diff --git a/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser.php b/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser.php
index ba2056171553..0a85acd50c9f 100644
--- a/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser.php
+++ b/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser.php
@@ -1000,9 +1000,6 @@ protected function formatContactParameters(&$values, &$params) {
     //      Note
     //      Custom
 
-    // Cache the various object fields
-    static $fields = [];
-
     // first add core contact values since for other Civi modules they are not added
     $contactFields = CRM_Contact_DAO_Contact::fields();
     _civicrm_api3_store_values($contactFields, $values, $params);
@@ -1016,6 +1013,10 @@ protected function formatContactParameters(&$values, &$params) {
       return TRUE;
     }
 
+    // Cache the various object fields
+    // @todo - remove this after confirming this is just a compilation of other-wise-cached fields.
+    static $fields = [];
+
     if (isset($values['individual_prefix'])) {
       if (!empty($params['prefix_id'])) {
         $prefixes = CRM_Core_PseudoConstant::get('CRM_Contact_DAO_Contact', 'prefix_id');
@@ -1164,18 +1165,15 @@ protected function formatContactParameters(&$values, &$params) {
     }
 
     // Check for custom field values
-
-    if (empty($fields['custom'])) {
-      $fields['custom'] = &CRM_Core_BAO_CustomField::getFields(CRM_Utils_Array::value('contact_type', $values),
-        FALSE, FALSE, NULL, NULL, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE
-      );
-    }
+    $customFields = CRM_Core_BAO_CustomField::getFields(CRM_Utils_Array::value('contact_type', $values),
+      FALSE, FALSE, NULL, NULL, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE
+    );
 
     foreach ($values as $key => $value) {
       if ($customFieldID = CRM_Core_BAO_CustomField::getKeyID($key)) {
         // check if it's a valid custom field id
 
-        if (!array_key_exists($customFieldID, $fields['custom'])) {
+        if (!array_key_exists($customFieldID, $customFields)) {
           return civicrm_api3_create_error('Invalid custom field ID');
         }
         else {
diff --git a/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/Contact.php b/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/Contact.php
index 5981a5fab58b..f8b543c6c5d8 100644
--- a/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/Contact.php
+++ b/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/Contact.php
@@ -477,6 +477,9 @@ public function getAllFields() {
    *
    * @return bool
    *   the result of this processing
+   *
+   * @throws \CiviCRM_API3_Exception
+   * @throws \CRM_Core_Exception
    */
   public function import($onDuplicate, &$values, $doGeocodeAddress = FALSE) {
     $config = CRM_Core_Config::singleton();
@@ -505,10 +508,7 @@ public function import($onDuplicate, &$values, $doGeocodeAddress = FALSE) {
       'contact_type' => $this->_contactType,
     ];
 
-    static $contactFields = NULL;
-    if ($contactFields == NULL) {
-      $contactFields = CRM_Contact_DAO_Contact::import();
-    }
+    $contactFields = CRM_Contact_DAO_Contact::import();
 
     //check if external identifier exists in database
     if (!empty($params['external_identifier']) && (!empty($params['id']) || in_array($onDuplicate, [
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/ContactTest.php b/tests/phpunit/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/ContactTest.php
index 835f393f2754..ff4e11c6c9ef 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/ContactTest.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/CRM/Contact/Import/Parser/ContactTest.php
@@ -37,7 +37,14 @@
  * @group headless
  */
 class CRM_Contact_Import_Parser_ContactTest extends CiviUnitTestCase {
-  protected $_tablesToTruncate = ['civicrm_address', 'civicrm_phone', 'civicrm_email'];
+  use CRMTraits_Custom_CustomDataTrait;
+
+  /**
+   * Main entity for the class.
+   *
+   * @var string
+   */
+  protected $entity = 'Contact';
 
