➕ Add Custom Items to Orders

You can now add Custom Items to orders you create for customers in your Cademy dashboard. A Custom Item is a charge that is not linked to a course, such as room hire, lunch or an administration fee.

Create an order with Custom Items only, or add them alongside course bookings. You do not need to create a course just to invoice these charges.

Here is how they differ from course prices and extras:

Option	What it is for	Can customers choose it at course checkout?
Price Offer	A saved course price that includes participant places.	Yes, when available.
Add-on	A saved optional course extra, such as a printed handbook. It adds no places.	Yes, with a Price Offer for the same course.
Custom Offer	A course price you set on an order you create for a customer in your Cademy dashboard. It applies only to that order and includes course places.	No. You add it in your Cademy dashboard.
Custom Item (new)	A charge you add to an order you create for a customer in your Cademy dashboard. It is not linked to a course and does not book a place.	No. You add it in your Cademy dashboard.

For the full comparison and supported course setups, see Custom Offers: Price Offers, Add-ons and Order Prices.

Create an Order with Custom Items Only

Create an order for a customer without adding a course. Each Custom Item has its own description, quantity and unit price. The account’s default tax profile applies. If you have additional tax profiles, you can choose one for each item.

In your Cademy dashboard, open Orders → New Order and select Add Custom Item.

For example, Full-Day Training Room Hire at £300 plus 20 units of Lunch per Person at £6.50 gives £430 before any added VAT. The items appear under Other Items.

A new payable order containing Custom Items uses one invoice for the order, even if your usual setup splits invoices by course date. You can request payment or record a payment received elsewhere. Customers can see the Custom Items in their order, invoice and payment page.

System Admins can manage these orders on all plans, with no feature setting to enable. See Create an Order and Request Payment for the full procedure.

Add and Edit Custom Items on Orders with Course Bookings

Add Custom Items to the same order as course bookings. For example, an order can include a place on First Aid at Work and a Booking Administration Fee. Only the course booking creates a participant place; the Custom Item does not use course capacity or provide course access.

You can also edit an existing Custom Item’s price or quantity, or remove it where permitted. Review how the change affects the customer’s invoice, credit or refund before confirming. Changes to an unpaid invoice can require voiding and reissuing it; changes after payment can involve credits or refunds. The review shows the options for that order.

Removing the last course can leave an order with its remaining Custom Items. For editing rules and the available invoice, credit and refund options, see Change an Existing Order.

Limits to Know Before Using Custom Items

• Customers do not select Custom Items at public course checkout. They pay the charges your team has put on their order. For an optional checkout extra tied to a course, use an Add-on.
• Customers must contact your team to cancel or reschedule. While an order contains active Custom Items, customers cannot cancel or reschedule it themselves.
• Payment can affect course access. On an order containing course bookings and Custom Items, an unpaid Custom Item can leave the whole order unpaid or partly paid. Course access still depends on whether the order has been paid and your settings for allowing access before payment.
• Course discounts do not reduce Custom Items. Custom Items use the tax profile chosen for the item and the order’s tax settings. Cademy does not automatically apply country-based VAT rules to Custom Items.
• Choose the currency before saving a new order with Custom Items only. Adding a course locks the order to its course or date currency. Orders with Custom Items only do not offer deposits, instalments or course approval.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to add a course? Does a Custom Item book a participant place?

No. You can create an order with Custom Items only. A Custom Item does not create a course registration, reserve a participant place or give course access. Add a course booking separately when you need those things.

Does a room-hire item reserve a room or order catering automatically?

No. It records a charge. You still arrange the room, catering or service separately.

Can customers choose Custom Items at checkout? Can I save them as a product catalogue?

No. You add each Custom Item to an order in your Cademy dashboard. Customers cannot select it at public course checkout. For an optional extra bought with a course, use an Add-on. Custom Items are not saved as public products.

How does the customer pay? What if they have already paid elsewhere?

Request payment for the order, or record a payment you have already received outside Cademy. Customers can see the Custom Items in their order, invoice and payment page. Adding an item does not mean payment has been received. See Create an Order and Request Payment.

Who can add Custom Items? Do I need a particular plan or a setting switched on?

System Admins can manage these orders on all Cademy plans. There is no feature setting to enable. Having permission to manage courses alone does not mean someone can manage orders.

Can I add another charge to any existing order?

No. The available actions depend on its payment and invoicing state. You may be unable to add an item if a payment has already been recorded or the order has separate invoices for its course dates. Check the order’s controls and Change an Existing Order.

Can I change or remove a Custom Item after the customer has paid?

Where the order allows it, use Edit Order and review the available invoice, credit or refund options before confirming. A price reduction is not, by itself, proof that money has been returned. Follow the review and the editing guide.

Will an order always have just one invoice?

A payable order created with Custom Items starts with one invoice, including when it also contains courses and your usual setting is separate invoices per course date. Later changes can replace invoices or create additional financial documents. If the total is zero, there is no payment to collect.

Is the price for one item or for the whole quantity?

Enter the price for one unit. Cademy multiplies it by the quantity: 20 lunches at £6.50 gives £130 before any added tax. Use quantity 1 for a single charge covering the whole service.

How does VAT work? Does Cademy work it out from the customer’s country?

The account’s default tax profile applies. If you have additional tax profiles configured, choose the appropriate one for each item and check the order’s tax settings. Cademy does not automatically apply country-based VAT rules to Custom Items.

Will a course discount reduce the Custom Items too?

No. Course discounts apply to course charges, not Custom Items. To change a Custom Item’s charge, change its unit price where the order allows it.

Can I use a different currency for a Custom Item?

All items in one order use the same currency. Choose it before saving a new order with Custom Items only. Adding a course locks the order to the course or date currency.

Can an order with Custom Items only use deposits, instalments or course approval?

No. Those options are not available on an order without a course. Adding a Custom Item does not create a course booking or an approval request.

Can customers cancel or reschedule their booking themselves?

Not while the order contains active Custom Items, even if it also contains a course booking. They must contact your team, who can review the available actions in the Cademy dashboard.

Can an unpaid Custom Item affect access to a course on the same order?

Yes. It can leave the whole order unpaid or partly paid. Course access depends on the order’s payment state and your settings for allowing course access before payment. Paying a course charge alone may therefore not be enough.

What happens if I remove the last course or the final item?

Removing the last course can leave an order with its remaining Custom Items. If nothing should remain, use Cancel Order rather than removing the final item. Review any payment or refund implications before confirming.

Do Custom Items appear in exports and connected tools?

Order exports include Custom Item details. Custom Items do not create participants, so they do not appear as participants in those exports. Connected tools must support custom lines instead of assuming every item is a course. If you use Xero, check the default connection and tax requirements in Connect Xero and Check Accounting Sync.