diff --git a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/CSVRecordReader.java b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/CSVRecordReader.java
index f01fc3ee83..20a07881d0 100644
--- a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/CSVRecordReader.java
+++ b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/CSVRecordReader.java
@@ -77,6 +77,8 @@ public class CSVRecordReader implements RecordReader {
 
             if (ignoreHeader) {
                 withHeader = withHeader.withHeader(schema.getFieldNames().toArray(new String[0]));
+            } else {
+                withHeader = withHeader.withFirstRecordAsHeader();
             }
         } else {
             withHeader = csvFormat.withHeader(schema.getFieldNames().toArray(new String[0]));
diff --git a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/TestCSVRecordReader.java b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/TestCSVRecordReader.java
index 7920a33fde..d0fca7dccc 100644
--- a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/TestCSVRecordReader.java
+++ b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-services/nifi-record-serialization-services-bundle/nifi-record-serialization-services/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/csv/TestCSVRecordReader.java
@@ -124,6 +124,29 @@ public class TestCSVRecordReader {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testExcelFormat() throws IOException, MalformedRecordException {
+        final List<RecordField> fields = new ArrayList<RecordField>();
+        fields.add(new RecordField("fieldA", RecordFieldType.STRING.getDataType()));
+        fields.add(new RecordField("fieldB", RecordFieldType.STRING.getDataType()));
+        final RecordSchema schema = new SimpleRecordSchema(fields);
+
+        final String headerLine = "fieldA,fieldB";
+        final String inputRecord = "valueA,valueB";
+        final String csvData = headerLine + "\n" + inputRecord;
+        final byte[] inputData = csvData.getBytes();
+
+        try (final InputStream bais = new ByteArrayInputStream(inputData);
+            final CSVRecordReader reader = createReader(bais, schema, CSVFormat.EXCEL)) {
+
+            final Object[] record = reader.nextRecord().getValues();
+            final Object[] expectedValues = new Object[] {"valueA", "valueB"};
+            Assert.assertArrayEquals(expectedValues, record);
+
+            assertNull(reader.nextRecord());
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testMultipleRecords() throws IOException, MalformedRecordException {
         final List<RecordField> fields = getDefaultFields();