Passdesk.

How long does a collection take?

Bacs Direct Debit takes around 3 working days from collection to the money reaching your GoCardless account. On SEPA, a first collection on a new mandate needs 5 working days of notice, later ones 2, and clearing takes another 3. On either scheme, Passdesk shows the payment as pending until GoCardless confirms it.

What does it cost?

GoCardless charges its own transaction fees to your GoCardless account, on your agreement with them. Passdesk doesn’t add a fee on top of Direct Debit collections.

What if a learner cancels their Direct Debit?

You’re told straight away. A one-off payment falls back to card. An instalment plan pauses until the learner sets up a new mandate, and anything already collected stays with you.

Is it safe?

Bank details are entered only on GoCardless’s secure pages and never touch Passdesk. On Bacs, learners are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee, the same protection that applies to household bills. On SEPA, they can ask their bank to refund an authorised collection for up to 8 weeks after it is taken, and up to 13 months if it was never authorised.