diff --git a/src/Illuminate/Queue/Queue.php b/src/Illuminate/Queue/Queue.php
index a7ac2c2e4a68..0362e5ee65b3 100755
--- a/src/Illuminate/Queue/Queue.php
+++ b/src/Illuminate/Queue/Queue.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 use DateTime;
 use Illuminate\Support\Arr;
+use InvalidArgumentException;
 use Illuminate\Container\Container;
 
 abstract class Queue
@@ -71,20 +72,28 @@ public function bulk($jobs, $data = '', $queue = null)
      * @param  mixed   $data
      * @param  string  $queue
      * @return string
+     *
+     * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
      */
     protected function createPayload($job, $data = '', $queue = null)
     {
         if (is_object($job)) {
-            return json_encode([
+            $payload = json_encode([
                 'job' => 'Illuminate\Queue\CallQueuedHandler@call',
                 'data' => [
                     'commandName' => get_class($job),
                     'command' => serialize(clone $job),
                 ],
             ]);
+        } else {
+            $payload = json_encode($this->createPlainPayload($job, $data));
+        }
+
+        if (JSON_ERROR_NONE !== json_last_error()) {
+            throw new InvalidArgumentException('Unable to create payload: '.json_last_error_msg());
         }
 
-        return json_encode($this->createPlainPayload($job, $data));
+        return $payload;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -106,12 +115,20 @@ protected function createPlainPayload($job, $data)
      * @param  string  $key
      * @param  string  $value
      * @return string
+     *
+     * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
      */
     protected function setMeta($payload, $key, $value)
     {
         $payload = json_decode($payload, true);
 
-        return json_encode(Arr::set($payload, $key, $value));
+        $payload = json_encode(Arr::set($payload, $key, $value));
+
+        if (JSON_ERROR_NONE !== json_last_error()) {
+            throw new InvalidArgumentException('Unable to create payload: '.json_last_error_msg());
+        }
+
+        return $payload;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/Queue/QueueDatabaseQueueUnitTest.php b/tests/Queue/QueueDatabaseQueueUnitTest.php
index a405f2cdf697..5dbe7bd23481 100644
--- a/tests/Queue/QueueDatabaseQueueUnitTest.php
+++ b/tests/Queue/QueueDatabaseQueueUnitTest.php
@@ -45,6 +45,51 @@ public function testDelayedPushProperlyPushesJobOntoDatabase()
         $queue->later(10, 'foo', ['data']);
     }
 
+    public function testFailureToCreatePayloadFromObject()
+    {
+        $this->expectException('InvalidArgumentException');
+
+        $job = new stdClass();
+        $job->invalid = "\xc3\x28";
+
+        $queue = $this->getMockForAbstractClass('Illuminate\Queue\Queue');
+        $class = new ReflectionClass('Illuminate\Queue\Queue');
+
+        $createPayload = $class->getMethod('createPayload');
+        $createPayload->setAccessible(true);
+        $createPayload->invokeArgs($queue, [
+            $job,
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    public function testFailureToCreatePayloadFromArray()
+    {
+        $this->expectException('InvalidArgumentException');
+
+        $queue = $this->getMockForAbstractClass('Illuminate\Queue\Queue');
+        $class = new ReflectionClass('Illuminate\Queue\Queue');
+
+        $createPayload = $class->getMethod('createPayload');
+        $createPayload->setAccessible(true);
+        $createPayload->invokeArgs($queue, [
+            ["\xc3\x28"],
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    public function testFailureToCreatePayloadAfterAddingMeta()
+    {
+        $this->expectException('InvalidArgumentException');
+
+        $queue = $this->getMockForAbstractClass('Illuminate\Queue\Queue');
+        $class = new ReflectionClass('Illuminate\Queue\Queue');
+
+        $setMeta = $class->getMethod('setMeta');
+        $setMeta->setAccessible(true);
+        $setMeta->invokeArgs($queue, [
+            json_encode(['valid']), 'key', "\xc3\x28",
+        ]);
+    }
+
     public function testBulkBatchPushesOntoDatabase()
     {
         $database = m::mock('Illuminate\Database\Connection');