diff --git a/ksql-engine/src/main/java/io/confluent/ksql/structured/SchemaKStream.java b/ksql-engine/src/main/java/io/confluent/ksql/structured/SchemaKStream.java
index fd8ccae90f6a..3597d04ce806 100644
--- a/ksql-engine/src/main/java/io/confluent/ksql/structured/SchemaKStream.java
+++ b/ksql-engine/src/main/java/io/confluent/ksql/structured/SchemaKStream.java
@@ -382,8 +382,11 @@ private boolean needsRepartition(final Expression expression) {
     return !namesMatch && !isRowKey(columnRef);
   }
 
-  private static boolean isRowKey(final ColumnRef fieldName) {
-    return fieldName.name().equals(SchemaUtil.ROWKEY_NAME);
+  private boolean isRowKey(final ColumnRef fieldName) {
+    // until we support structured keys, there will never be any key column other
+    // than "ROWKEY" - furthermore, that key column is always prefixed at this point
+    // unless it is a join, in which case every other source field is prefixed
+    return fieldName.equals(schema.key().get(0).ref());
   }
 
   private static ColumnName fieldNameFromExpression(final Expression expression) {
diff --git a/ksql-functional-tests/src/test/resources/query-validation-tests/partition-by.json b/ksql-functional-tests/src/test/resources/query-validation-tests/partition-by.json
index 7ff4e9699672..8f9fbfd3c2f9 100644
--- a/ksql-functional-tests/src/test/resources/query-validation-tests/partition-by.json
+++ b/ksql-functional-tests/src/test/resources/query-validation-tests/partition-by.json
@@ -132,28 +132,109 @@
       "inputs": [{"topic": "input", "value": {"ID":  22}, "timestamp": 10}],
       "outputs": [{"topic": "OUTPUT", "key": "10", "value": {"ID":  22}, "timestamp": 10}]
     },
+    {
+      "name": "partition by ROWKEY in join on ROWKEY",
+      "statements": [
+        "CREATE STREAM L (A STRING, B STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='LEFT', value_format='JSON', KEY='A');",
+        "CREATE STREAM R (C STRING, D STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='RIGHT', value_format='JSON', KEY='C');",
+        "CREATE STREAM OUTPUT AS SELECT L.ROWKEY, R.ROWKEY FROM L JOIN R WITHIN 10 SECONDS ON L.A = R.C PARTITION BY L.ROWKEY;"
+      ],
+      "inputs": [
+        {"topic": "LEFT", "key": "join", "value": {"A": "join", "B": "b"}},
+        {"topic": "RIGHT", "key": "join", "value": {"C": "join", "D": "d"}}
+      ],
+      "outputs": [
+        {"topic": "OUTPUT", "key": "join", "value": {"L_ROWKEY": "join", "R_ROWKEY": "join"}}
+      ],
+      "post": {
+        "sources": [
+          {"name": "OUTPUT", "type": "stream", "keyField": "L_ROWKEY"}
+        ],
+        "topics": {
+          "blacklist": ".*-repartition"
+        }
+      }
+    },
     {
       "name": "partition by ROWKEY in join on non-ROWKEY",
       "statements": [
         "CREATE STREAM L (A STRING, B STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='LEFT', value_format='JSON', KEY='A');",
         "CREATE STREAM R (C STRING, D STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='RIGHT', value_format='JSON', KEY='C');",
-        "CREATE STREAM OUTPUT AS SELECT L.A, L.B, R.C, R.D, L.ROWKEY, R.ROWKEY FROM L JOIN R WITHIN 10 SECONDS ON L.B = R.D PARTITION BY L.ROWKEY;"
+        "CREATE STREAM OUTPUT AS SELECT L.ROWKEY, R.ROWKEY FROM L JOIN R WITHIN 10 SECONDS ON L.B = R.D PARTITION BY L.ROWKEY;"
       ],
-      "comments": [
-        "This test demonstrates a problem when we JOIN on a non-ROWKEY field and then PARTITION BY ",
-        "a ROWKEY field. Note that the key is 'join' when it should be 'a' and the key-field is 'B' ",
