diff --git a/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/PiggyBank/StoreRequest.php b/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/PiggyBank/StoreRequest.php
index f99939be28..fb8cab1443 100644
--- a/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/PiggyBank/StoreRequest.php
+++ b/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/PiggyBank/StoreRequest.php
@@ -96,7 +96,10 @@ class StoreRequest extends FormRequest
             function (Validator $validator): void {
                 // validate start before end only if both are there.
                 $data          = $validator->getData();
-                $currency      = $this->getCurrencyFromData($data);
+                $currency      = $this->getCurrencyFromData($validator, $data);
+                if(null === $currency) {
+                    return;
+                }
                 $targetAmount  = (string) ($data['target_amount'] ?? '0');
                 $currentAmount = '0';
                 if (array_key_exists('accounts', $data) && is_array($data['accounts'])) {
@@ -130,7 +133,7 @@ class StoreRequest extends FormRequest
         }
     }
 
-    private function getCurrencyFromData(array $data): TransactionCurrency
+    private function getCurrencyFromData(Validator $validator, array $data): ?TransactionCurrency
     {
         if (array_key_exists('transaction_currency_code', $data) && '' !== (string) $data['transaction_currency_code']) {
             $currency = TransactionCurrency::whereCode($data['transaction_currency_code'])->first();
@@ -144,7 +147,7 @@ class StoreRequest extends FormRequest
                 return $currency;
             }
         }
-
-        throw new FireflyException('Unexpected empty currency.');
+        $validator->errors()->add('transaction_currency_id', trans('validation.require_currency_id_code'));
+        return null;
     }
 }
diff --git a/resources/lang/en_US/validation.php b/resources/lang/en_US/validation.php
index eed095e186..6794b8b8f7 100644
--- a/resources/lang/en_US/validation.php
+++ b/resources/lang/en_US/validation.php
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ return [
     'at_least_one_repetition'          => 'Need at least one repetition.',
     'require_repeat_until'             => 'Require either a number of repetitions, or an end date (repeat_until). Not both.',
     'require_currency_info'            => 'The content of this field is invalid without currency information.',
+    'require_currency_id_code' => 'Please set either "transaction_currency_id" or "transaction_currency_code".',
     'not_transfer_account'             => 'This account is not an account that can be used for transfers.',
     'require_currency_amount'          => 'The content of this field is invalid without foreign amount information.',
     'require_foreign_currency'         => 'This field requires a number',