diff --git a/core/state_processor.go b/core/state_processor.go
index 9f679baeb7..983ee44233 100644
--- a/core/state_processor.go
+++ b/core/state_processor.go
@@ -314,6 +314,8 @@ func (p *StateProcessor) Process(block *types.WorkObject, batch ethdb.Batch) (ty
 	totalQiProcessTimes := make(map[string]time.Duration)
 	firstQiTx := true
 
+	nonEtxExists := false
+
 	primeTerminus := p.hc.GetHeaderByHash(header.PrimeTerminusHash())
 	if primeTerminus == nil {
 		return nil, nil, nil, nil, 0, 0, nil, fmt.Errorf("could not find prime terminus header %032x", header.PrimeTerminusHash())
@@ -322,7 +324,7 @@ func (p *StateProcessor) Process(block *types.WorkObject, batch ethdb.Batch) (ty
 	// value is not the basefee mentioned in the block, the block is invalid In
 	// the case of the Qi transactions, its converted into Quai at the rate
 	// defined in the prime terminus
-	minGasPrice := big.NewInt(0)
+	var minGasPrice *big.Int
 	for i, tx := range block.Transactions() {
 		startProcess := time.Now()
 
@@ -350,7 +352,7 @@ func (p *StateProcessor) Process(block *types.WorkObject, batch ethdb.Batch) (ty
 			qiTxFeeInQuai := misc.QiToQuai(primeTerminus.WorkObjectHeader(), qiTxFee)
 			// get the gas price by dividing the fee by qiTxGas
 			qiGasPrice := new(big.Int).Div(qiTxFeeInQuai, big.NewInt(int64(types.CalculateBlockQiTxGas(tx, p.hc.NodeLocation()))))
-			if minGasPrice.Cmp(big.NewInt(0)) == 0 {
+			if minGasPrice == nil {
 				minGasPrice = new(big.Int).Set(qiGasPrice)
 			} else {
 				if minGasPrice.Cmp(qiGasPrice) > 0 {
@@ -366,6 +368,8 @@ func (p *StateProcessor) Process(block *types.WorkObject, batch ethdb.Batch) (ty
 			totalQiProcessTimes["Fee Verification"] += timing["Fee Verification"]
 			totalQiProcessTimes["Signature Check"] += timing["Signature Check"]
 
+			nonEtxExists = true
+
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -573,7 +577,7 @@ func (p *StateProcessor) Process(block *types.WorkObject, batch ethdb.Batch) (ty
 
 			// update the min gas price if the gas price in the tx is less than
 			// the min gas price
-			if minGasPrice.Cmp(big.NewInt(0)) == 0 {
+			if minGasPrice == nil {
 				minGasPrice = new(big.Int).Set(tx.GasPrice())
 			} else {
 				if minGasPrice.Cmp(tx.GasPrice()) > 0 {
@@ -596,8 +600,11 @@ func (p *StateProcessor) Process(block *types.WorkObject, batch ethdb.Batch) (ty
 		i++
 	}
 
-	if block.BaseFee().Cmp(minGasPrice) != 0 {
-		log.Global.Error("length of transactions", len(block.Transactions()))
+	if nonEtxExists && block.BaseFee().Cmp(big.NewInt(0)) == 0 {
+		return nil, nil, nil, nil, 0, 0, nil, fmt.Errorf("block base fee is nil though non etx transactions exist")
+	}
+
+	if minGasPrice != nil && block.BaseFee().Cmp(minGasPrice) != 0 {
 		return nil, nil, nil, nil, 0, 0, nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid base fee used (remote: %d local: %d)", block.BaseFee(), minGasPrice)
 	}
 
diff --git a/core/tx_pool.go b/core/tx_pool.go
index 1e049cfbbe..d68f0b6b66 100644
--- a/core/tx_pool.go
+++ b/core/tx_pool.go
@@ -711,7 +711,7 @@ func (pool *TxPool) TxPoolPending(enforceTips bool) (map[common.AddressBytes]typ
 						"gasPrice":     tx.GasPrice().String(),
 						"poolGasPrice": pool.gasPrice.String(),
 						"baseFee":      pool.priced.urgent.baseFee.String(),
-					}).Debug("TX has incorrect or low miner tip")
+					}).Debug("TX has incorrect or low gas price")
 					txs = txs[:i]
 					break
 				}
diff --git a/core/worker.go b/core/worker.go
index 7080d38d3e..81400d4155 100644
--- a/core/worker.go
+++ b/core/worker.go
@@ -740,6 +740,10 @@ func (w *worker) OrderTransactionSet(txs []*types.Transaction, gasUsedAfterTrans
 		} else {
 			gasPrice = new(big.Int).Set(tx.GasPrice())
 		}
+		if gasPrice.Cmp(big.NewInt(0)) == 0 {
+			w.logger.Error("found tx with zero gas price in order transaction set")
+			continue
+		}
 		txInfos = append(txInfos, TransactionInfo{
 			Tx:       tx,
 			GasPrice: gasPrice,
@@ -1674,6 +1678,10 @@ func (w *worker) fillTransactions(env *environment, primeTerminus *types.WorkObj
 		txByPriceAndNonce := types.TransactionsByPriceAndNonce{}
 		txByPriceAndNonce.SetHead(orderedTxs)
 
