diff --git a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-kafka-bundle/nifi-kafka-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/kafka/PutKafka.java b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-kafka-bundle/nifi-kafka-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/kafka/PutKafka.java
index cff285cbef..09025a4c96 100644
--- a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-kafka-bundle/nifi-kafka-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/kafka/PutKafka.java
+++ b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-kafka-bundle/nifi-kafka-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/kafka/PutKafka.java
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ public class PutKafka extends AbstractProcessor {
                 getLogger().info("Successfully sent {} to Kafka in {} millis", new Object[] { flowFile, TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS.toMillis(nanos) });
             } catch (final Exception e) {
                 getLogger().error("Failed to send {} to Kafka due to {}; routing to failure", new Object[] { flowFile, e });
-                session.transfer(flowFile, REL_FAILURE);
+                session.transfer(session.penalize(flowFile), REL_FAILURE);
                 error = true;
             } finally {
                 if (error) {
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ public class PutKafka extends AbstractProcessor {
                 if (offset == 0L) {
                     // all of the messages failed to send. Route FlowFile to failure
                     getLogger().error("Failed to send {} to Kafka due to {}; routing to fialure", new Object[] { flowFile, pe.getCause() });
-                    session.transfer(flowFile, REL_FAILURE);
+                    session.transfer(session.penalize(flowFile), REL_FAILURE);
                 } else {
                     // Some of the messages were sent successfully. We want to split off the successful messages from the failed messages.
                     final FlowFile successfulMessages = session.clone(flowFile, 0L, offset);
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ public class PutKafka extends AbstractProcessor {
                         messagesSent.get(), flowFile, successfulMessages, failedMessages, pe.getCause() });
 
                     session.transfer(successfulMessages, REL_SUCCESS);
-                    session.transfer(failedMessages, REL_FAILURE);
+                    session.transfer(session.penalize(failedMessages), REL_FAILURE);
                     session.remove(flowFile);
                     session.getProvenanceReporter().send(successfulMessages, "kafka://" + topic);
                 }