diff --git a/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/adapter/record-persistence-test.js b/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/adapter/record-persistence-test.js
index 9a4df03c339..6e05d16c33c 100644
--- a/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/adapter/record-persistence-test.js
+++ b/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/adapter/record-persistence-test.js
@@ -318,4 +318,46 @@ module('integration/adapter/record_persistence - Persisting Records', function(h
     assert.strictEqual(tom.isDeleted, true, 'Tom is marked as deleted');
     assert.strictEqual(yehuda.isDeleted, true, 'Yehuda is marked as deleted');
   });
+
+  test('Create record response does not have to include the type property', async function(assert) {
+    assert.expect(2);
+
+    const Person = Model.extend({
+      updatedAt: attr('string'),
+      name: attr('string'),
+      firstName: attr('string'),
+      lastName: attr('string'),
+    });
+
+    const ApplicationAdapter = Adapter.extend({
+      shouldBackgroundReloadRecord: () => false,
+    });
+
+    this.owner.register('model:person', Person);
+    this.owner.register('adapter:application', ApplicationAdapter);
+    this.owner.register(
+      'serializer:application',
+      JSONAPISerializer.extend({
+        normalizeResponse: (store, primaryModelClass, payload, id, requestType) => {
+          return payload;
+        },
+      })
+    );
+
+    let store = this.owner.lookup('service:store');
+    let adapter = store.adapterFor('application');
+
+    let tom;
+
+    adapter.createRecord = function(_store, type, snapshot) {
+      assert.strictEqual(type, Person, "The type of the record is 'Person'");
+      assert.strictEqual(snapshot.record, tom, 'The record in the snapshot is the correct one');
+
+      return resolve({ data: { id: '1' } });
+    };
+
+    tom = store.createRecord('person', { name: 'Tom Dale' });
+
+    return await tom.save();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/store/addon/-private/identifiers/cache.ts b/packages/store/addon/-private/identifiers/cache.ts
index 417ad812d7a..d262a18e677 100644
--- a/packages/store/addon/-private/identifiers/cache.ts
+++ b/packages/store/addon/-private/identifiers/cache.ts
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ function performRecordIdentifierUpdate(
   updateFn: UpdateMethod
 ) {
   let { id, lid } = data;
-  let type = normalizeModelName(data.type);
+  let type = data.type && normalizeModelName(data.type);
 
   if (DEBUG) {
     // get the mutable instance behind our proxy wrapper
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ function performRecordIdentifierUpdate(
     }
 
     // TODO consider just ignoring here to allow flexible polymorphic support
-    if (type !== identifier.type) {
+    if (type && type !== identifier.type) {
       throw new Error(
         `The 'type' for a RecordIdentifier cannot be updated once it has been set. Attempted to set type for '${wrapper}' to '${type}'.`
       );
@@ -551,14 +551,14 @@ function detectMerge(
 
     return existingIdentifier !== undefined ? existingIdentifier : false;
   } else {
-    let newType = normalizeModelName(data.type);
+    let newType = data.type && normalizeModelName(data.type);
 
     // If the ids and type are the same but lid is not the same, we should trigger a merge of the identifiers
     if (id !== null && id === newId && newType === type && data.lid && data.lid !== lid) {
       let existingIdentifier = lids[data.lid];
       return existingIdentifier !== undefined ? existingIdentifier : false;
       // If the lids are the same, and ids are the same, but types are different we should trigger a merge of the identifiers
-    } else if (id !== null && id === newId && newType !== type && data.lid && data.lid === lid) {
+    } else if (id !== null && id === newId && newType && newType !== type && data.lid && data.lid === lid) {
       let keyOptions = getTypeIndex(typesCache, newType);
       let existingIdentifier = keyOptions.id[id];
       return existingIdentifier !== undefined ? existingIdentifier : false;