diff --git a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/OutboxEventRouterIT.java b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/OutboxEventRouterIT.java
index 227e8896f..0a822644a 100644
--- a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/OutboxEventRouterIT.java
+++ b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/OutboxEventRouterIT.java
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ public void shouldSendEventTypeAsHeader() throws Exception {
                 "UserCreated",
                 "User",
                 "10711fa5",
-                "{}",
+                "{\"email\": \"gh@mefi.in\"}",
                 ""
         ));
 
@@ -166,11 +166,11 @@ public void shouldSendEventTypeAsHeader() throws Exception {
         assertThat(routedEvent).isNotNull();
         assertThat(routedEvent.topic()).isEqualTo("outbox.event.user");
 
-        Struct valueStruct = requireStruct(routedEvent.value(), "test payload");
+        Object value = routedEvent.value();
         assertThat(routedEvent.headers().lastWithName("eventType").value()).isEqualTo("UserCreated");
-        assertThat(valueStruct.schema().field("eventType")).isNull();
-        JsonNode payload = (new ObjectMapper()).readTree(valueStruct.getString("payload"));
-        assertThat(payload.get("email")).isEqualTo(null);
+        assertThat(value).isInstanceOf(String.class);
+        JsonNode payload = (new ObjectMapper()).readTree((String) value);
+        assertThat(payload.get("email").getTextValue()).isEqualTo("gh@mefi.in");
 
     }
 
diff --git a/debezium-core/src/main/java/io/debezium/transforms/outbox/EventRouter.java b/debezium-core/src/main/java/io/debezium/transforms/outbox/EventRouter.java
index 0d484e08d..2209be2ca 100644
--- a/debezium-core/src/main/java/io/debezium/transforms/outbox/EventRouter.java
+++ b/debezium-core/src/main/java/io/debezium/transforms/outbox/EventRouter.java
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ public class EventRouter<R extends ConnectRecord<R>> implements Transformation<R
     private Schema defaultValueSchema;
     private final Map<Integer, Schema> versionedValueSchema = new HashMap<>();
 
+    private boolean onlyHeadersInOutputMessage = false;
+
     @Override
     public R apply(R r) {
         // Ignoring tombstones
@@ -99,6 +101,7 @@ public R apply(R r) {
         final R afterRecord = afterExtractor.apply(r);
         Struct eventStruct = requireStruct(afterRecord.value(), "Read Outbox Event");
         Schema eventValueSchema = afterRecord.valueSchema();
+        Schema payloadSchema = eventValueSchema.field(fieldPayload).schema();
 
         Long timestamp = fieldEventTimestamp == null
                 ? debeziumEventValue.getInt64("ts_ms")
@@ -111,17 +114,18 @@ public R apply(R r) {
         Headers headers = r.headers();
         headers.add("id", eventId, eventValueSchema.field(fieldEventId).schema());
 
-        Schema valueSchema = (fieldSchemaVersion == null)
+        final Schema structValueSchema = onlyHeadersInOutputMessage ? null :
+            (fieldSchemaVersion == null)
                 ? getValueSchema(eventValueSchema)
                 : getValueSchema(eventValueSchema, eventStruct.getInt32(fieldSchemaVersion));
 
-        Struct value = new Struct(valueSchema)
-                .put(ENVELOPE_PAYLOAD, payload);
+        final Struct structValue = onlyHeadersInOutputMessage ? null :
+            new Struct(structValueSchema).put(ENVELOPE_PAYLOAD, payload);
 
         additionalFields.forEach((additionalField -> {
             switch (additionalField.getPlacement()) {
                 case ENVELOPE:
-                    value.put(
+                    structValue.put(
                             additionalField.getAlias(),
                             eventStruct.get(additionalField.getField())
                     );
@@ -136,17 +140,23 @@ public R apply(R r) {
             }
         }));
 
+
         boolean isDeleteEvent = payload == null || payload.toString().trim().isEmpty();
 
-        Struct updatedValue;
+        Object updatedValue;
         Schema updatedSchema;
+
         if (isDeleteEvent && routeTombstoneOnEmptyPayload) {
             updatedValue = null;
             updatedSchema = null;
         }
+        else if (onlyHeadersInOutputMessage) {
+            updatedValue = payload;
+            updatedSchema = payloadSchema;
+        }
         else {
-            updatedValue = value;
-            updatedSchema = valueSchema;
+            updatedValue = structValue;
+            updatedSchema = structValueSchema;
         }
 
         R newRecord = r.newRecord(
@@ -227,6 +237,7 @@ public void configure(Map<String, ?> configMap) {
         afterExtractor.configure(afterExtractorConfig);
 
         additionalFields = parseAdditionalFieldsConfig(config);
+        onlyHeadersInOutputMessage = !additionalFields.stream().anyMatch(field -> field.getPlacement() == EventRouterConfigDefinition.AdditionalFieldPlacement.ENVELOPE);
     }
 
     private Schema getValueSchema(Schema debeziumEventSchema) {
@@ -251,7 +262,7 @@ private Schema getValueSchema(Schema debeziumEventSchema, Integer version) {
     private SchemaBuilder getSchemaBuilder(Schema debeziumEventSchema) {
         SchemaBuilder schemaBuilder = SchemaBuilder.struct();
 
-        // Add default fields
+        // Add payload field
         schemaBuilder
                 .field(ENVELOPE_PAYLOAD, debeziumEventSchema.field(fieldPayload).schema());