diff --git a/pkg/consensus/payload.go b/pkg/consensus/payload.go
index 925125fc2..ee9af07bd 100644
--- a/pkg/consensus/payload.go
+++ b/pkg/consensus/payload.go
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ type (
 		validatorIndex uint16
 		prevHash       util.Uint256
 		height         uint32
-		timestamp      uint32
 
 		Witness transaction.Witness
 	}
@@ -167,7 +166,6 @@ func (p *Payload) EncodeBinaryUnsigned(w *io.BinWriter) {
 	w.WriteBytes(p.prevHash[:])
 	w.WriteU32LE(p.height)
 	w.WriteU16LE(p.validatorIndex)
-	w.WriteU32LE(p.timestamp)
 
 	if p.message != nil {
 		ww := io.NewBufBinWriter()
@@ -229,7 +227,6 @@ func (p *Payload) DecodeBinaryUnsigned(r *io.BinReader) {
 	r.ReadBytes(p.prevHash[:])
 	p.height = r.ReadU32LE()
 	p.validatorIndex = r.ReadU16LE()
-	p.timestamp = r.ReadU32LE()
 
 	p.data = r.ReadVarBytes()
 	if r.Err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/consensus/payload_test.go b/pkg/consensus/payload_test.go
index 6ee37bd15..48bf020c0 100644
--- a/pkg/consensus/payload_test.go
+++ b/pkg/consensus/payload_test.go
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func TestConsensusPayload_Serializable(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestConsensusPayload_DecodeBinaryInvalid(t *testing.T) {
 	// PrepareResponse ConsensusPayload consists of:
-	// 46-byte common prefix
+	// 42-byte common prefix
 	// 1-byte varint length of the payload (34),
 	// - 1-byte view number
 	// - 1-byte message type (PrepareResponse)
@@ -118,12 +118,12 @@ func TestConsensusPayload_DecodeBinaryInvalid(t *testing.T) {
 	// 1-byte delimiter (1)
 	// 2-byte for empty invocation and verification scripts
 	const (
-		lenIndex       = 46
-		typeIndex      = 47
-		delimeterIndex = 81
+		lenIndex       = 42
+		typeIndex      = lenIndex + 1
+		delimeterIndex = typeIndex + 34
 	)
 
-	buf := make([]byte, 46+1+34+1+2)
+	buf := make([]byte, delimeterIndex+1+2)
 
 	expected := &Payload{
 		message: &message{
@@ -202,7 +202,6 @@ func randomPayload(t *testing.T, mt messageType) *Payload {
 		validatorIndex: 13,
 		height:         rand.Uint32(),
 		prevHash:       random.Uint256(),
-		timestamp:      rand.Uint32(),
 		Witness: transaction.Witness{
 			InvocationScript:   random.Bytes(3),
 			VerificationScript: []byte{byte(opcode.PUSH0)},