Bill load types: Standard and Historical

When submitting bills to Payreq Delivery through SFTP, the Bill Load Type determines how Payreq processes each document and what happens when the customer does not have an active digital subscription.

There are three available bill load types:

• STANDARD
• HISTORICAL
• ARCHIVE

Selecting the correct load type is important because it determines whether documents are delivered, archived or reported as errors.

Where the Bill Load Type Is Set

The Bill Load Type is entered in Field 11 of the header record in the bill index file.

This field:

• applies only to files with the file type BILL_LOAD
• accepts STANDARD or HISTORICAL
• is optional, but defaults to STANDARD when left blank

Important: Do not leave Field 11 blank unless the file is intended to be processed as a Standard load. 

Historical Document Services

For archive-type services, Payreq recommends using a two-load process:

1. Upload documents for customers with an active digital subscription as a STANDARD load
2. Upload the remaining printed records as a HISTORICAL load

This approach separates the digital delivery population from the print population. It helps prevent situations where a customer unsubscribes themselves after the active Subscriptions are retrieved.

In this workflow:

• STANDARD is used for current documents that should be digitally delivered.
• HISTORICAL is used to retain a record of printed documents in Payreq.
• ARCHIVE is generally not used unless specifically agreed with Payreq for a particular workflow.

Bill Load Types at a glance

Standard Loads

A STANDARD load is intended for documents that are expected to be digitally delivered.

Payreq checks each document for an active digital subscription:

• Where an active subscription exists, the document is sent through the applicable digital delivery channel.
• Where no active subscription exists, the document is reported as an error.

A Standard load should therefore only contain documents for customers who are known to have an active digital subscription.

When to use a Standard Load

Use STANDARD when:

• the file contains the digital delivery population only
• the customers in the file have active digital subscriptions
• the documents are current bills, notices or other current documents that should be delivered digitally

For archive-type services, this should be the first load submitted to Payreq.

Historical Loads

A HISTORICAL load archives all documents in the file.

Historical loads are used when documents need to be retained in Payreq, but should not be treated as a normal current digital bill run.

This includes:

• printed records from a current bill run
• documents issued before a Payreq implementation
• migrated document archives
• previous bills or notices being added to a customer’s document history

For archive-type services, the Historical load should contain the records that have been sent to print. These documents are retained in Payreq for archive or history purposes, while the printed document remains the customer’s delivery copy.

When to use Historical Load

Use HISTORICAL when:

• the document has been or will be delivered outside Payreq, such as by print
• Payreq is retaining the document for archive or reference purposes
• the document should not trigger normal current digital delivery
• the file contains printed records rather than active digital subscription records

Important: Do not include digitally subscribed records in the Historical load if those records are intended to be delivered digitally. Those records should be submitted separately as a Standard load.

Archive Loads

An ARCHIVE load sends documents for customers with an active digital subscription and archives documents for customers without an active digital subscription.

Although this can be useful in some workflows, Payreq does not generally recommend using ARCHIVE as the default approach for archive-type services.

This is because the ARCHIVE load allows Payreq to determine the digital and non-digital populations at load time. If a customer is treated as digitally delivered and later unsubscribes, they may not be included in the printed population for that bill run.

For this reason, Payreq recommends using the two-load process instead:

• STANDARD for digitally subscribed records
• HISTORICAL for printed records

When to use an Archive Load

Use ARCHIVE only where this behaviour has been specifically agreed with Payreq.

This may apply to specific workflows where:

• Payreq is expected to determine delivery treatment at load time
• the sender and print service provider understand how print suppression will be managed
• the timing of subscription changes has been considered
• the risk of customers missing a printed copy has been addressed

Choosing the correct Load Type

Is this a current document for a customer with an active digital subscription?

Use STANDARD.

Is this a printed record that should be retained in Payreq?

Use HISTORICAL.

Is this a previous bill, notice or document being backloaded?

Use HISTORICAL.

Are you considering submitting one combined file containing both digital and print customers?

Do not use ARCHIVE unless this has been reviewed and agreed with Payreq.

Additional considerations

Blank values default to Standard

When Field 11 is omitted or left blank, Payreq processes the file as a STANDARD load.

This may result in errors if the file contains documents for customers without active digital subscriptions.

Avoid duplicate records

For archive-type services, the same document should not normally be included in both the Standard load and the Historical load.

The Standard load should contain the digital delivery population.

The Historical load should contain the print population.