diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java
index 09cb528e0f4..ade63afa51a 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.java
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ public class CompositeBucketsChangeCollector implements ChangeCollector {
                             entry.getKey(),
                             entry.getValue().getMissingBucket(),
                             ((DateHistogramGroupSource) entry.getValue()).getRounding(),
-                            entry.getKey().equals(synchronizationField)
+                            entry.getValue().getField().equals(synchronizationField)
                         )
                     );
                     break;
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java
index 2ee5a0553f1..a09cc2a4a75 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/transform/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/transform/transforms/pivot/CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests.java
@@ -15,12 +15,15 @@ import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.NamedXContentRegistry;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentParser;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilder;
+import org.elasticsearch.index.query.RangeQueryBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.TermsQueryBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.aggregations.Aggregations;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.aggregations.bucket.composite.CompositeAggregation;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.aggregations.bucket.composite.CompositeAggregationBuilder;
+import org.elasticsearch.search.aggregations.bucket.histogram.DateHistogramInterval;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.builder.SearchSourceBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.ESTestCase;
+import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.DateHistogramGroupSource;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.GeoTileGroupSourceTests;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.GroupConfig;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.transform.transforms.pivot.GroupConfigTests;
@@ -43,6 +46,7 @@ import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import static org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentFactory.jsonBuilder;
 import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.instanceOf;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsInAnyOrder;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
@@ -138,6 +142,60 @@ public class CompositeBucketsChangeCollectorTests extends ESTestCase {
         assertThat(((TermsQueryBuilder) queryBuilder).values(), containsInAnyOrder("id1", "id2", "id3"));
     }
 
+    public void testDateHistogramFieldCollector() throws IOException {
+        Map<String, SingleGroupSource> groups = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+
+        SingleGroupSource groupBy = new DateHistogramGroupSource(
+            "timestamp",
+            null,
+            false,
+            new DateHistogramGroupSource.FixedInterval(DateHistogramInterval.MINUTE),
+            null
+        );
+        groups.put("output_timestamp", groupBy);
+
+        ChangeCollector collector = CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.buildChangeCollector(
+            getCompositeAggregation(groups),
+            groups,
+            "timestamp"
+        );
+
+        QueryBuilder queryBuilder = collector.buildFilterQuery(66_666, 200_222);
+        assertNotNull(queryBuilder);
+        assertThat(queryBuilder, instanceOf(RangeQueryBuilder.class));
+        // rounded down
+        assertThat(((RangeQueryBuilder) queryBuilder).from(), equalTo(Long.valueOf(60_000)));
+        assertTrue(((RangeQueryBuilder) queryBuilder).includeLower());
+        assertThat(((RangeQueryBuilder) queryBuilder).fieldName(), equalTo("timestamp"));
+
+        // timestamp field does not match
+        collector = CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.buildChangeCollector(getCompositeAggregation(groups), groups, "sync_timestamp");
+
+        queryBuilder = collector.buildFilterQuery(66_666, 200_222);
+        assertNull(queryBuilder);
+
+        // field does not match, but output field equals sync field
+        collector = CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.buildChangeCollector(getCompositeAggregation(groups), groups, "output_timestamp");
+
+        queryBuilder = collector.buildFilterQuery(66_666, 200_222);
+        assertNull(queryBuilder);
+
+        // missing bucket disables optimization
+        groupBy = new DateHistogramGroupSource(
+            "timestamp",
+            null,
+            true,
+            new DateHistogramGroupSource.FixedInterval(DateHistogramInterval.MINUTE),
+            null
+        );
+        groups.put("output_timestamp", groupBy);
+
+        collector = CompositeBucketsChangeCollector.buildChangeCollector(getCompositeAggregation(groups), groups, "timestamp");
+
+        queryBuilder = collector.buildFilterQuery(66_666, 200_222);
+        assertNull(queryBuilder);
+    }
+
     private static CompositeAggregationBuilder getCompositeAggregation(Map<String, SingleGroupSource> groups) throws IOException {
         CompositeAggregationBuilder compositeAggregation;
         try (XContentBuilder builder = jsonBuilder()) {