When a member joins part-way through a payment period, there is a gap between their start date and their first regular payment date. A pro-rata charge covers that gap. It is a reduced first payment that reflects only the days the member has access before their full payment cycle begins.
An example
A membership plan costs £30 per month and payments are collected on the 1st of each month. A member joins on the 20th. Without pro-rata, they would get 10 days of access before their first £30 payment on the 1st, effectively getting those days free.
With pro-rata enabled, ClubRight calculates the cost of those 10 days and charges that amount at the point of joining. On the 1st, the full £30 monthly payment then begins as normal.
How ClubRight calculates pro-rata
ClubRight uses an annual day rate to calculate the pro-rata amount:
Monthly payment × 12 ÷ 365 = daily rate
The daily rate is then multiplied by the number of days between the join date and the first payment collection date. On longer months, this can result in the pro-rata amount being slightly higher.
For example, for a £30 monthly plan:
£30 × 12 = £360 annual value
£360 ÷ 365 = £0.99 daily rate
10 days × £0.99 = £9.86 pro-rata charge
Why does the first payment sometimes move to the following month?
ClubRight needs at least 6 working days before a new membership's first regular payment. This cut-off is counted from when the membership is set up, or from the start date if that's earlier. If the plan's next payment day is closer than that, the first regular payment moves to the payment day after. The pro-rata charge then covers the extra days.
Weekends and bank holidays don't count. A membership set up at a weekend starts counting from the next working day. In calendar days, this is usually 8 to 10 days. The cut-off isn't a setting, so it can't be changed for a plan or a club. It's the same for card and Direct Debit plans.
An example with the 1st of the month
A plan takes payments on the 1st of each month.
Set up on Thursday 22 October: 6 working days takes you to Friday 30 October. That's before the 1st, so the first regular payment is on 1 November.
Set up on Friday 23 October: 6 working days takes you to Monday 2 November. That's after the 1st, so the first regular payment moves to 1 December. The pro-rata covers the days up to then.
How is the pro-rata taken?
The pro-rata, and any joining fee, is taken as one payment when the member joins, by card online or at the Till. The first full monthly payment is then the first Direct Debit, on the payment day.
Pro-rata runs from the start date to the first payment day, at the monthly price × 12 ÷ 365 per day. The plan's If someone joins on preview treats the date you pick as the start date. So it can show a different pro-rata from a membership with a later start date.
How can I shorten the wait for the first payment?
Give the plan more payment days, for example the 1st; the 1st and 15th; or the 1st, 8th, 15th and 25th.
Change the payment day on that member's membership.
Use Set a first payment date when adding the membership.
How to turn pro-rata on or off
Pro-rata is configured per plan. To enable or disable it:
Go to Settings > Membership Plans.
Click the three dots on the plan card and select Edit.
Scroll to the Pricing section.
Toggle Pro rata first payment on or off.
Click Save Changes.
📋 Note: Enabling pro-rata only affects new members joining after the change. Members already on the plan are not affected.
Should I use pro-rata?
Whether to charge pro-rata is entirely your choice. There is no right or wrong approach; different gyms handle it differently. Here are the main considerations:
With pro-rata: members pay a fair amount for the days they use before their first full payment. No one gets free access and your revenue is protected from day one.
Without pro-rata: new members get a few days of free access before their first payment. Some gyms use this as a welcome gesture or to simplify the joining experience.
Alternatively, you can set a fixed first payment date using the Set a first payment date option in the Pricing section, which delays the first payment to a specific date rather than calculating a pro-rata amount.
💡 Helpful tip: If your payment collection day is set to Immediate (day of signup), pro-rata does not apply. The first payment is taken straight away. Pro-rata is most relevant when you have a fixed payment collection day such as the 1st of each month.