diff --git a/sdks/java/core/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeException.java b/sdks/java/core/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeException.java
index 14443a43f9da..ad1cd8bd85b7 100644
--- a/sdks/java/core/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeException.java
+++ b/sdks/java/core/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeException.java
@@ -62,13 +62,17 @@ private UserCodeException(Throwable t) {
    * of the current thread.
    */
   private void truncateStackTrace(Throwable t) {
-
     StackTraceElement[] currentStack = Thread.currentThread().getStackTrace();
     StackTraceElement[] throwableStack = t.getStackTrace();
 
     int currentStackSize = currentStack.length;
     int throwableStackSize = throwableStack.length;
 
+    if (throwableStackSize == 0) {
+      // Nothing to truncate.
+      return;
+    }
+
     int commonFrames = 0;
     while (framesEqual(currentStack[currentStackSize - commonFrames - 1],
         throwableStack[throwableStackSize - commonFrames - 1])) {
diff --git a/sdks/java/core/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeExceptionTest.java b/sdks/java/core/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeExceptionTest.java
index 614c72f913a8..3be114605928 100644
--- a/sdks/java/core/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeExceptionTest.java
+++ b/sdks/java/core/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/util/UserCodeExceptionTest.java
@@ -96,6 +96,13 @@ public void testWrapIfReturnsSourceRuntimeExceptionWhenFalse() {
     assertEquals(runtimeException, wrapped);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void robustAgainstEmptyStackTrace() {
+    RuntimeException runtimeException = new RuntimeException("empty stack");
+    runtimeException.setStackTrace(new StackTraceElement[0]);
+    RuntimeException wrapped = UserCodeException.wrap(runtimeException);
+    assertEquals(runtimeException, wrapped.getCause());
+  }
 
   private void throwUserCodeException() {
     try {