diff --git a/app/helpers/orbit_backend_helper.rb b/app/helpers/orbit_backend_helper.rb
index 9c0c842..438e48f 100644
--- a/app/helpers/orbit_backend_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/orbit_backend_helper.rb
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ module OrbitBackendHelper
     options[:icon_date] ||= 'icons-calendar'
     options[:icon_clear] ||= 'icons-cross-3'
     options[:input_class] ||= 'input-large'
+    options[:new_record] = true if options[:new_record].nil?
     options[:value] ||= options[:object].send(method) if options[:object] && options[:object][method]
     case options[:picker_type]
     when 'date'