diff --git a/app/commands.py b/app/commands.py
index 1c7918315..4b8f2b37f 100644
--- a/app/commands.py
+++ b/app/commands.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import functools
 import flask
 from flask import current_app
 import click
+from click_datetime import Datetime as click_dt
 
 from app import db
 from app.dao.monthly_billing_dao import (
@@ -49,26 +50,14 @@ class notify_command:
 
 
 @notify_command()
-@click.option('-p', '--provider_name', required=True, help='Provider name')
-@click.option('-c', '--cost', required=True, help='Cost (pence) per message including decimals')
-@click.option('-d', '--valid_from', required=True, help="Date (%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S) valid from")
+@click.option('-p', '--provider_name', required=True, type=click.Choice(PROVIDERS))
+@click.option('-c', '--cost', required=True, help='Cost (pence) per message including decimals', type=float)
+@click.option('-d', '--valid_from', required=True, type=click_dt(format='%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S'))
 def create_provider_rates(provider_name, cost, valid_from):
     """
     Backfill rates for a given provider
     """
-    if provider_name not in PROVIDERS:
-        raise Exception("Invalid provider name, must be one of ({})".format(', '.join(PROVIDERS)))
-
-    try:
-        cost = Decimal(cost)
-    except:
-        raise Exception("Invalid cost value.")
-
-    try:
-        valid_from = datetime.strptime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S', valid_from)
-    except:
-        raise Exception("Invalid valid_from date. Use the format %Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S")
-
+    cost = Decimal(cost)
     dao_create_provider_rates(provider_name, valid_from, cost)
 
 
@@ -203,18 +192,18 @@ def link_inbound_numbers_to_service():
 
 
 @notify_command()
-@click.option('-y', '--year', required=True, help="Use for integer value for year, e.g. 2017")
+@click.option('-y', '--year', required=True, help="e.g. 2017", type=int)
 def populate_monthly_billing(year):
     """
     Populate monthly billing table for all services for a given year.
     """
     def populate(service_id, year, month):
-        create_or_update_monthly_billing(service_id, datetime(int(year), int(month), 1))
+        create_or_update_monthly_billing(service_id, datetime(year, month, 1))
         sms_res = get_monthly_billing_by_notification_type(
-            service_id, datetime(int(year), int(month), 1), SMS_TYPE
+            service_id, datetime(year, month, 1), SMS_TYPE
         )
         email_res = get_monthly_billing_by_notification_type(
-            service_id, datetime(int(year), int(month), 1), EMAIL_TYPE
+            service_id, datetime(year, month, 1), EMAIL_TYPE
         )
         print("Finished populating data for {} for service id {}".format(month, str(service_id)))
         print('SMS: {}'.format(sms_res.monthly_totals))
@@ -225,7 +214,7 @@ def populate_monthly_billing(year):
     )
     start, end = 1, 13
 
-    if year == '2016':
+    if year == 2016:
         start = 4
 
     for service_id in service_ids:
@@ -237,14 +226,12 @@ def populate_monthly_billing(year):
 
 
 @notify_command()
-@click.option('-s', '--start_date', required=True, help="Date (%Y-%m-%d) start date inclusive")
-@click.option('-e', '--end_date', required=True, help="Date (%Y-%m-%d) end date inclusive")
+@click.option('-s', '--start_date', required=True, help="start date inclusive", type=click_dt(format='%Y-%m-%d'))
+@click.option('-e', '--end_date', required=True, help="end date inclusive", type=click_dt(format='%Y-%m-%d'))
 def backfill_processing_time(start_date, end_date):
     """
     Send historical performance platform stats.
     """
-    start_date = datetime.strptime(start_date, '%Y-%m-%d')
-    end_date = datetime.strptime(end_date, '%Y-%m-%d')
 
     delta = end_date - start_date
 
@@ -400,7 +387,7 @@ def populate_annual_billing():
 
 
 @notify_command()
-@click.option('-j', '--job_id', required=True, help="Enter the job id to rebuild the dvla file for")
+@click.option('-j', '--job_id', required=True, help="Enter the job id to rebuild the dvla file for", type=click.UUID)
 def re_run_build_dvla_file_for_job(job_id):
     """
     Rebuild dvla file for a job.
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index c186de052..68937f75d 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Flask-Marshmallow==0.8.0
 Flask-Migrate==2.1.1
 Flask-SQLAlchemy==2.3.2
 Flask==0.12.2
+click-datetime==0.2
 gunicorn==19.7.1
 iso8601==0.1.12
 jsonschema==2.6.0
diff --git a/tests/app/test_commands.py b/tests/app/test_commands.py
index d5f6e75e1..d5313d128 100644
--- a/tests/app/test_commands.py
+++ b/tests/app/test_commands.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ def test_backfill_processing_time_works_for_correct_dates(mocker, notify_api):
 
     # backfill_processing_time is a click.Command object - if you try invoking the callback on its own, it
     # throws a `RuntimeError: There is no active click context.` - so get at the original function using __wrapped__
-    backfill_processing_time.callback.__wrapped__('2017-08-01', '2017-08-03')
+    backfill_processing_time.callback.__wrapped__(datetime(2017, 8, 1), datetime(2017, 8, 3))
 
     assert send_mock.call_count == 3
     send_mock.assert_any_call(datetime(2017, 7, 31, 23, 0), datetime(2017, 8, 1, 23, 0))