22d • Jira
Jira Just Got Smarter: Formula Custom Fields Are Here
Atlassian just dropped something I've been waiting years for — Formula Custom Fields in Jira Cloud. This is rolling out now in open beta, and it's a genuine game-changer for how we handle calculated data in Jira.
Let me break down what this means for you and why I'm excited about it.
What Are Formula Fields?
Think of them as Excel formulas, but native to Jira. You create a custom field that automatically calculates values based on other fields in your issue. No more manual calculations, no more "I forgot to update that field" moments.
Real-world examples:
- Risk scoring — multiply Probability × Impact to get an automatic risk rating
- Cost calculations — Hours Estimated × Hourly Rate = Project Cost
- Effort rollups — sum multiple effort fields into a single total
- Date estimates — calculate target dates based on other date fields
- Business impact scores — combine multiple factors into one weighted score
The formula runs automatically. The field updates itself. You just read the result.
How It Works
Formula fields are a new custom field type. You set up the formula once, and Jira calculates the output for every issue where that field exists.
Key things to understand:
The fields are read-only — they display calculated values, you can't manually override them. This is actually a good thing because it means your data stays consistent.
Formulas work within a single issue — you can't pull data from child issues or linked issues (yet). So if you're hoping to roll up Story Points from subtasks to a parent, that's not what this does. This calculates values from fields on the same issue.
Once you pick an output type (number, text, date), you can't change it — you'd need to create a new formula field. So plan ahead.
What's Available Now (December 2025)
If you're on a team-managed project (Business, Software, or Service), you can start using this today:
- Reference number custom fields and integers
- Use mathematical operators and functions
- Output as numbers, currency, or percentages
- See results on issues and in the All Work view
What's Coming Next
Early 2026 (~March): Date/time inputs, Priority, Select fields, Labels, Categories, Short text. Plus text and date outputs, and visibility on board cards.
Late Spring (~April): Company-managed project support with all the same capabilities.
First half of 2026: JQL search support (huge!), Plans List view support, and duration outputs for calculating time between dates.
My Take
This fills a gap that's existed in Jira for far too long. We've all built workarounds — ScriptRunner post-functions, automation rules that fire on every update, third-party apps charging monthly fees. Now we get native calculated fields that just work.
The limitation around single-issue scope is worth noting. If you need parent-child rollups, you'll still need automation rules or apps like Structure. But for straightforward calculations within an issue? This is cleaner and more maintainable than anything we've had before.
I'll be testing this extensively over the coming weeks and will share practical formula examples as I build them out.
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Jira Just Got Smarter: Formula Custom Fields Are Here
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