diff --git a/encode_map.go b/encode_map.go
index ba4c61b..d99c165 100644
--- a/encode_map.go
+++ b/encode_map.go
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ func encodeStructValue(e *Encoder, strct reflect.Value) error {
 	if e.flags&arrayEncodedStructsFlag != 0 || structFields.AsArray {
 		return encodeStructValueAsArray(e, strct, structFields.List)
 	}
-	fields := structFields.OmitEmpty(strct, e.flags&omitEmptyFlag != 0)
+	fields := structFields.OmitEmpty(e, strct)
 
 	if err := e.EncodeMapLen(len(fields)); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/msgpack_test.go b/msgpack_test.go
index 1b77027..da133d0 100644
--- a/msgpack_test.go
+++ b/msgpack_test.go
@@ -393,6 +393,28 @@ func TestSetOmitEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	err = dec.Decode(&t2)
 	require.Nil(t, err)
 	require.Nil(t, t2.Exported)
+
+	type Nested struct {
+		Foo string
+		Bar string
+	}
+	type Item struct {
+		X Nested
+		Y *Nested
+	}
+	i := Item{}
+	buf.Reset()
+	err = enc.Encode(i)
+	require.Nil(t, err)
+	require.NotContains(t, buf.Bytes(), byte('X'))
+	require.NotContains(t, buf.Bytes(), byte('Y'))
+
+	i = Item{Y: &Nested{}}
+	buf.Reset()
+	err = enc.Encode(i)
+	require.Nil(t, err)
+	require.NotContains(t, buf.Bytes(), byte('X'))
+	require.Contains(t, buf.Bytes(), byte('Y'))
 }
 
 type NullInt struct {
diff --git a/types.go b/types.go
index 69aca61..51851fe 100644
--- a/types.go
+++ b/types.go
@@ -97,12 +97,13 @@ type field struct {
 	decoder   decoderFunc
 }
 
-func (f *field) Omit(strct reflect.Value, forced bool) bool {
+func (f *field) Omit(e *Encoder, strct reflect.Value) bool {
 	v, ok := fieldByIndex(strct, f.index)
 	if !ok {
 		return true
 	}
-	return (f.omitEmpty || forced) && isEmptyValue(v)
+	forced := e.flags&omitEmptyFlag != 0
+	return (f.omitEmpty || forced) && e.isEmptyValue(v)
 }
 
 func (f *field) EncodeValue(e *Encoder, strct reflect.Value) error {
@@ -152,7 +153,8 @@ func (fs *fields) warnIfFieldExists(name string) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (fs *fields) OmitEmpty(strct reflect.Value, forced bool) []*field {
+func (fs *fields) OmitEmpty(e *Encoder, strct reflect.Value) []*field {
+	forced := e.flags&omitEmptyFlag != 0
 	if !fs.hasOmitEmpty && !forced {
 		return fs.List
 	}
@@ -160,7 +162,7 @@ func (fs *fields) OmitEmpty(strct reflect.Value, forced bool) []*field {
 	fields := make([]*field, 0, len(fs.List))
 
 	for _, f := range fs.List {
-		if !f.Omit(strct, forced) {
+		if !f.Omit(e, strct) {
 			fields = append(fields, f)
 		}
 	}
@@ -317,7 +319,7 @@ type isZeroer interface {
 	IsZero() bool
 }
 
-func isEmptyValue(v reflect.Value) bool {
+func (e *Encoder) isEmptyValue(v reflect.Value) bool {
 	kind := v.Kind()
 
 	for kind == reflect.Interface {
@@ -335,6 +337,10 @@ func isEmptyValue(v reflect.Value) bool {
 	switch kind {
 	case reflect.Array, reflect.Map, reflect.Slice, reflect.String:
 		return v.Len() == 0
+	case reflect.Struct:
+		structFields := structs.Fields(v.Type(), e.structTag)
+		fields := structFields.OmitEmpty(e, v)
+		return len(fields) == 0
 	case reflect.Bool:
 		return !v.Bool()
 	case reflect.Int, reflect.Int8, reflect.Int16, reflect.Int32, reflect.Int64: