diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractJpaQuery.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractJpaQuery.java
index 4b7c7b6ac..780725e33 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractJpaQuery.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractJpaQuery.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query;
 
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 import javax.persistence.EntityManager;
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.jpa.util.JpaMetamodel;
 import org.springframework.data.repository.query.ParametersParameterAccessor;
 import org.springframework.data.repository.query.RepositoryQuery;
 import org.springframework.data.repository.query.ResultProcessor;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.ReturnedType;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 /**
@@ -116,7 +118,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractJpaQuery implements RepositoryQuery {
 		ParametersParameterAccessor accessor = new ParametersParameterAccessor(method.getParameters(), values);
 		ResultProcessor withDynamicProjection = method.getResultProcessor().withDynamicProjection(accessor);
 
-		return withDynamicProjection.processResult(result, TupleConverter.INSTANCE);
+		return withDynamicProjection.processResult(result, new TupleConverter(withDynamicProjection.getReturnedType()));
 	}
 
 	protected JpaQueryExecution getExecution() {
@@ -232,9 +234,21 @@ public abstract class AbstractJpaQuery implements RepositoryQuery {
 	 */
 	protected abstract Query doCreateCountQuery(Object[] values);
 
-	private static enum TupleConverter implements Converter<Object, Object> {
+	static class TupleConverter implements Converter<Object, Object> {
 
-		INSTANCE;
+		private final ReturnedType type;
+
+		/**
+		 * Creates a new {@link TupleConverter} for the given {@link ReturnedType}.
+		 * 
+		 * @param type must not be {@literal null}.
+		 */
+		public TupleConverter(ReturnedType type) {
+
+			Assert.notNull(type, "Returned type must not be null!");
+
+			this.type = type;
+		}
 
 		/* 
 		 * (non-Javadoc)
@@ -249,8 +263,18 @@ public abstract class AbstractJpaQuery implements RepositoryQuery {
 
 			Tuple tuple = (Tuple) source;
 			Map<String, Object> result = new HashMap<String, Object>();
+			List<TupleElement<?>> elements = tuple.getElements();
 
-			for (TupleElement<?> element : tuple.getElements()) {
+			if (elements.size() == 1) {
+
+				Object value = tuple.get(elements.get(0));
+
+				if (type.isInstance(value)) {
+					return value;
+				}
+			}
+
+			for (TupleElement<?> element : elements) {
 
 				String alias = element.getAlias();
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/TupleConverterUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/TupleConverterUnitTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e1ee977b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/TupleConverterUnitTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2016 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query;
+
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.*;
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+import javax.persistence.Tuple;
+import javax.persistence.TupleElement;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.runners.MockitoJUnitRunner;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.AbstractJpaQuery.TupleConverter;
+import org.springframework.data.projection.ProjectionFactory;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.CrudRepository;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.core.RepositoryMetadata;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.DefaultRepositoryMetadata;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.QueryMethod;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.ReturnedType;
+
+/**
+ * Unit tests for {@link TupleConverter}.
+ * 
+ * @author Oliver Gierke
+ * @soundtrack James Bay - Let it go (Chaos and the Calm)
+ */
+@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
+public class TupleConverterUnitTests {
+
+	@Mock Tuple tuple;
+	@Mock TupleElement<String> element;
+	@Mock ProjectionFactory factory;
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-984
+	 */
+	@Test
+	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+	public void returnsSingleTupleElementIfItMatchesExpectedType() throws Exception {
+
+		RepositoryMetadata metadata = new DefaultRepositoryMetadata(SampleRepository.class);
+		QueryMethod method = new QueryMethod(SampleRepository.class.getMethod("someMethod"), metadata, factory);
+		ReturnedType type = method.getResultProcessor().getReturnedType();
+
+		doReturn(element).when(tuple).get(0);
+		doReturn(Arrays.asList(element)).when(tuple).getElements();
+		doReturn("Foo").when(tuple).get(element);
+
+		TupleConverter converter = new TupleConverter(type);
+
+		assertThat(converter.convert(tuple), is((Object) "Foo"));
+	}
+
+	static interface SampleRepository extends CrudRepository<Object, Long> {
+		String someMethod();
+	}
+}