+		if baseFee.Cmp(big.NewInt(0)) == 0 {
+			return errors.New("ordered txs had min gas price of zero")
+		}
+
 		env.wo.Header().SetBaseFee(baseFee)
 		err := w.commitTransactions(env, primeTerminus, block, &txByPriceAndNonce, false)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -1708,6 +1716,10 @@ func (w *worker) fillTransactions(env *environment, primeTerminus *types.WorkObj
 		// update the fee
 		qiFeeInQuai := misc.QiToQuai(primeTerminus, tx.MinerFee())
 		minerFeeInQuai := new(big.Int).Div(qiFeeInQuai, big.NewInt(int64(types.CalculateBlockQiTxGas(tx.Tx(), w.hc.NodeLocation()))))
+		if minerFeeInQuai.Cmp(big.NewInt(0)) == 0 {
+			w.logger.Error("rejecting qi tx that has zero gas price")
+			continue
+		}
 		qiTx, err := types.NewTxWithMinerFee(tx.Tx(), minerFeeInQuai, time.Now())
 		if err != nil {
 			w.logger.WithField("err", err).Error("Error created new tx with miner Fee for Qi TX", tx.Tx().Hash())
@@ -1732,6 +1744,9 @@ func (w *worker) fillTransactions(env *environment, primeTerminus *types.WorkObj
 			// read the gas price of the lowest fee transaction and set the base
 			// fee for the pending header on each iteration
 			baseFee = lowestFeeTx.PeekAndGetFee().MinerFee()
+			if baseFee.Cmp(big.NewInt(0)) == 0 {
+				continue
+			}
 			env.wo.Header().SetBaseFee(baseFee)
 			w.commitTransactions(env, primeTerminus, block, lowestFeeTx, etxIncluded)
 			// After the first run the etxs are included
diff --git a/internal/quaiapi/api.go b/internal/quaiapi/api.go
index f67fe98f19..4fccd08028 100644
--- a/internal/quaiapi/api.go
+++ b/internal/quaiapi/api.go
@@ -990,8 +990,8 @@ type RPCTransaction struct {
 	MinerTip          *hexutil.Big             `json:"minerTip,omitempty"`
 	GasPrice          *hexutil.Big             `json:"gasPrice,omitempty"`
 	Hash              common.Hash              `json:"hash,omitempty"`
-	Input             hexutil.Bytes            `json:"input,omitempty"`
-	Nonce             hexutil.Uint64           `json:"nonce,omitempty"`
+	Input             hexutil.Bytes            `json:"input"`
+	Nonce             hexutil.Uint64           `json:"nonce"`
 	To                *common.MixedcaseAddress `json:"to,omitempty"`
 	TransactionIndex  *hexutil.Uint64          `json:"transactionIndex"`
 	Value             *hexutil.Big             `json:"value,omitempty"`
@@ -1061,12 +1061,14 @@ func newRPCTransaction(tx *types.Transaction, blockHash common.Hash, blockNumber
 			Hash:     tx.Hash(),
 			Input:    hexutil.Bytes(tx.Data()),
 			Nonce:    hexutil.Uint64(tx.Nonce()),
-			To:       tx.To().MixedcaseAddressPtr(),
 			Value:    (*hexutil.Big)(tx.Value()),
 			ChainID:  (*hexutil.Big)(tx.ChainId()),
 			GasPrice: (*hexutil.Big)(tx.GasPrice()),
 			MinerTip: (*hexutil.Big)(tx.MinerTip()),
 		}
+		if tx.To() != nil {
+			result.To = tx.To().MixedcaseAddressPtr()
+		}
 	case types.ExternalTxType:
 		result = &RPCTransaction{
 			Type:  hexutil.Uint64(tx.Type()),