diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 3ddf5bb54..f2f3bf831 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -1960,7 +1960,17 @@ bool AcceptToMemoryPool(CTxMemPool& pool, CValidationState &state, const CTransa
             dFreeCount += nSize;
         }
         
-        if (!tx.IsCoinImport() && fRejectAbsurdFee && nFees > ::minRelayTxFee.GetFee(nSize) * 10000 && nFees > nValueOut/19)
+        // Disable checks for absurd fees when adding to the mempool. Instead, this check is done
+        // when a user attempts to make a transaction with an absurd fee and only rejects absurd
+        // fees when OP_RETURN data is NOT being used. This means users making normal financial
+        // transactions (z2z) are protected from absurd fees, it is only users who are storing
+        // arbitrary data via a z2t transaction are allowed to (or potentially required) to pay high fees
+        // It would be nice to detect the use of OP_RETURN right here but it seems to only be known
+        // inside of IsStandard() inside of IsStandardTx() and we want to avoid doing expensive checks
+        // multiple times.
+        fRejectAbsurdFee = false;
+
+        if (fRejectAbsurdFee && !tx.IsCoinImport() && nFees > ::minRelayTxFee.GetFee(nSize) * 10000 && nFees > nValueOut/19)
         {
             string errmsg = strprintf("absurdly high fees %s, %d > %d",
                                       hash.ToString(),
@@ -1968,7 +1978,7 @@ bool AcceptToMemoryPool(CTxMemPool& pool, CValidationState &state, const CTransa
             LogPrint("mempool", errmsg.c_str());
             return state.Error("AcceptToMemoryPool: " + errmsg);
         }
-//fprintf(stderr,"addmempool 6\n");
+        //fprintf(stderr,"addmempool 6\n");
 
         // Check against previous transactions
         // This is done last to help prevent CPU exhaustion denial-of-service attacks.
diff --git a/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp b/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
index 46a059892..1b6110ec5 100644
--- a/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
@@ -5155,6 +5155,8 @@ UniValue z_sendmany(const UniValue& params, bool fHelp, const CPubKey& mypk)
     CAmount nTotalOut = 0;
     // Optional OP_RETURN data
     CScript opret;
+    // TODO: enforce that only a single opreturn exists
+    UniValue opretValue;
 
     bool containsSaplingOutput = false;
 
@@ -5189,7 +5191,10 @@ UniValue z_sendmany(const UniValue& params, bool fHelp, const CPubKey& mypk)
         //    throw JSONRPCError(RPC_INVALID_PARAMETER, string("Invalid parameter, duplicated address: ")+address);
         setAddress.insert(address);
 
-        UniValue opretValue = find_value(o, "opreturn");
+        UniValue this_opret = find_value(o, "opreturn");
+        if (!this_opret.isNull()) {
+            opretValue = this_opret;
+        }
 
         // Create the CScript representation of the OP_RETURN
         if (!opretValue.isNull()) {
@@ -5342,12 +5347,18 @@ UniValue z_sendmany(const UniValue& params, bool fHelp, const CPubKey& mypk)
         // or anything less than nDefaultFee instead of being forced to use a custom fee and leak metadata
         if (nTotalOut < nDefaultFee) {
             if (nFee > nDefaultFee) {
-                throw JSONRPCError(RPC_INVALID_PARAMETER, strprintf("Small transaction amount %s has fee %s that is greater than the default fee %s", FormatMoney(nTotalOut), FormatMoney(nFee), FormatMoney(nDefaultFee)));
+                    // Allow large fees if OP_RETURN is being used
+                    if( opretValue.isNull() ) {
+                        throw JSONRPCError(RPC_INVALID_PARAMETER, strprintf("Small transaction amount %s has fee %s that is greater than the default fee %s", FormatMoney(nTotalOut), FormatMoney(nFee), FormatMoney(nDefaultFee)));
+                    }
             }
         } else {
             // Check that the user specified fee is not absurd.
             if (nFee > nTotalOut) {
-                throw JSONRPCError(RPC_INVALID_PARAMETER, strprintf("Fee %s is greater than the sum of outputs %s and also greater than the default fee", FormatMoney(nFee), FormatMoney(nTotalOut)));
+                    // Allow large fees if OP_RETURN is being used
+                    if( opretValue.isNull() ) {
+                        throw JSONRPCError(RPC_INVALID_PARAMETER, strprintf("Fee %s is greater than the sum of outputs %s and also greater than the default fee", FormatMoney(nFee), FormatMoney(nTotalOut)));
+                    }
             }
 	}
     }