Trial, billing & online payments¶
This page is for the booster president and treasurer. It covers the free trial, paying for MusterSheet, and letting parents pay by card.
MusterSheet uses Stripe, a card-payment company, to handle card payments. You'll see Stripe in two separate places on your Settings page. Don't mix them up:
- Billing & Subscription is how your organization pays MusterSheet.
- Online Parent Payments sends parents' card payments to your organization's bank account.
Paying for MusterSheet does not connect your bank. Connecting your bank does not pay for MusterSheet.
The free trial¶
Starting an organization begins a free trial with every feature. No credit card is needed.
- During the 2026 beta: the trial lasts through December 31, 2026. If you start late in the year, you still get at least 60 days.
- After the beta: a new organization gets 60 days, starting the day it is created.
The Billing & Subscription card shows how many days are left.
The setup form says 60 days
During the beta, the setup form still says the trial is 60 days. The actual trial runs through the end of 2026, as described above.
Plans and prices¶
Prices start with the 2027 season. Both cover the whole organization, not each student.
- Booster, $399 per year: every booster feature.
- Program, $449 per year: every booster feature, plus free competition hosting for the band's directors. Buying Host and Booster separately would cost $598.
The Program button appears only after your band is linked. See Link the band.
When Program hosting starts
The band's directors get free hosting only after the Program plan is paid, or if MusterSheet gives you the plan at no cost. It does not start during the free trial, and it stops if the band is unlinked.
Subscribe¶
- Open Settings and find Billing & Subscription.
- Click Subscribe — $399/yr or Program — $449/yr.
- Stripe's secure payment page opens. Enter your card there.
You don't need to subscribe until the trial is ending. If the card says "Self-serve billing coming soon; contact us to activate," you can't subscribe online yet. Contact MusterSheet and we'll turn it on for you.
Once subscribed, click Manage Billing to update your card, download invoices, or cancel.
What the billing status means¶
The Billing & Subscription card shows one of these:
| The card shows | What it means |
|---|---|
| Trial | Everything works until the trial ends. |
| Subscribed | You're paid up. |
| Past Due | A payment failed. Everything still works for now. Click Manage Billing and update your card. |
| Lapsed | The trial or subscription ended. You can see and download your records, but you can't make changes. |
| Complimentary | MusterSheet is giving you access at no cost. |
The Organization Profile card shows Read-Only when billing is Lapsed. Nothing is deleted. Subscribe again to pick up where you left off.
Set up online parent payments¶
Only a president or treasurer can do this.
- Open Settings and find Online Parent Payments.
- Click Set Up Payouts with Stripe. Stripe's page opens.
- Answer Stripe's questions: the organization's details, its bank account, and some information about the person in charge of the account. It takes about ten minutes.
- Come back to MusterSheet. If the card says "Setup started — Stripe still needs a few details," Stripe's questions aren't finished yet. Click Finish Payout Setup to finish them, then click Check Status.
- When the card shows Payouts Active, look at the Card Fee Rate. This is the fee Stripe charges on each card payment, as a percentage plus a fixed amount. Make it match the rate Stripe gave you, then click Save Fee Rate.
Parents now see Pay Online on their student's statement. The processing fee is added to the parent's total, so your organization gets the full amount.
Use the organization's bank account
Payouts go straight to the account you connect. Check the legal name, responsible person, and bank account with the president or board first. MusterSheet will never ask you to email this information.
If parents do not see Pay Online¶
Check these:
- Online Parent Payments shows Payouts Active.
- The parent has connected to the student and is signed in.
- If the parent can't select a charge, they may have a payment in progress. Wait for it to finish, or void it on Online Payments. See Online payments.
Staff can record cash and check payments without Stripe, as long as billing is not Lapsed.