diff --git a/app/controllers/api/submissions_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api/submissions_controller.rb
index 2770e283b..131e6779e 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api/submissions_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api/submissions_controller.rb
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ def submissions_params
                         { metadata: {}, values: {}, readonly_fields: [], message: %i[subject body],
                           fields: [:name, :uuid, :default_value, :value, :title, :description,
                                    :readonly, :redacted, :validation_pattern, :invalid_message,
-                                   { default_value: [], value: [] }] }]]
+                                   { default_value: [], value: [], preferences: {} }] }]]
         }
       ]
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/api/submitters_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api/submitters_controller.rb
index 99d9f3a81..442d16007 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api/submitters_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api/submitters_controller.rb
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ def submitter_params
         { metadata: {}, values: {}, readonly_fields: [], message: %i[subject body],
           fields: [[:name, :uuid, :default_value, :value,
                     :readonly, :redacted, :validation_pattern, :invalid_message,
-                    { default_value: [], value: [] }]] }
+                    { default_value: [], value: [], preferences: {} }]] }
       )
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/submissions/create_from_submitters.rb b/lib/submissions/create_from_submitters.rb
index 6635ba70e..89ee429de 100644
--- a/lib/submissions/create_from_submitters.rb
+++ b/lib/submissions/create_from_submitters.rb
@@ -130,6 +130,8 @@ def assign_field_attrs(field, attrs)
         end
       end
 
+      field['preferences'] = (field['preferences'] || {}).merge(attrs['preferences']) if attrs['preferences'].present?
+
       return field if attrs['validation_pattern'].blank?
 
       field['validation'] = {