We're excited to announce some major improvements to the Client and Job Custom Field sync with Xero Practice Manager. With the new synchronisation, Client and Job Custom Fields will be updated more frequently as changes occur within FYI.
The new Custom Field sync will become available to all practices over several updates. We've covered the stages below, and will continue to update this article as the changes are released.
Rollout of the Custom Field Sync
Release Timings
- Release Stage 1: Initial small subset of practices with less than one Custom Field synced overnight monthly. Released 14/08/2025.
- Release Stage 2: Practices with less than one Custom Field synced overnight monthly. Released 20/08/2025.
- Release Stage 3: Higher sync-frequency practices. Released 18/09/2025.
- Release Stage 4: Available to all eligible practices. Release Date 10/10/25.
- General Release: Release Date 23/10/25.
What does this mean for FYI users?
The optimised Custom Field sync offers the following benefits for users:
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New Bi-directional sync: When changes to Client or Job Custom Field values in FYI are synchronised to XPM, a new additional check will be made for any modified Custom Field values for the relevant client or job in XPM. Changes will be synchronised to FYI within 15 minutes.
Please note that changes to Custom Fields in Xero Practice Manager by third-party integrations will not be synchronised to FYI, unless there is a change to the Client or Job Details in XPM, when using the Bi-directional sync from FYI, or during the weekend overnight sync. For Job Custom Fields, this also includes changes made by users directly in XPM.
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More frequent synchronisations: Previously, Xero Practice Manager would only synchronise updates to Job Custom Fields to FYI overnight. With the new Bi-directional sync, updates are event-based and can be synchronised much faster.
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Weekend Overnight Custom Field Sync: To complement the new Bi-directional sync, an overnight sync of all Client and Job Custom Field values will be performed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. This will minimise the impact of large synchronisations during the working week and avoid interruptions to day-to-day activity.
The weekend sync ensures that all Client and Job Custom Fields are refreshed weekly, including where updates made in XPM (by third-party systems or directly by users on job Custom Fields) would not otherwise trigger a sync to FYI.
It's strongly encouraged to maintain Custom Fields in FYI to ensure optimal sync performance.
For detailed information on the optimised Custom Field Sync, refer to Synchronising Clients, Staff, Jobs, Time, Tax Returns with Xero Practice Manager.
Who is this available for?
The new Custom Field sync will be released in various stages to practices with the following configuration:
- Practice Management Source must be set to Xero Practice Manager.
- The FYI as Primary for Client Maintenance option must not be enabled.
- The Xero Practice Manager app setting Sync Custom Fields from XPM must be enabled to ensure changes to Custom Fields in Xero Practice Manager are synchronised to FYI.
There is no action required to enable the new functionality.
Minimal impact on the sync is expected. If experiencing any issues synchronising Custom Fields, refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (Client Custom Fields, Job Custom Fields) or contact the Support Team.