diff --git a/src/server/plugins/engine/index.ts b/src/server/plugins/engine/index.ts
index 3b73bb5d3..4d82a2ab3 100644
--- a/src/server/plugins/engine/index.ts
+++ b/src/server/plugins/engine/index.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ const globals = {
 export const VIEW_PATH = 'src/server/plugins/engine/views'
 export const PLUGIN_PATH = 'node_modules/@defra/forms-engine-plugin'
 
+export const STATE_NOT_YET_VALIDATED = '__stateNotYetValidated'
+export const CURRENT_PAGE_PATH_KEY = '__currentPagePath'
+
 export const prepareNunjucksEnvironment = function (
   env: Environment,
   pluginOptions: PluginOptions
diff --git a/src/server/plugins/engine/models/FormModel.ts b/src/server/plugins/engine/models/FormModel.ts
index 6050a33b4..c2aff279e 100644
--- a/src/server/plugins/engine/models/FormModel.ts
+++ b/src/server/plugins/engine/models/FormModel.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ import {
   createPage,
   type PageControllerClass
 } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/pages.js'
+import { copyNotYetValidatedState } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.js'
 import { validationOptions as opts } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/validationOptions.js'
 import * as defaultServices from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/services/index.js'
 import {
@@ -401,6 +402,9 @@ export class FormModel {
     // Add paths for navigation
     this.assignPaths(context)
 
+    // Handle restoration of payload from say a 'save-and-exit' request
+    copyNotYetValidatedState(request, context)
+
     return context
   }
 
diff --git a/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/QuestionPageController.ts b/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/QuestionPageController.ts
index ec778d6a1..314c9ce58 100644
--- a/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/QuestionPageController.ts
+++ b/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/QuestionPageController.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ import {
 } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/helpers.js'
 import { type FormModel } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/models/index.js'
 import { PageController } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/PageController.js'
-import { prefillStateFromQueryParameters } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.js'
+import {
+  clearNotYetValidatedState,
+  prefillStateFromQueryParameters
+} from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.js'
 import {
   type AnyFormRequest,
   type FormContext,
@@ -324,7 +327,8 @@ export class QuestionPageController extends PageController {
 
     const cacheService = getCacheService(request.server)
 
-    return cacheService.setState(request, state)
+    // Clear any 'not yet validated' state before saving to cache
+    return cacheService.setState(request, clearNotYetValidatedState(state))
   }
 
   async mergeState(
diff --git a/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.test.ts b/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.test.ts
index a3d008d78..d833c5c84 100644
--- a/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.test.ts
+++ b/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.test.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,15 @@ import { ComponentType, type Page } from '@defra/forms-model'
 import { type FormModel } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/models/FormModel.js'
 import { type PageControllerClass } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/pages.js'
 import {
+  copyNotYetValidatedState,
   prefillStateFromQueryParameters,
   stripParam
 } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.js'
-import { type AnyFormRequest } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/types.js'
+import {
+  type AnyFormRequest,
+  type FormContext,
+  type FormContextRequest
+} from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/types.js'
 import { type FormsService, type Services } from '~/src/server/types.js'
 
 function buildMockPage(
@@ -218,4 +223,73 @@ describe('State helpers', () => {
       expect(stripParam(params, 'anyParam')).toBeUndefined()
     })
   })
+
+  describe('copyNotYetValidatedState', () => {
+    it('should ignore if no invalid state', () => {
+      const mockRequest = {} as FormContextRequest
+      const mockContext = {
+        state: { abc: '123' },
+        payload: {}
+      } as unknown as FormContext
+      copyNotYetValidatedState(mockRequest, mockContext)
+      expect(mockContext.state).toEqual({ abc: '123' })
+      expect(mockContext.payload).toEqual({})
+    })
+
+    it('should ignore if wrong path', () => {
+      const mockRequest = {
+        url: {
+          pathname: '/form-page1'
+        }
+      } as unknown as FormContextRequest
+      const mockContext = {
+        state: {
+          abc: '123',
+          __stateNotYetValidated: {
+            def: '456',
+            __currentPagePath: '/root'
+          }
+        },
+        payload: {}
+      } as unknown as FormContext
+      copyNotYetValidatedState(mockRequest, mockContext)
+      expect(mockContext.state).toEqual({
+        abc: '123',
+        __stateNotYetValidated: {
+          def: '456',
+          __currentPagePath: '/root'
+        }
+      })
+      expect(mockContext.payload).toEqual({})
+    })
+
+    it('should apply if correct path', () => {
+      const mockRequest = {
+        url: {
+          pathname: '/form-page1'
+        }
+      } as unknown as FormContextRequest
+      const mockContext = {
+        state: {
+          abc: '123',
+          __stateNotYetValidated: {
+            def: '456',
+            __currentPagePath: '/form-page1'
+          }
+        },
+        payload: {}
+      } as unknown as FormContext
+      copyNotYetValidatedState(mockRequest, mockContext)
+      expect(mockContext.state).toEqual({
+        abc: '123',
+        __stateNotYetValidated: {
+          def: '456',
+          __currentPagePath: '/form-page1'
+        }
+      })
+      expect(mockContext.payload).toEqual({
+        def: '456'
+      })
+    })
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.ts b/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.ts
index 01357329e..6d7e2c621 100644
--- a/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.ts
+++ b/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/state.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,17 @@
 import { getHiddenFields } from '@defra/forms-model'
 
+import {
+  CURRENT_PAGE_PATH_KEY,
+  STATE_NOT_YET_VALIDATED
+} from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/index.js'
 import { type PageControllerClass } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/pageControllers/helpers/pages.js'
 import {
   type AnyFormRequest,
-  type FormStateValue
+  type FormContext,
+  type FormContextRequest,
+  type FormStateValue,
+  type FormSubmissionState,
+  type FormValue
 } from '~/src/server/plugins/engine/types.js'
 import { type FormQuery } from '~/src/server/routes/types.js'
 import { type Services } from '~/src/server/types.js'
@@ -91,3 +99,44 @@ export async function prefillStateFromQueryParameters(
 
   return true
 }
+
+/**
+ * Copies any potentially invalid state into the payload, and removes those values from state
+ * NOTE - this method has a side-effect on 'context.state' and 'context.payload'
+ * @param request - the form request
+ * @param context - the form context
+ */
+export function copyNotYetValidatedState(
+  request: FormContextRequest,
+  context: FormContext
+) {
+  const potentiallyInvalidState = context.state[STATE_NOT_YET_VALIDATED] as
+    | Record<string, FormValue>
+    | undefined
+  if (!potentiallyInvalidState) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  const originalPath = potentiallyInvalidState[CURRENT_PAGE_PATH_KEY]
+
+  if (originalPath && originalPath === request.url.pathname) {
+    context.payload = {
+      ...context.payload,
+      ...potentiallyInvalidState,
+      [CURRENT_PAGE_PATH_KEY]: undefined
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Remove any temporary 'not yet validated' state now that it's been validated
+ * @param state - the form state
+ */
+export function clearNotYetValidatedState(
+  state: FormSubmissionState
+): FormSubmissionState {
+  if (state[STATE_NOT_YET_VALIDATED]) {
+    state[STATE_NOT_YET_VALIDATED] = undefined
+  }
+  return state
+}