The Payreq Interface Specification is the technical document that defines how an external system connects to Payreq Delivery to send documents and manage Contacts automatically, rather than through the console. It covers two integration methods:
- File exchange over SFTP — batch files of Contacts, Bills, External Bills, or Payroll documents, dropped to a Payreq SFTP location on a schedule you control. See Uploading Mail via SFTP.
- A JSON-REST API — for managing Contacts, submitting and tracking processing jobs, and querying delivery outcomes programmatically. See Payreq API.
Who this is for
This is technical reference material for a mailhouse's development team, or a sender's own technical/integration contact building an automated pipeline. If you just need to send documents through the console yourself, you don't need this specification — see Uploading Mail instead, which covers the simpler merged-PDF console upload.
File types covered
| File type | What it's for | Current interface version |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Adding or updating the people/accounts Payreq can deliver to | 4.0.0 |
| Bill | Bill or notice documents for delivery, including line items | 5.1.0 (4.5.0 still supported and most stable) |
| External | Bill-type documents delivered outside Payreq's usual channels | 4.0.0 |
| Payroll | Payroll documents such as payslips | 4.2.0 |
Each file type has its own record format and validation rules. If a file doesn't match the expected format, the upload Job shows an Error status — see Understanding Job Statuses and Errors for common causes and how to fix and resubmit.
Delivery channels
Whichever integration method you use, Payreq delivers documents out through whichever digital channel each recipient is registered for, currently:
- BPAY View (Australia)
- Peppol eInvoicing (Australia/New Zealand)
- Payreq, Payreq Group, Payreq Xero, Payreq MYOB, Payreq Reckon
Versioning
The interface evolves over time, both the file formats and the API. Payreq maintains a version history, and more than one version can be supported at once. For example, the current Bill file version is 5.1.0, but the legacy 4.5.0 format (interface spec 1.12.18) is still accepted for integrations that haven't migrated yet. When you're building or updating an integration, always confirm which version your build should target.
Getting the full spec
This overview doesn't reproduce the full field-by-field specification. Because it's a detailed technical document (exact field names, data types, lengths, and validation rules for every record type, plus the full REST endpoint reference), Payreq provides the current, complete specification directly to mailhouses and technical contacts as part of onboarding or when planning an integration change.
Contact your Payreq account or technical support directly to make sure we align with your needs and answer any implementation queries.
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