diff --git a/.changes/next-release/bugfix-AWSSDKforJavav2-1a353a6.json b/.changes/next-release/bugfix-AWSSDKforJavav2-1a353a6.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f6615259e601
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/next-release/bugfix-AWSSDKforJavav2-1a353a6.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+    "type": "bugfix",
+    "category": "AWS SDK for Java v2",
+    "contributor": "",
+    "description": "Optimized JSON serialization by skipping null field marshalling for payload fields"
+}
diff --git a/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml b/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml
index 6871e760a793..69a7894bfe94 100644
--- a/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml
+++ b/build-tools/src/main/resources/software/amazon/awssdk/spotbugs-suppressions.xml
@@ -523,4 +523,12 @@
         <Class name="software.amazon.awssdk.http.urlconnection.UrlConnectionSdkHttpService"/>
         <Bug pattern="CT_CONSTRUCTOR_THROW"/>
     </Match>
+
+    <!-- Intentionally passing null to marshallField for non-PAYLOAD fields
+         whose NULL marshallers handle null validation. -->
+    <Match>
+        <Class name="software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.json.internal.marshall.JsonProtocolMarshaller"/>
+        <Method name="doMarshall"/>
+        <Bug pattern="NP_LOAD_OF_KNOWN_NULL_VALUE"/>
+    </Match>
 </FindBugsFilter>
diff --git a/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java b/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java
index eaa6c2ef5cd5..89ad22e6a54c 100644
--- a/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java
+++ b/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/main/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshaller.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.protocol.MarshallLocation;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.protocol.MarshallingType;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.PayloadTrait;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.RequiredTrait;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.TimestampFormatTrait;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.TraitType;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.http.SdkHttpFullRequest;
@@ -212,8 +213,13 @@ void doMarshall(SdkPojo pojo) {
                 }
             } else if (isExplicitPayloadMember(field)) {
                 marshallExplicitJsonPayload(field, val);
-            } else {
+            } else if (val != null) {
+                marshallField(field, val);
+            } else if (field.location() != MarshallLocation.PAYLOAD) {
                 marshallField(field, val);
+            } else if (field.containsTrait(RequiredTrait.class, TraitType.REQUIRED_TRAIT)) {
+                throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+                    String.format("Parameter '%s' must not be null", field.locationName()));
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/test/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshallerTest.java b/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/test/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshallerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..58190503beca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/protocols/aws-json-protocol/src/test/java/software/amazon/awssdk/protocols/json/internal/marshall/JsonProtocolMarshallerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License").
+ * You may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * A copy of the License is located at
+ *
+ *  http://aws.amazon.com/apache2.0
+ *
+ * or in the "license" file accompanying this file. This file 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 software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.json.internal.marshall;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatNoException;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.SdkField;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.SdkPojo;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.protocol.MarshallLocation;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.protocol.MarshallingType;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.LocationTrait;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.traits.RequiredTrait;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.http.SdkHttpFullRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.http.SdkHttpMethod;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.core.OperationInfo;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.core.ProtocolMarshaller;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.json.AwsJsonProtocol;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.json.AwsJsonProtocolMetadata;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.protocols.json.internal.AwsStructuredPlainJsonFactory;
+
+class JsonProtocolMarshallerTest {
+
+    private static final URI ENDPOINT = URI.create("http://localhost");
+    private static final String CONTENT_TYPE = "application/x-amz-json-1.0";
+    private static final OperationInfo OP_INFO = OperationInfo.builder()
+        .httpMethod(SdkHttpMethod.POST)
+        .hasImplicitPayloadMembers(true)
+        .build();
+    private static final AwsJsonProtocolMetadata METADATA =
+        AwsJsonProtocolMetadata.builder()