   /**
    * Setup function.
@@ -46,6 +53,16 @@ public function setUp() {
     parent::setUp();
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Tear down after test.
+   *
+   * @throws \CRM_Core_Exception
+   */
+  public function tearDown() {
+    $this->quickCleanup(['civicrm_address', 'civicrm_phone', 'civicrm_email'], TRUE);
+    parent::tearDown();
+  }
+
   /**
    * Test that import parser will add contact with employee of relationship.
    *
@@ -316,6 +333,44 @@ public function testGenderLabel() {
     $this->callAPISuccessGetSingle('Contact', $contactValues);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Test that labels work for importing custom data.
+   *
+   * @throws \CRM_Core_Exception
+   */
+  public function testCustomDataLabel() {
+    $this->createCustomGroupWithFieldOfType([], 'select');
+    $contactValues = [
+      'first_name' => 'Bill',
+      'last_name' => 'Gates',
+      'email' => 'bill.gates@microsoft.com',
+      'nick_name' => 'Billy-boy',
+      $this->getCustomFieldName('select') => 'Yellow',
+    ];
+    $this->runImport($contactValues, CRM_Import_Parser::DUPLICATE_UPDATE, CRM_Import_Parser::VALID, [NULL, NULL, 'Primary', NULL, NULL]);
+    $contact = $this->callAPISuccessGetSingle('Contact', array_merge($contactValues, ['return' => $this->getCustomFieldName('select')]));
+    $this->assertEquals('Y', $contact[$this->getCustomFieldName('select')]);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Test that names work for importing custom data.
+   *
+   * @throws \CRM_Core_Exception
+   */
+  public function testCustomDataName() {
+    $this->createCustomGroupWithFieldOfType([], 'select');
+    $contactValues = [
+      'first_name' => 'Bill',
+      'last_name' => 'Gates',
+      'email' => 'bill.gates@microsoft.com',
+      'nick_name' => 'Billy-boy',
+      $this->getCustomFieldName('select') => 'Y',
+    ];
+    $this->runImport($contactValues, CRM_Import_Parser::DUPLICATE_UPDATE, CRM_Import_Parser::VALID, [NULL, NULL, 'Primary', NULL, NULL]);
+    $contact = $this->callAPISuccessGetSingle('Contact', array_merge($contactValues, ['return' => $this->getCustomFieldName('select')]));
+    $this->assertEquals('Y', $contact[$this->getCustomFieldName('select')]);
+  }
+
   /**
    * Test that the import parser adds the address to the primary location.
    *
@@ -464,20 +519,16 @@ public function testCustomFieldValidation() {
    */
   public function testImportFill() {
     // Create a custom field group for testing.
-    $custom_group_name = 'importFillGroup';
-    $results = $this->callAPISuccess('customGroup', 'get', ['title' => $custom_group_name]);
-    if ($results['count'] == 0) {
-      $api_params = [
-        'title' => $custom_group_name,
-        'extends' => 'Individual',
-        'is_active' => TRUE,
-      ];
-      $customGroup = $this->callAPISuccess('customGroup', 'create', $api_params);
-    }
+    $this->createCustomGroup([
+      'title' => 'importFillGroup',
+      'extends' => 'Individual',
+      'is_active' => TRUE,
+    ]);
+    $customGroupID = $this->ids['CustomGroup']['importFillGroup'];
 
     // Add two custom fields.
     $api_params = [
-      'custom_group_id' => $customGroup['id'],
+      'custom_group_id' => $customGroupID,
       'label' => 'importFillField1',
       'html_type' => 'Select',
       'data_type' => 'String',
@@ -490,7 +541,7 @@ public function testImportFill() {
     $customField1 = $result['id'];
 
     $api_params = [
-      'custom_group_id' => $customGroup['id'],
+      'custom_group_id' => $customGroupID,
       'label' => 'importFillField2',
       'html_type' => 'Select',
       'data_type' => 'String',
@@ -505,8 +556,6 @@ public function testImportFill() {
     // Now set up values.
     $original_gender = 'Male';
     $original_custom1 = 'foo';
-    $original_job_title = '';
-    $original_custom2 = '';
     $original_email = 'test-import-fill@example.org';
 
