Mailhouse Bill Run Overview

Some Payreq Delivery customers work with a mailhouse to prepare, print, lodge, and upload notices as part of their billing process.

While each mailer and mailhouse may have slightly different operational steps, the general process follows the same pattern.

1. Contact Records Are Updated

Before notices are sent, the relevant contact records in Payreq should be updated.

This helps ensure Payreq has the latest customer and delivery information for the bill run.

Contacts are usually updated as part of each billing run. Some mailers may also update contacts between billing runs.

2. Notice Data Is Provided to the Mailhouse

The mailer provides notice data to the mailhouse.

The mailhouse uses this data to compose the notices and prepare them for digital delivery, archive, and print where required.

3. Active Subscriptions Are Checked

The mailhouse checks the current list of Active Subscriptions in Payreq.

This list is used to identify which customers are registered for digital delivery and which notices still need to be printed and lodged.

Because customers can subscribe or unsubscribe at any time, the Active Subscriptions list should be retrieved as close as practical to the print decision.

4. The Print and Digital Split Is Determined

The mailhouse compares the notice data against the Active Subscriptions list.

Generally:

5. The Full Notice Job Is Uploaded to Payreq

The full notice job should be uploaded to Payreq.

This includes both:

• notices intended for digital delivery; and
• notices that have been printed and should be retained for archive purposes.

Where a notice has been printed and should not be digitally dispatched, it should be marked using the agreed archive indicator in the notice file.

6. Payreq Processes the Uploaded Job

Once the file has been uploaded, Payreq processes the notice job.

Depending on the agreed integration method, the mailhouse may also need to trigger job processing using the Payreq API.

The mailhouse should review the processing results and resolve any records that failed to load.

7. Notices Are Reviewed and Approved

The mailer reviews the notices in Payreq and approves them for send.

Once approved:

• notices with an active digital subscription are dispatched through the relevant digital channel; and
• notices marked for archive are retained in Payreq but not digitally dispatched.

8. Printed Notices Are Lodged Separately

Notices without a digital subscription are printed and lodged by the mailhouse, usually with Australia Post.

These notices may still appear in Payreq for archive or historical reference, depending on the agreed process.

Why Timing Matters

Subscription data can change during a bill run.

For example, a customer may unsubscribe after the mailhouse has retrieved the Active Subscriptions list but before notices are approved in Payreq.

To reduce the risk of a notice being missed, the Active Subscriptions list should be retrieved as close as practical to the print decision, and the full notice job should be uploaded to Payreq wherever possible.

Important Notes

The exact process may vary depending on the mailer, mailhouse, file format, and integration method.

Before each bill run, the parties should confirm:

• who is responsible for updating Contacts;
• when the Active Subscriptions list will be retrieved;
• whether the full notice job will be uploaded;
• how printed/archive notices should be marked in the file;
• who reviews processing results; and
• who approves the notices in Payreq.

This helps ensure notices are delivered through the correct channel and that all parties have a clear view of the bill run.

Delivery users can be managed from the Account Permissions tab. From here, users with the required access can invite new users, update existing user details, manage permissions, and access user notification settings.

User permissions and notification preferences are managed separately for each user. This allows your organisation to control what each user can access, and which operational items they are notified about.