Building on top of accounting platforms means dealing with an inevitable reality: platform APIs contain thousands of fields that customers might need, but unified APIs can only support a subset. When customers hit these field gaps during critical business operations, they face an unpleasant choice between waiting for the unified API to add support or building direct platform integrations.
This tension affects every integration team. A customer needs to populate a specific memo field for compliance reporting, but it's not supported yet. Another requires custom tax configurations that vary by jurisdiction. Month-end close deadlines don't accommodate development cycles.
Today we're eliminating this constraint with field-level passthrough. Customers can now set any field supported by QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, or any other accounting platform Rutter supports.
Our approach integrates platform-specific field access directly into existing unified API endpoints. Instead of separate API calls or configuration steps, customers can simply add a new object to their standard requests, setting the value for any field supported by the platform’s API.
The passthrough data merges with our unified field mapping, with passthrough values taking precedence if conflicts occur. This means customers can use our standard request structure for common fields while accessing platform-specific capabilities for edge cases.
For example, updating an invoice can now take advantage of both Rutter’s unified fields and platform-specific fields, all in a single request. This eliminates the architectural complexity of maintaining separate integration patterns for different types of field access.
Unlike competitors, Rutter gives you immediate access to all fields, vs a small subset of “custom fields” or no access at all. Existing solutions typically require either pre-configuration steps that delay field access or endpoint-level passthrough that forces customers to understand each platform's complete API structure. Field-level passthrough provides platform field access within the existing unified request model.
We’ve preserved unified API benefits while eliminating field coverage constraints. Now, teams don't have to choose between convenience and completeness.
Field-level passthrough operates across all modern accounting platforms supported by Rutter, including Xero, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and NetSuite. The feature supports both simple field additions and complex nested structures like customized line item configurations. Check out our Integration Library for a holistic view of the Accounting Platforms we support.
The implementation works on all POST and PATCH endpoints in our accounting API, with no additional authentication or new endpoint calls required. Teams can start using platform-specific fields immediately with their existing API credentials and request patterns.
Platform field names and data structures pass through directly, so customers simply have to reference the target platform's API documentation for field specifications. This approach maintains compatibility with platform updates and new field additions, and grows with your team’s needs.
Most teams start by identifying their most frequent field gap requests and testing those scenarios. Common use cases include custom reference fields for enhanced transaction tracking, platform-specific tax configurations for compliance requirements, and industry-specific data fields that vary between accounting systems.
The implementation integrates with existing error handling and response patterns. Platform-specific validation errors return through our standard error response structure, maintaining consistency with unified field validation.
Ready to eliminate platform field constraints and move to a unified API that can do it all?
Check out the field-level passthrough docs. Then, reach out to our team to get a demo of how Rutter can help your business.
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