Formula Fields are here in Jira 🎉 — and if you need more than the basics, you can go further today

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Atlassian just introduced Formula custom fields in Jira Cloud, and honestly, about time. A lot of teams have wanted simple calculations directly on work items for years: ratings, cost estimates, impact scoring, KPIs… the kind of stuff you really don’t want living in spreadsheets.

For many teams, Jira’s built-in Formula fields will be exactly what they need: quick, lightweight, “stop doing mental math” improvements.

At the same time, Jira teams are… ambitious 😄 Once a calculation becomes part of planning, prioritization, or reporting, it tends to grow up fast. And suddenly “A + B” becomes “A + B, but only if…, and please roll it up…, and also I need to explain why the number looks like that.”

That’s where our app comes in.

Meet Advanced Formula Fields (formerly Smart Fields for Jira)

If you knew our app as Smart Fields for Jira: it’s now called Advanced Formula Fields.

We renamed it because Atlassian introduced native Formula fields with similar wording, and we want it to be crystal clear what you’re installing and what it’s for.

You’re more hands-on and curious about what it looks like in Jira? Head over to the Atlassian Marketplace.

Native Formula fields: a great start (and very welcome)

Built-in Formula fields are a strong addition when you need:

• simple arithmetic

• values derived from fields on the same work item

• a quick way to avoid manual math

That’s not a small thing. Especially for teams that just want calculated values inside Jira with minimal setup. 

Quick reality check: what the native feature can and can’t do right now

This part matters, because it explains why “native + app” can be a very reasonable combination instead of an either/or.

Today’s current boundaries (as of Atlassian’s rollout notes):

1. It’s currently an open beta
   Atlassian explicitly launched Formula fields as an open beta and linked GA to additional capabilities, such as JQL support.

2. Numeric focus in the initial rollout
   The December 2025 rollout is described as numeric outputs with formatting options for numbers, currencies, and percentages.

3. Function set is defined (and limited compared to “full spreadsheet” expectations)
   Atlassian provides a specific list of supported operators/functions for formulas.

4. Team-managed projects only (for now)
   In the initial rollout, Formula fields are available only in team-managed spaces, with company-managed support listed for later (late Spring 2026, according to the announcement).

None of this is “bad”. It’s exactly how new native capabilities tend to land: start with the most common use cases, then expand.

• Now: open beta, numeric outputs, team-managed only

• Next: more types/inputs + company-managed + JQL (per Atlassian timeline)

Where things get tricky: “real Jira” calculation

Once formulas become part of how you run Jira (not just a nice-to-have), teams often need:

• defaults for missing values (because real data is messy)

• conditional logic (“if this, then that”)

• reusable patterns across teams/projects (so you don’t copy/paste forever)

• roll-ups across work items (parent/child, epic/story, linked work items)

• recalculation at scale

• transparency: understanding why a value looks the way it does (and debugging when it doesn’t)

Atlassian’s own announcement calls out the single-work-item scope today (no cross-work item rollups yet), which is exactly where many “advanced” cases start.

The “superior usability” part: templates you can wire up in minutes (not rebuild from scratch)

One thing we see again and again: most teams don’t want to become formula-language experts. They want the result.

That’s why Advanced Formula Fields ships with dozens of preconfigured templates for common scenarios—ratings, KPIs, roll-ups, counts, comparisons, and other “classic Jira math” patterns—so you typically don’t start from a blank page. You mostly rewire the right fields to match your setup.

Think of it like: “pick a proven recipe, swap in your ingredients.”

Want the fast path? Browse the template library and pick a ready-made pattern (ratings, KPIs, scoring, roll-ups).

Mini use cases (the stuff you’ll actually build next week)

Here are a few quick examples that come up a lot:

1) A prioritization score that stays consistent

Combine business impact, confidence, and effort or ease into a single score. All by simply mapping the template to the fields where you measure these factors.

2) Show "hidden" information or information that is otherwise cumbersome to access

Show parent-related information, such as assignee or priority, historical information, such as the previous assignee, or space-related information, such as its category or lead, directly within your work item view.

3) Roll-ups across work items (where teams usually hit the ceiling)

Sum story points/cost/remaining work at the parent level (epic → stories, parent → children).

4) “Why is this number weird?” (debuggable formulas)

When formulas become important, troubleshooting support becomes a feature, not a nice-to-have. Besides a sophisticated Execution log, Advanced Formula Fields comes with a neat field overview, usage tracking, status updates for the last 5 calculations, and the ability to recalculate or reconfigure everything from within one place.

Built-in vs Advanced: a fair comparison (without the “gotcha” vibes)

Here’s the neutral way we think about it:

• Native Jira Formula fields = great for straightforward, single-work item calculations (especially right now in beta).

• Advanced Formula Fields = when formulas become part of your system design: reusable, scalable, explainable, and (when needed) beyond single-work item scope.

What you’re trying to do	Jira Formula fields (current state)	Advanced Formula Fields
Quick calculations on one work item	Great fit	Great fit
Output formatting	Number / currency / percentage	Richer patterns via templates + text/number fields (App approach)
Function breadth	Defined set of supported functions	Template library + advanced scenarios to start faster
Cross-work item roll-ups	Not supported today (single work item scope)	Built for advanced scenarios (Incl. roll-up style use cases)
Scale + maintainability	Emerging (Beta + expanding roadmap)	Designed for repeatable setups (templates, governance patterns)
Availability scope	Team-managed only (Company-managed later)	Available as an app today

Explore Advanced Formula Fields on the Atlassian Marketplace today!

The point isn’t “either/or

We’re genuinely happy Atlassian shipped Formula fields natively. It’s a big win, and it’ll get better over time.

And if you’re already at the point where you want templates, faster setup, advanced scenarios, and more transparency, you don’t have to wait: Advanced Formula Fields is available today (and yes, it’s the same app you may remember as Smart Fields).

So what’s your use case that you’d love to implement right away (rating, KPI, prioritization score, roll-up, etc.)? Put it in the comments.

We’re happy to point you to a template (or custom formula) that gets you there.