     $import_gender = 'Female';
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/CRMTraits/Custom/CustomDataTrait.php b/tests/phpunit/CRMTraits/Custom/CustomDataTrait.php
index af0e1936840d..963daae894a2 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/CRMTraits/Custom/CustomDataTrait.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/CRMTraits/Custom/CustomDataTrait.php
@@ -72,12 +72,21 @@ public function createCustomGroup($params = []) {
    * @throws \CRM_Core_Exception
    */
   public function createCustomGroupWithFieldOfType($groupParams = [], $customFieldType = 'text', $identifier = '') {
-    if ($customFieldType !== 'text') {
+    $supported = ['text', 'select'];
+    if (!in_array($customFieldType, $supported)) {
       throw new CRM_Core_Exception('we have not yet extracted other custom field types from createCustomFieldsOfAllTypes, Use consistent syntax when you do');
     }
     $groupParams['title'] = empty($groupParams['title']) ? $identifier . 'Group with field ' . $customFieldType : $groupParams['title'];
     $this->createCustomGroup($groupParams);
-    $customField = $this->createTextCustomField(['custom_group_id' => $this->ids['CustomGroup'][$groupParams['title']]]);
+    switch ($customFieldType) {
+      case 'text':
+        $customField = $this->createTextCustomField(['custom_group_id' => $this->ids['CustomGroup'][$groupParams['title']]]);
+        break;
+
+      case 'select':
+        $customField = $this->createSelectCustomField(['custom_group_id' => $this->ids['CustomGroup'][$groupParams['title']]]);
+        break;
+    }
     $this->ids['CustomField'][$identifier . $customFieldType] = $customField['id'];
   }
 
@@ -90,38 +99,7 @@ public function createCustomFieldsOfAllTypes() {
     $customField = $this->createTextCustomField(['custom_group_id' => $customGroupID]);
     $ids['text'] = $customField['id'];
 
-    $optionValue[] = [
-      'label' => 'Red',
-      'value' => 'R',
-      'weight' => 1,
-      'is_active' => 1,
-    ];
-    $optionValue[] = [
-      'label' => 'Yellow',
-      'value' => 'Y',
-      'weight' => 2,
-      'is_active' => 1,
-    ];
-    $optionValue[] = [
-      'label' => 'Green',
-      'value' => 'G',
-      'weight' => 3,
-      'is_active' => 1,
-    ];
-
-    $params = [
-      'label' => 'Pick Color',
-      'html_type' => 'Select',
-      'data_type' => 'String',
-      'weight' => 2,
-      'is_required' => 1,
-      'is_searchable' => 0,
-      'is_active' => 1,
-      'option_values' => $optionValue,
-      'custom_group_id' => $customGroupID,
-    ];
-
-    $customField = $this->callAPISuccess('custom_field', 'create', $params);
+    $customField = $this->createSelectCustomField(['custom_group_id' => $customGroupID]);
     $ids['select_string'] = $customField['id'];
 
     $params = [
@@ -229,4 +207,49 @@ protected function createTextCustomField($params = []) {
     return $this->callAPISuccess('CustomField', 'create', $params)['values'][0];
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Create custom select field.
+   *
+   * @param array $params
+   *   Parameter overrides, must include custom_group_id.
+   *
+   * @return array
+   */
+  protected function createSelectCustomField(array $params): array {
+    $optionValue = [
+      [
+        'label' => 'Red',
+        'value' => 'R',
+        'weight' => 1,
+        'is_active' => 1,
+      ],
+      [
+        'label' => 'Yellow',
+        'value' => 'Y',
+        'weight' => 2,
+        'is_active' => 1,
+      ],
+      [
+        'label' => 'Green',
+        'value' => 'G',
+        'weight' => 3,
+        'is_active' => 1,
+      ],
+    ];
+
+    $params = array_merge([
+      'label' => 'Pick Color',
+      'html_type' => 'Select',
+      'data_type' => 'String',
+      'weight' => 2,
+      'is_required' => 1,
+      'is_searchable' => 0,
+      'is_active' => 1,
+      'option_values' => $optionValue,
+    ], $params);
+
+    $customField = $this->callAPISuccess('custom_field', 'create', $params);
+    return $customField['values'][$customField['id']];
+  }
+
 }