diff --git a/app/celery/letters_pdf_tasks.py b/app/celery/letters_pdf_tasks.py
index a7b565139..d70265791 100644
--- a/app/celery/letters_pdf_tasks.py
+++ b/app/celery/letters_pdf_tasks.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-from datetime import datetime
 from flask import current_app
 import math
 from requests import (
@@ -14,7 +13,7 @@ from app.config import QueueNames
 from app.dao.notifications_dao import (
     get_notification_by_id,
     update_notification_status_by_id,
-    dao_update_notifications_by_reference
+    dao_update_notification
 )
 from app.statsd_decorators import statsd
 
@@ -35,22 +34,12 @@ def create_letters_pdf(self, notification_id):
             notification.id, notification.reference, notification.created_at, len(pdf_data)))
         s3.upload_letters_pdf(reference=notification.reference, crown=notification.service.crown, filedata=pdf_data)
 
-        updated_count = dao_update_notifications_by_reference(
-            references=[notification.reference],
-            update_dict={
-                "billable_units": billable_units,
-                "updated_at": datetime.utcnow()
-            }
-        )
+        notification.billable_units = billable_units
+        dao_update_notification(notification)
 
-        if not updated_count:
-            msg = "Update letter notification billing units failed: notification not found with reference {}".format(
-                notification.reference)
-            current_app.logger.error(msg)
-        else:
-            current_app.logger.info(
-                'Letter notification reference {reference}: billable units set to {billable_units}'.format(
-                    reference=str(notification.reference), billable_units=billable_units))
+        current_app.logger.info(
+            'Letter notification reference {reference}: billable units set to {billable_units}'.format(
+                reference=str(notification.reference), billable_units=billable_units))
 
     except (RequestException, BotoClientError):
         try:
diff --git a/tests/app/celery/test_letters_pdf_tasks.py b/tests/app/celery/test_letters_pdf_tasks.py
index c540a2388..a414fa2db 100644
--- a/tests/app/celery/test_letters_pdf_tasks.py
+++ b/tests/app/celery/test_letters_pdf_tasks.py
@@ -97,19 +97,6 @@ def test_create_letters_pdf_sets_billable_units(mocker, sample_letter_notificati
     assert noti.billable_units == 1
 
 
-def test_create_letters_pdf_handles_update_failure(mocker, sample_letter_notification):
-    mocker.patch('app.celery.letters_pdf_tasks.get_letters_pdf', return_value=(b'\x00\x01', 1))
-    mocker.patch('app.celery.tasks.s3.upload_letters_pdf')
-    mocker.patch('app.celery.tasks.letters_pdf_tasks.dao_update_notifications_by_reference', return_value=0)
-    mock_error_logger = mocker.patch('app.celery.letters_pdf_tasks.current_app.logger.error')
-
-    create_letters_pdf(sample_letter_notification.id)
-
-    mock_error_logger.assert_called_once_with(
-        "Update letter notification billing units failed: notification not found with reference {}".format(
-            sample_letter_notification.reference))
-
-
 def test_create_letters_pdf_non_existent_notification(notify_api, mocker, fake_uuid):
     with pytest.raises(expected_exception=NoResultFound):
         create_letters_pdf(fake_uuid)