diff --git a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresChangeRecordEmitter.java b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresChangeRecordEmitter.java
index 3c2e677cfdf..707988ad14e 100644
--- a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresChangeRecordEmitter.java
+++ b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresChangeRecordEmitter.java
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ private boolean schemaChanged(List<ReplicationMessage.Column> columns, Table tab
                                 incomingLength);
                         return true;
                     }
-                    final int localScale = column.scale().get();
+                    final int localScale = column.scale().orElseGet(() -> 0);
                     final int incomingScale = message.getTypeMetadata().getScale();
                     if (localScale != incomingScale) {
                         logger.info("detected new scale for column '{}', old scale was {}, new scale is {}; refreshing table schema", columnName, localScale,
diff --git a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresValueConverter.java b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresValueConverter.java
index 4174b1a2bdd..9a8e20c28ec 100644
--- a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresValueConverter.java
+++ b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/main/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/PostgresValueConverter.java
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ private SchemaBuilder numericSchema(Column column) {
         if (decimalMode == DecimalMode.PRECISE && isVariableScaleDecimal(column)) {
             return VariableScaleDecimal.builder();
         }
-        return SpecialValueDecimal.builder(decimalMode, column.length(), column.scale().get());
+        return SpecialValueDecimal.builder(decimalMode, column.length(), column.scale().orElseGet(() -> 0));
     }
 
     private SchemaBuilder hstoreSchema() {
@@ -840,8 +840,8 @@ else if (data instanceof PgArray) {
     }
 
     private boolean isVariableScaleDecimal(final Column column) {
-        return (column.scale().isPresent() && column.scale().get() == 0 && column.length() == VARIABLE_SCALE_DECIMAL_LENGTH)
-                || (!column.scale().isPresent() && column.length() == -1);
+        return column.length() == VARIABLE_SCALE_DECIMAL_LENGTH &&
+                column.scale().orElseGet(() -> 0) == 0;
     }
 
     public static Optional<SpecialValueDecimal> toSpecialValue(String value) {
diff --git a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/RecordsSnapshotProducerIT.java b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/RecordsSnapshotProducerIT.java
index 98f29710ac8..6dfc4b638a8 100644
--- a/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/RecordsSnapshotProducerIT.java
+++ b/debezium-connector-postgres/src/test/java/io/debezium/connector/postgresql/RecordsSnapshotProducerIT.java
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ public void converterFor(RelationalColumn column, ConverterRegistration<SchemaBu
         }
     }
 
+    @Override
     protected List<SchemaAndValueField> schemasAndValuesForCustomConverterTypes() {
         return Arrays.asList(new SchemaAndValueField("i",
                 SchemaBuilder.string().name("io.debezium.postgresql.type.Isbn").build(), "0-393-04002-X"));
@@ -408,7 +409,7 @@ public void shouldGenerateSnapshotsForPartitionedTables() throws Exception {
         // then start the producer and validate all records are there
         buildNoStreamProducer(TestHelper.defaultConfig());
 
-        TestConsumer consumer = testConsumer(1 + 2 * 30); // Every record comes once from partitioned table and from partition
+        TestConsumer consumer = testConsumer(1 + 30);
         consumer.await(TestHelper.waitTimeForRecords() * 30, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
 
         Set<Integer> ids = new HashSet<>();
@@ -434,7 +435,7 @@ public void shouldGenerateSnapshotsForPartitionedTables() throws Exception {
 
         // verify each topic contains exactly the number of input records
         assertEquals(1, topicCounts.get("test_server.public.first_table").intValue());
-        assertEquals(30, topicCounts.get("test_server.public.partitioned").intValue());
+        assertEquals(0, topicCounts.get("test_server.public.partitioned").intValue());
         assertEquals(10, topicCounts.get("test_server.public.partitioned_1_100").intValue());
         assertEquals(20, topicCounts.get("test_server.public.partitioned_101_200").intValue());