diff --git a/cmd/rpcdaemon/commands/trace_filtering.go b/cmd/rpcdaemon/commands/trace_filtering.go
index 9ac33de24..ba752d2d0 100644
--- a/cmd/rpcdaemon/commands/trace_filtering.go
+++ b/cmd/rpcdaemon/commands/trace_filtering.go
@@ -325,6 +325,7 @@ func (api *TraceAPIImpl) Filter(ctx context.Context, req TraceFilterRequest, str
 	nExported := uint64(0)
 
 	it := allBlocks.Iterator()
+	isPos := false
 	for it.HasNext() {
 		b := it.Next()
 		// Extract transactions from block
@@ -367,6 +368,10 @@ func (api *TraceAPIImpl) Filter(ctx context.Context, req TraceFilterRequest, str
 
 		blockHash := block.Hash()
 		blockNumber := block.NumberU64()
+		if !isPos && api._chainConfig.TerminalTotalDifficulty != nil {
+			header := block.Header()
+			isPos = header.Difficulty.Cmp(common.Big0) == 0 || header.Difficulty.Cmp(api._chainConfig.TerminalTotalDifficulty) >= 0
+		}
 		txs := block.Transactions()
 		t, tErr := api.callManyTransactions(ctx, dbtx, txs, []string{TraceTypeTrace}, block.ParentHash(), rpc.BlockNumber(block.NumberU64()-1), block.Header(), -1 /* all tx indices */, types.MakeSigner(chainConfig, b), chainConfig.Rules(b))
 		if tErr != nil {
@@ -416,6 +421,13 @@ func (api *TraceAPIImpl) Filter(ctx context.Context, req TraceFilterRequest, str
 				}
 			}
 		}
+
+		// if we are in POS
+		// we dont check for uncles or block rewards
+		if isPos {
+			continue
+		}
+
 		minerReward, uncleRewards := ethash.AccumulateRewards(chainConfig, block.Header(), block.Uncles())
 		if _, ok := toAddresses[block.Coinbase()]; ok || includeAll {
 			nSeen++
diff --git a/eth/stagedsync/stage_headers.go b/eth/stagedsync/stage_headers.go
index bde0c1a0b..54da1445d 100644
--- a/eth/stagedsync/stage_headers.go
+++ b/eth/stagedsync/stage_headers.go
@@ -616,6 +616,10 @@ func verifyAndSaveDownloadedPoSHeaders(tx kv.RwTx, cfg HeadersCfg, headerInserte
 
 	headerLoadFunc := func(key, value []byte, _ etl.CurrentTableReader, _ etl.LoadNextFunc) error {
 		var h types.Header
+		// no header to process
+		if value == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
 		if err := rlp.DecodeBytes(value, &h); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}