Fathom 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Fathom is the financial reporting, forecasting and analysis service at fathomhq.com that accountants and businesses connect to Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and other accounting systems. Because those connections carry a company's books, two-factor authentication (2FA) isn't always your choice. Fathom makes it mandatory for every user of an account that connects to an Australian entity stored in the cloud, and for any account that connects to a Xero entity anywhere in the world (Fathom). An administrator can also switch it on for everyone.

The code itself always comes from an authenticator app. Email and text messages are only there to recover the account, not to sign in day to day. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app that makes time-based codes works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Fathom steps come from Fathom's own help centre, linked below, which we read on October 22, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Fathom account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

If 2FA is required for you, Fathom may ask you to set it up right after you sign in. Otherwise you start it from your account details. Fathom says the steps are the same either way (Fathom):

1. Sign in to Fathom and open Change My Details at the top right.
2. Choose Setup 2FA. Fathom shows a QR code.
3. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the code. If Fathom is open on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
4. Fathom's help says you can also type the code by hand, but it doesn't name the text key or show where it appears. If you find one, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste it into Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
5. Type the 6-digit code from Novaz into Fathom and click Next.
6. Add at least one recovery method (next section).

Fathom says its app codes change every 30 seconds (Fathom), which matches what Novaz makes from a typed key.

Set up a recovery email or phone

Fathom doesn't give you backup codes. Instead, setup asks for at least one other way to reach you, and you can add both (Fathom):

• Email: it has to be a different address from the one you sign in with. Fathom suggests a personal address if you use Fathom for work. Fathom emails a code to confirm it.
• SMS: choose your country, enter your number, and type the 6-digit code Fathom texts you.

These only help you recover the account. You can't use them in place of the authenticator code at a normal sign-in. Unless you back up Novaz with iCloud backup or Export to file…, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so pick a recovery email or phone you won't lose along with it.

When Fathom asks for a code

After setup, Fathom asks for a 6-digit code from your app the next time you sign in. If you use the same computer and browser every time, you can choose to enter the code once every 30 days instead of at each sign-in (Fathom).

If an administrator enforces 2FA

Administrator-level users can turn on Enforce Two-Factor Authentication under the Cog/Gear icon, Organisation Settings, then Security. Users without 2FA then get an email, and at their next sign-in they can skip the setup prompt only once (Fathom).

If Fathom rejects your code

Fathom's own advice is about time: a code that fails is often caused by your device's clock drifting from Fathom's, so let your network set the time automatically (Fathom). On iPhone, open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. For other causes, see Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Fathom's way is to sign in with your current app, open Change My Details, choose Reset 2FA, and then go through setup again with the new phone. You'll have to enter your recovery methods again too (Fathom). Do this before you wipe the old iPhone. If you restore a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file on the new iPhone instead, your Fathom codes keep working and you can skip the reset. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

1. Go to app.fathomhq.com/login and sign in with your email and password.
2. When Fathom asks for the code, select Recover Account. Fathom sends a code to your recovery email or phone.
3. Enter that code. Once you're in, Fathom recommends going to Change My Details, choosing Disable 2FA, and setting it up again (Fathom).

If the recovery methods don't work either, email support@fathomhq.com and ask them to disable 2FA. Fathom wants you to have tried the recovery methods several times first, and to write about your own login, not someone else's. You'll need to prove the account is yours, which Fathom says can take a day or two (Fathom). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Changing recovery details or turning 2FA off

The same Disable 2FA option in Change My Details is how you change your recovery email or phone: turn 2FA off, then set it up again with the new details (Fathom). Fathom's pages call this option Disable 2FA in one article and Reset 2FA in another, so look for either. If 2FA is mandatory for your account, expect Fathom to ask you to set it up again.

Official Fathom help

• Set up two-factor authentication
• What is two-factor authentication?
• Manage two-factor authentication
• Use two-factor authentication with a new device
• Make 2FA Mandatory