What is a Group Billing Code (GBC)?
Group Billing Codes are provided in exchange for direct payments made to the Group. By offering the code to the parent, the Group becomes financially responsible for youth's registration where code was used. Group must pay registration fee amount received to Scouts Canada within 30 days of registration date.
Families that would like to use cash or make payment installations can provide payment to the Group directly in exchange for a GBC.
If a Group sponsor would like to subsidize membership fees for an entire Group they would pay the Group directly and a GBC is provided for every member of the Group.
What if youth is being sponsored by a 3rd party subsidy provider?
If a youth member is being sponsored by a 3rd party subsidy provider such as JumpStart, Canadian Tire, local charity, etc., the parent must first secure and get approval for the subsidy directly with the subsidy provider and provide approval to the Group. Then, the Group can apply for a Group Billing Code and provide it to the parent to complete youth's registration. Subsidy provider would then have to submit payment to the Scout Group. After that the Group would proceed with payment to Scouts Canada.
**Scouts Canada does not accept registration payments directly from 3rd party subsidy providers, so the payment must flow through the Scout Group youth has registered with.
How do Groups request a Group Billing code?
To apply for a Group Billing Code, the Group Commissioner, Registrar, Administrator or Treasurer contacts Help Centre by submitting a Help Desk request or emailing registration@scouts.ca. Please make sure to include the keywords "Group Billing Code" or "GBC" in the subject line of the request so the request is automatically prioritized.
The Group must be in good financial standing with Scouts Canada to receive a Group Billing Code.
When requesting a code, the Group is asked to provide the number of code uses (1 use = 1 membership), the names of youth receiving the code and why the code is being requested.
Example: 1st Rubberboot is requesting a GBC for 2 full memberships, $270 each, for Mickey Mouse and Peppa Pig. Both families are seeking a GBC so they can pay for membership in cash.
How long is a Group Billing Code valid for?
A GBC is valid for 30 days after the time it has been issued.
How can Scouters see which youth have been registered using the code?
If a GBC has been approved and assigned to your Group then it will be displayed in the ‘GBC’ tab of the Group profile in MyScouts. Codes used by parents will appear in the GBC tab, in the MyScouts registration and batch reports.
What happens if a parent does not pay the Group after requesting a Group Billing Code?
Group Billing Codes must be only offered to families who have a confirmed payment arrangement with the Group. Group Billing Codes are meant to accommodate alternative methods of payment (cash or a 3rd party subsidy such as Jumpstart) rather than as a loan from the Group as essentially a GBC is a loan the Group is taking from their local Council.
If a family is low-income and cannot pay the fee, Scouts Canada has subsidies in place to assist. The No One Left Behind Subsidy is available for both registration fees and participation.
Can one GBC be used to register for more than one Scouting Year?
No. Codes are assigned a specific Scouting Year.
How can Groups locate GBC total owing?
Information such as names of youth who were registered via a Group Billing Code as well as fees owing can be located on the main Group Profile under Batches tab. Please note that Batches are separated by date, so if a Group has multiple youth registering via GBC, they will be placed into the Batch corresponding to the date of their registration in the system.
To view specific Batch details, simply click on one of the Batch Codes. Batch report will show Invoice Total which represents a sum of registration fees and group fees (if applicable); however, the only amount Group needs to pay to Scouts Canada is Total to Submit to Council, which includes registration fee(s) only. Groups charging a group fee must collect the fee directly from parents in case of a GBC registration and keep it with the Group. Please do not submit group fees to Scouts Canada. Only value showing in the Total to Submit to Council box is to be paid to Scouts Canada.
How can Groups submit payment for GBC registrations?
Preferred method of payment is an e-transfer to gbcpayments@scouts.ca which is fast and convenient.
If remitting payment for a Group Billing Code via e-transfer, Group is to indicate Group name in the comment section of the EFT, and is to immediately email gbcpayments@scouts.ca indicating that an EFT transfer has been made, include Group name, and the GBC Batch number the payment is for.
Alternatively, GBC payment may be submitted in a form of a Group Cheque which is to be mailed to the address below. Either the cheque itself or a note attached to it must indicate Group name and the GBC Batch number the payment is for.
Mailing address:
Scouts Canada
Attention: Membership Receivables
1345 Baseline Road
Ottawa, ON K2C 0A7
*Note: If a Group has overpaid their balance, it needs to deduct the difference from their next GBC registration payment as no refunds will be issued.
Help Centre
Still need help? Please feel free to contact the Scouts Canada Help Centre:
