diff --git a/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/getPayload.ts b/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/getPayload.ts
index fec0814f2d..615fbe04f7 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/getPayload.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/getPayload.ts
@@ -25,9 +25,20 @@ export const blockToExecutionPayload = (
   // ethereumjs does not provide any transaction censoring detection (yet) to suggest
   // overriding builder/mev-boost blocks
   const shouldOverrideBuilder = false
+
+  let executionRequests = undefined
+  if (requests !== undefined) {
+    executionRequests = []
+    for (const request of requests) {
+      if (request.bytes.length > 1) {
+        executionRequests.push(bytesToHex(request.bytes))
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   return {
     executionPayload,
-    executionRequests: requests?.map((req) => bytesToHex(req.data)),
+    executionRequests,
     blockValue: bigIntToHex(value),
     blobsBundle,
     shouldOverrideBuilder,
diff --git a/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/newPayload.ts b/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/newPayload.ts
index 5155ddfc5a..c2c42e6f7a 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/newPayload.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/rpc/modules/engine/util/newPayload.ts
@@ -57,30 +57,35 @@ export const validateAndGen7685RequestsHash = (
   common: Common,
   executionRequests: PrefixedHexString[],
 ): PrefixedHexString => {
-  let validationError: string | null = null
-
   const requests: CLRequest<CLRequestType>[] = []
-  let requestIndex = 0
-  if (common.isActivatedEIP(6110)) {
-    requests.push(new CLRequest(CLRequestType.Deposit, hexToBytes(executionRequests[requestIndex])))
-    requestIndex++
-  }
-  if (common.isActivatedEIP(7002)) {
-    requests.push(
-      new CLRequest(CLRequestType.Withdrawal, hexToBytes(executionRequests[requestIndex])),
-    )
-    requestIndex++
-  }
-  if (common.isActivatedEIP(7251)) {
-    requests.push(
-      new CLRequest(CLRequestType.Consolidation, hexToBytes(executionRequests[requestIndex])),
-    )
-    requestIndex++
-  }
 
-  if (requestIndex !== executionRequests.length) {
-    validationError = `Invalid executionRequests=${executionRequests.length} expected=${requestIndex}`
-    throw validationError
+  for (const request of executionRequests) {
+    const bytes = hexToBytes(request)
+    if (bytes.length === 0) {
+      throw new Error('Got a request without a request-identifier')
+    }
+    switch (bytes[0]) {
+      case 0:
+        if (!common.isActivatedEIP(6110)) {
+          throw new Error(`Deposit requests are not active`)
+        }
+        requests.push(new CLRequest(CLRequestType.Deposit, bytes.slice(1)))
+        break
+      case 1:
+        if (!common.isActivatedEIP(7002)) {
+          throw new Error(`Withdrawal requests are not active`)
+        }
+        requests.push(new CLRequest(CLRequestType.Withdrawal, bytes.slice(1)))
+        break
+      case 2:
+        if (!common.isActivatedEIP(7251)) {
+          throw new Error(`Consolidation requests are not active`)
+        }
+        requests.push(new CLRequest(CLRequestType.Consolidation, bytes.slice(1)))
+        break
+      default:
+        throw new Error(`Unknown request identifier: got ${bytes[0]}`)
+    }
   }
 
   const sha256Function = common.customCrypto.sha256 ?? sha256
diff --git a/packages/client/test/rpc/engine/newPayloadV4.spec.ts b/packages/client/test/rpc/engine/newPayloadV4.spec.ts
index 3fdda74f04..6b5634024b 100644
--- a/packages/client/test/rpc/engine/newPayloadV4.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/client/test/rpc/engine/newPayloadV4.spec.ts
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ describe(`${method}: call with executionPayloadV4`, () => {
       assert.ok(res.error.message.includes(expectedError))
     }
 
-    res = await rpc.request(method, [validBlock, [], parentBeaconBlockRoot, ['0x', '0x', '0x']])
+    res = await rpc.request(method, [validBlock, [], parentBeaconBlockRoot, []])
     assert.equal(res.result.status, 'VALID')
 
     res = await rpc.request('engine_forkchoiceUpdatedV3', validPayload)
@@ -201,9 +201,20 @@ describe(`${method}: call with executionPayloadV4`, () => {
 
     res = await rpc.request('engine_getPayloadV4', [payloadId])
     const { executionPayload, executionRequests } = res.result
+
+    assert.ok(
+      executionRequests?.length === 1,
+      'executionRequests should have the deposit request, and should exclude the other requests (these are empty)',
+    )
+
+    const depositRequestBytes = hexToBytes(executionRequests[0])
+    assert.ok(
+      depositRequestBytes[0] === 0x00,
+      'deposit request byte 0 is the deposit request identifier byte (0x00)',
+    )
     assert.ok(
-      executionRequests?.length === 3,
-      'executionRequests should have 3 entries for each request type',
+      depositRequestBytes.length > 1,
+      'deposit request includes data (and is thus not empty)',
     )
 
     res = await rpc.request(method, [