diff --git a/crates/payload/ethereum/src/lib.rs b/crates/payload/ethereum/src/lib.rs
index e17802ea7d..610ee9af71 100644
--- a/crates/payload/ethereum/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/payload/ethereum/src/lib.rs
@@ -120,6 +120,25 @@ mod builder {
                 err
             })?;
 
+            let mut excess_blob_gas = None;
+            let mut blob_gas_used = None;
+
+            if chain_spec.is_cancun_active_at_timestamp(attributes.timestamp) {
+                excess_blob_gas = if chain_spec
+                    .is_cancun_active_at_timestamp(parent_block.timestamp)
+                {
+                    let parent_excess_blob_gas = parent_block.excess_blob_gas.unwrap_or_default();
+                    let parent_blob_gas_used = parent_block.blob_gas_used.unwrap_or_default();
+                    Some(calculate_excess_blob_gas(parent_excess_blob_gas, parent_blob_gas_used))
+                } else {
+                    // for the first post-fork block, both parent.blob_gas_used and
+                    // parent.excess_blob_gas are evaluated as 0
+                    Some(calculate_excess_blob_gas(0, 0))
+                };
+
+                blob_gas_used = Some(0);
+            }
+
             let header = Header {
                 parent_hash: parent_block.hash,
                 ommers_hash: EMPTY_OMMER_ROOT_HASH,
@@ -138,8 +157,8 @@ mod builder {
                 difficulty: U256::ZERO,
                 gas_used: 0,
                 extra_data,
-                blob_gas_used: None,
-                excess_blob_gas: None,
+                blob_gas_used,
+                excess_blob_gas,
                 parent_beacon_block_root: attributes.parent_beacon_block_root,
             };
 
diff --git a/crates/primitives/src/header.rs b/crates/primitives/src/header.rs
index 10acec149f..bb195e0dd5 100644
--- a/crates/primitives/src/header.rs
+++ b/crates/primitives/src/header.rs
@@ -423,6 +423,12 @@ impl Encodable for Header {
         self.mix_hash.encode(out); // Encode mix hash.
         B64::new(self.nonce.to_be_bytes()).encode(out); // Encode nonce.
 
+        // The following code is needed only to handle proptest-generated headers that are
+        // technically invalid.
+        //
+        // TODO: make proptest generate more valid headers, ie if there is no base fee, there
+        // should be no withdrawals root or any future fork field.
+
         // Encode base fee. Put empty list if base fee is missing,
         // but withdrawals root is present.
         if let Some(ref base_fee) = self.base_fee_per_gas {