diff --git a/beacon-chain/core/state/interop/write_state_to_disk.go b/beacon-chain/core/state/interop/write_state_to_disk.go
index 8a7c7379f5..8030832a75 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/core/state/interop/write_state_to_disk.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/core/state/interop/write_state_to_disk.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ func WriteStateToDisk(state iface.ReadOnlyBeaconState) {
 	}
 	fp := path.Join(os.TempDir(), fmt.Sprintf("beacon_state_%d.ssz", state.Slot()))
 	log.Warnf("Writing state to disk at %s", fp)
-	enc, err := state.InnerStateUnsafe().MarshalSSZ()
+	enc, err := state.MarshalSSZ()
 	if err != nil {
 		log.WithError(err).Error("Failed to ssz encode state")
 		return
diff --git a/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state.go b/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state.go
index 3428455595..21b4cdb476 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func (ds *Server) GetBeaconState(
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, status.Errorf(codes.Internal, "Could not compute state by slot: %v", err)
 		}
-		encoded, err := st.CloneInnerState().MarshalSSZ()
+		encoded, err := st.MarshalSSZ()
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, status.Errorf(codes.Internal, "Could not ssz encode beacon state: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func (ds *Server) GetBeaconState(
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, status.Errorf(codes.Internal, "Could not compute state by block root: %v", err)
 		}
-		encoded, err := st.CloneInnerState().MarshalSSZ()
+		encoded, err := st.MarshalSSZ()
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, status.Errorf(codes.Internal, "Could not ssz encode beacon state: %v", err)
 		}
diff --git a/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state_test.go b/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state_test.go
index 3ee1e6e6c8..ad40693daf 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state_test.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/rpc/debug/state_test.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestServer_GetBeaconState(t *testing.T) {
-
 	db := dbTest.SetupDB(t)
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	st, err := testutil.NewBeaconState()
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@ func TestServer_GetBeaconState(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	res, err := bs.GetBeaconState(ctx, req)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	wanted, err := st.CloneInnerState().MarshalSSZ()
+	wanted, err := st.MarshalSSZ()
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.DeepEqual(t, wanted, res.Encoded)
 	req = &pbrpc.BeaconStateRequest{
@@ -57,7 +56,6 @@ func TestServer_GetBeaconState(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestServer_GetBeaconState_RequestFutureSlot(t *testing.T) {
-
 	ds := &Server{GenesisTimeFetcher: &mock.ChainService{}}
 	req := &pbrpc.BeaconStateRequest{
 		QueryFilter: &pbrpc.BeaconStateRequest_Slot{
diff --git a/beacon-chain/state/getters.go b/beacon-chain/state/getters.go
index 91a72e4a0e..f631dd9d6d 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/state/getters.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/state/getters.go
@@ -1027,3 +1027,11 @@ func (b *BeaconState) safeCopyCheckpoint(input *ethpb.Checkpoint) *ethpb.Checkpo
 
 	return CopyCheckpoint(input)
 }
+
+// MarshalSSZ marshals the underlying beacon state to bytes.
+func (b *BeaconState) MarshalSSZ() ([]byte, error) {
+	if !b.hasInnerState() {
+		return nil, errors.New("nil beacon state")
+	}
+	return b.state.MarshalSSZ()
+}
diff --git a/beacon-chain/state/getters_test.go b/beacon-chain/state/getters_test.go
index 4149f1c79e..5e15e5ac26 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/state/getters_test.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/state/getters_test.go
@@ -113,3 +113,11 @@ func TestBeaconState_MatchPreviousJustifiedCheckpt(t *testing.T) {
 	beaconState.state = nil
 	require.Equal(t, false, beaconState.MatchPreviousJustifiedCheckpoint(c1))
 }
+
+func TestBeaconState_MarshalSSZ_NilState(t *testing.T) {
+	s, err := InitializeFromProto(&pb.BeaconState{})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	s.state = nil
+	_, err = s.MarshalSSZ()
+	require.ErrorContains(t, "nil beacon state", err)
+}
diff --git a/beacon-chain/state/interface/interface.go b/beacon-chain/state/interface/interface.go
index 62cf52425e..808cb11e1f 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/state/interface/interface.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/state/interface/interface.go
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ type ReadOnlyBeaconState interface {
 	HistoricalRoots() [][]byte
 	Slashings() []uint64
 	FieldReferencesCount() map[string]uint64
+	MarshalSSZ() ([]byte, error)
 }
 
 // WriteOnlyBeaconState defines a struct which only has write access to beacon state methods.
diff --git a/shared/testutil/state_test.go b/shared/testutil/state_test.go
index dc8f4738d4..892d82e798 100644
--- a/shared/testutil/state_test.go
+++ b/shared/testutil/state_test.go
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import (
 func TestNewBeaconState(t *testing.T) {
 	st, err := NewBeaconState()
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	b, err := st.InnerStateUnsafe().MarshalSSZ()
+	b, err := st.MarshalSSZ()
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	got := &pb.BeaconState{}
 	require.NoError(t, got.UnmarshalSSZ(b))
diff --git a/tools/benchmark-files-gen/main.go b/tools/benchmark-files-gen/main.go
index ecb5b54887..25af5dc73c 100644
--- a/tools/benchmark-files-gen/main.go
+++ b/tools/benchmark-files-gen/main.go
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ func generateMarshalledFullStateAndBlock() error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	beaconBytes, err := beaconState.InnerStateUnsafe().MarshalSSZ()
+	beaconBytes, err := beaconState.MarshalSSZ()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ func generate2FullEpochState() error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	beaconBytes, err := beaconState.InnerStateUnsafe().MarshalSSZ()
+	beaconBytes, err := beaconState.MarshalSSZ()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/tools/interop/export-genesis/main.go b/tools/interop/export-genesis/main.go
index 42764fb4cb..88ada3ae60 100644
--- a/tools/interop/export-genesis/main.go
+++ b/tools/interop/export-genesis/main.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func main() {
 	if gs == nil {
 		panic("nil genesis state")
 	}
-	b, err := gs.InnerStateUnsafe().MarshalSSZ()
+	b, err := gs.MarshalSSZ()
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}