-        "when it should be 'L_ROWKEY'"
+      "inputs": [
+        {"topic": "LEFT", "key": "a", "value": {"A": "a", "B": "join"}},
+        {"topic": "RIGHT", "key": "c", "value": {"C": "c", "D": "join"}}
+      ],
+      "outputs": [
+        {"topic": "OUTPUT", "key": "a", "value": {"L_ROWKEY": "a", "R_ROWKEY": "c"}}
+      ],
+      "post": {
+        "sources": [
+          {"name": "OUTPUT", "type": "stream", "keyField": "L_ROWKEY"}
+        ]
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "partition by ROWKEY in join on ROWKEY ALIASED",
+      "statements": [
+        "CREATE STREAM L (A STRING, B STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='LEFT', value_format='JSON', KEY='A');",
+        "CREATE STREAM R (C STRING, D STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='RIGHT', value_format='JSON', KEY='C');",
+        "CREATE STREAM OUTPUT AS SELECT L.ROWKEY, R.ROWKEY FROM L JOIN R WITHIN 10 SECONDS ON L.A = R.C PARTITION BY L.A;"
+      ],
+      "inputs": [
+        {"topic": "LEFT", "key": "join", "value": {"A": "join", "B": "b"}},
+        {"topic": "RIGHT", "key": "join", "value": {"C": "join", "D": "d"}}
+      ],
+      "outputs": [
+        {"topic": "OUTPUT", "key": "join", "value": {"L_ROWKEY": "join", "R_ROWKEY": "join"}}
+      ],
+      "post": {
+        "sources": [
+          {"name": "OUTPUT", "type": "stream", "keyField": null}
+        ],
+        "topics": {
+          "blacklist": ".*-repartition"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "partition by non-ROWKEY in join on ROWKEY",
+      "statements": [
+        "CREATE STREAM L (A STRING, B STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='LEFT', value_format='JSON', KEY='A');",
+        "CREATE STREAM R (C STRING, D STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='RIGHT', value_format='JSON', KEY='C');",
+        "CREATE STREAM OUTPUT AS SELECT L.ROWKEY, R.ROWKEY FROM L JOIN R WITHIN 10 SECONDS ON L.A = R.C PARTITION BY L.B;"
+      ],
+      "inputs": [
+        {"topic": "LEFT", "key": "join", "value": {"A": "join", "B": "b"}},
+        {"topic": "RIGHT", "key": "join", "value": {"C": "join", "D": "d"}}
+      ],
+      "outputs": [
+        {"topic": "OUTPUT", "key": "b", "value": {"L_ROWKEY": "join", "R_ROWKEY": "join"}}
+      ],
+      "post": {
+        "sources": [
+          {"name": "OUTPUT", "type": "stream", "keyField": null}
+        ]
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "partition by non-ROWKEY in join on non-ROWKEY",
+      "statements": [
+        "CREATE STREAM L (A STRING, B STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='LEFT', value_format='JSON', KEY='A');",
+        "CREATE STREAM R (C STRING, D STRING) WITH (kafka_topic='RIGHT', value_format='JSON', KEY='C');",
+        "CREATE STREAM OUTPUT AS SELECT L.ROWKEY, R.ROWKEY FROM L JOIN R WITHIN 10 SECONDS ON L.B = R.D PARTITION BY L.B;"
       ],
       "inputs": [
         {"topic": "LEFT", "key": "a", "value": {"A": "a", "B": "join"}},
         {"topic": "RIGHT", "key": "c", "value": {"C": "c", "D": "join"}}
       ],
       "outputs": [
-        {"topic": "OUTPUT", "key": "join", "value": {"A": "a", "B": "join", "C": "c", "D": "join", "L_ROWKEY": "a", "R_ROWKEY": "c"}}
+        {"topic": "OUTPUT", "key": "join", "value": {"L_ROWKEY": "a", "R_ROWKEY": "c"}}
       ],
       "post": {
         "sources": [
-          {"name": "OUTPUT", "type": "stream", "keyField": "B"}
+          {"name": "OUTPUT", "type": "stream", "keyField": null}
         ]
       }
     }