+            .protocol(AwsJsonProtocol.AWS_JSON)
+            .contentType(CONTENT_TYPE)
+            .build();
+
+    @Test
+    void nullPayloadField_notRequired_isSkipped() {
+        SdkField<String> field = payloadField("OptionalField", obj -> null);
+        SdkPojo pojo = new SimplePojo(field);
+
+        SdkHttpFullRequest result = createMarshaller().marshall(pojo);
+
+        String body = bodyAsString(result);
+        assertThat(body).doesNotContain("OptionalField");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void nullPayloadField_required_throwsIllegalArgumentException() {
+        SdkField<String> field = SdkField.<String>builder(MarshallingType.STRING)
+            .memberName("RequiredField")
+            .getter(obj -> null)
+            .setter((obj, val) -> { })
+            .traits(LocationTrait.builder()
+                        .location(MarshallLocation.PAYLOAD)
+                        .locationName("RequiredField")
+                        .build(),
+                    RequiredTrait.create())
+            .build();
+
+        SdkPojo pojo = new SimplePojo(field);
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> createMarshaller().marshall(pojo))
+            .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class)
+            .hasMessageContaining("RequiredField")
+            .hasMessageContaining("must not be null");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void nonNullPayloadField_isSerialized() {
+        SdkField<String> field = payloadField("Name", obj -> "hello");
+        SdkPojo pojo = new SimplePojo(field);
+
+        SdkHttpFullRequest result = createMarshaller().marshall(pojo);
+
+        String body = bodyAsString(result);
+        assertThat(body).contains("\"Name\"");
+        assertThat(body).contains("\"hello\"");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void nullNonPayloadField_stillGoesToMarshallField() {
+        SdkField<String> field = SdkField.<String>builder(MarshallingType.STRING)
+            .memberName("HeaderField")
+            .getter(obj -> null)
+            .setter((obj, val) -> { })
+            .traits(LocationTrait.builder()
+                        .location(MarshallLocation.HEADER)
+                        .locationName("x-custom-header")
+                        .build())
+            .build();
+
+        SdkPojo pojo = new SimplePojo(field);
+
+        assertThatNoException().isThrownBy(
+            () -> createMarshaller().marshall(pojo));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void nullPathField_notRequired_stillThrows() {
+        SdkField<String> field = SdkField.<String>builder(MarshallingType.STRING)
+            .memberName("PathParam")
+            .getter(obj -> null)
+            .setter((obj, val) -> { })
+            .traits(LocationTrait.builder()
+                        .location(MarshallLocation.PATH)
+                        .locationName("PathParam")
+                        .build())
+            .build();
+
+        SdkPojo pojo = new SimplePojo(field);
+
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> createMarshaller().marshall(pojo))
+            .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class)
+            .hasMessageContaining("PathParam")
+            .hasMessageContaining("must not be null");
+    }
+
+    private static SdkField<String> payloadField(String name,
+                                                  java.util.function.Function<Object, String> getter) {
+        return SdkField.<String>builder(MarshallingType.STRING)
+            .memberName(name)
+            .getter(getter)
+            .setter((obj, val) -> { })
+            .traits(LocationTrait.builder()
+                        .location(MarshallLocation.PAYLOAD)
+                        .locationName(name)
+                        .build())
+            .build();
+    }
+
+    private static ProtocolMarshaller<SdkHttpFullRequest> createMarshaller() {
+        return JsonProtocolMarshallerBuilder.create()
+            .endpoint(ENDPOINT)
+            .jsonGenerator(AwsStructuredPlainJsonFactory
+                .SDK_JSON_FACTORY.createWriter(CONTENT_TYPE))
+            .contentType(CONTENT_TYPE)
+            .operationInfo(OP_INFO)
+            .sendExplicitNullForPayload(false)
+            .protocolMetadata(METADATA)
+            .build();
+    }
+
+    private static String bodyAsString(SdkHttpFullRequest request) {
+        return request.contentStreamProvider()
+            .map(p -> {
+                try {
+                    return software.amazon.awssdk.utils.IoUtils.toUtf8String(p.newStream());
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    throw new RuntimeException(e);
+                }
+            })
+            .orElse("");
+    }
+
+    private static final class SimplePojo implements SdkPojo {
+        private final List<SdkField<?>> fields;
+
+        SimplePojo(SdkField<?>... fields) {
+            this.fields = Arrays.asList(fields);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public List<SdkField<?>> sdkFields() {
+            return fields;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public boolean equalsBySdkFields(Object other) {
+            return other instanceof SimplePojo;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public Map<String, SdkField<?>> sdkFieldNameToField() {
+            return Collections.emptyMap();
+        }
+    }
+}