diff --git a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonEncoder.java b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonEncoder.java
index cf70bedc9..02aa41045 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonEncoder.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessageAwareJsonEncoder.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.springframework.cloud.function.rsocket;
 
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -80,12 +81,18 @@ class MessageAwareJsonEncoder extends AbstractEncoder<Object> {
 		return Collections.singletonList(MimeTypeUtils.APPLICATION_JSON);
 	}
 
+	@SuppressWarnings({ "unchecked", "rawtypes" })
 	@Override
 	public DataBuffer encodeValue(Object value, DataBufferFactory bufferFactory,
 			ResolvableType valueType, @Nullable MimeType mimeType, @Nullable Map<String, Object> hints) {
 
 		if (value instanceof Message) {
+			Object payload = ((Message<?>) value).getPayload();
 			value = FunctionRSocketUtils.sanitizeMessageToMap((Message<?>) value);
+			if (payload instanceof byte[]) {
+				payload = new String((byte[]) payload, StandardCharsets.UTF_8); // safe for cases when we have JSON
+				((Map) value).put(FunctionRSocketUtils.PAYLOAD, payload);
+			}
 		}
 		else if (!(value instanceof Map)) {
 			if (JsonMapper.isJsonString(value)) {
diff --git a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessagingTests.java b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessagingTests.java
index 936354d67..a4191e729 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessagingTests.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/MessagingTests.java
@@ -227,6 +227,64 @@ public class MessagingTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testPojoMessageToPojoViaMessageExpectMessageRawPayload() {
+		int port = SocketUtils.findAvailableTcpPort();
+		try (
+			ConfigurableApplicationContext applicationContext =
+				new SpringApplicationBuilder(MessagingConfiguration.class)
+					.web(WebApplicationType.NONE)
+					.run("--logging.level.org.springframework.cloud.function=DEBUG",
+						"--spring.rsocket.server.port=" + port);
+		) {
+			RSocketRequester.Builder rsocketRequesterBuilder =
+				applicationContext.getBean(RSocketRequester.Builder.class);
+
+			Message<byte[]> message = MessageBuilder.withPayload("{\"name\":\"bob\"}".getBytes())
+					.setHeader("someHeader", "foo")
+					.build();
+
+			Message<byte[]> result = rsocketRequesterBuilder.tcp("localhost", port)
+				.route("pojoMessageToPojo")
+				.data(message)
+				.retrieveMono(new ParameterizedTypeReference<Message<byte[]>>() {
+				})
+				.block();
+
+			assertThat(result.getPayload()).isEqualTo("{\"name\":\"BOB\"}".getBytes());
+			assertThat(result.getHeaders().get("someHeader")).isEqualTo("foo");
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testPojoMessageToPojoViaMessageExpectMessageStringPayload() {
+		int port = SocketUtils.findAvailableTcpPort();
+		try (
+			ConfigurableApplicationContext applicationContext =
+				new SpringApplicationBuilder(MessagingConfiguration.class)
+					.web(WebApplicationType.NONE)
+					.run("--logging.level.org.springframework.cloud.function=DEBUG",
+						"--spring.rsocket.server.port=" + port);
+		) {
+			RSocketRequester.Builder rsocketRequesterBuilder =
+				applicationContext.getBean(RSocketRequester.Builder.class);
+
+			Message<String> message = MessageBuilder.withPayload("{\"name\":\"bob\"}")
+					.setHeader("someHeader", "foo")
+					.build();
+
+			Message<String> result = rsocketRequesterBuilder.tcp("localhost", port)
+				.route("pojoMessageToPojo")
+				.data(message)
+				.retrieveMono(new ParameterizedTypeReference<Message<String>>() {
+				})
+				.block();
+
+			assertThat(result.getPayload()).isEqualTo("{\"name\":\"BOB\"}");
+			assertThat(result.getHeaders().get("someHeader")).isEqualTo("foo");
+		}
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testPojoToMessageMap() {
 		int port = SocketUtils.findAvailableTcpPort();
diff --git a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/RSocketAutoConfigurationTests.java b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/RSocketAutoConfigurationTests.java
index 0bfb6f8e0..d83227f0c 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/RSocketAutoConfigurationTests.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-function-rsocket/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/rsocket/RSocketAutoConfigurationTests.java
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ public class RSocketAutoConfigurationTests {
 			RSocketRequester requester = rsocketRequesterBuilder.tcp("localhost", server.address().getPort());
 
 			requester.route("reverse")
-				.data("\"hello\"")
+				.data("hello")
 				.retrieveMono(String.class)
 				.as(StepVerifier::create)
 				.expectNext("olleh")
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ public class RSocketAutoConfigurationTests {
 			rsocketRequesterBuilder.tcp("localhost", port)
 				.route(RoutingFunction.FUNCTION_NAME)
 				.metadata("{\"function_definition\":\"uppercase|concat\"}", MimeTypeUtils.APPLICATION_JSON)
-				.data("\"hello\"")
+				.data("hello")
 				.retrieveMono(String.class)
 				.as(StepVerifier::create)
 				.expectNext("HELLOHELLO")
@@ -584,6 +584,36 @@ public class RSocketAutoConfigurationTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testByteArrayInOut() {
+		int port = SocketUtils.findAvailableTcpPort();
+		try (
+			ConfigurableApplicationContext applicationContext =
+				new SpringApplicationBuilder(SampleFunctionConfiguration.class)
+					.web(WebApplicationType.NONE)
+					.run("--logging.level.org.springframework.cloud.function=DEBUG",
+						"--spring.rsocket.server.port=" + port);
+		) {
+			RSocketRequester.Builder rsocketRequesterBuilder =
+				applicationContext.getBean(RSocketRequester.Builder.class);
+
+			String result = rsocketRequesterBuilder.tcp("localhost", port)
+				.route("uppercase")
+				.data("hello".getBytes())
+				.retrieveMono(String.class)
+				.block();
+
+			assertThat(result).isEqualTo("HELLO");
+
+			byte[] resultBytes = rsocketRequesterBuilder.tcp("localhost", port)
+					.route("uppercase")
+					.data("hello".getBytes())
+					.retrieveMono(byte[].class)
+					.block();
+
+			assertThat(resultBytes).isEqualTo("HELLO".getBytes());
+		}
+	}
 
 	@EnableAutoConfiguration
 	@Configuration