diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrows.java b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrows.java
index 3648b5ce83c..82f0c9d0602 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrows.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrows.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 import com.sun.source.util.DocTreePathScanner;
 import com.sun.tools.javac.api.JavacTrees;
 import com.sun.tools.javac.code.Type;
+import com.sun.tools.javac.code.TypeTag;
 import javax.lang.model.element.Element;
 
 /**
@@ -84,7 +85,8 @@ public Void visitThrows(ThrowsTree throwsTree, Void unused) {
     }
 
     private boolean isCheckedException(Type type) {
-      return !state.getTypes().isAssignable(type, state.getSymtab().errorType)
+      return type.hasTag(TypeTag.CLASS)
+          && !state.getTypes().isAssignable(type, state.getSymtab().errorType)
           && !state.getTypes().isAssignable(type, state.getSymtab().runtimeExceptionType);
     }
   }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrowsTest.java b/core/src/test/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrowsTest.java
index f77fb9d7f69..4b513e808e9 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrowsTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/javadoc/InvalidThrowsTest.java
@@ -84,4 +84,20 @@ public void unrecognisedException_noComplaint() {
         .expectUnchanged()
         .doTest(TestMode.TEXT_MATCH);
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void throwsInvalidType() {
+    refactoring
+        .addInputLines(
+            "Test.java",
+            "interface Test {",
+            "  /**",
+            "   * @throws bar when failed",
+            "   */",
+            "  void foo();",
+            "  void bar();",
+            "}")
+        .expectUnchanged()
+        .doTest(TestMode.TEXT_MATCH);
+  }
 }