diff --git a/t5x/checkpoints.py b/t5x/checkpoints.py
index b39b874fb..315604c87 100644
--- a/t5x/checkpoints.py
+++ b/t5x/checkpoints.py
@@ -2504,15 +2504,19 @@ def restore(
     # After restoration, some values may still be non-sharded arrays from
     # fallback state.
     def _maybe_make_sharded_array_helper(arr, info):
-      return _maybe_make_sharded_array(
-          arr,
-          self._partitioner.mesh,
-          axes=info.mesh_axes,
-          restore_dtype=self._restore_dtype,
-      )
+      if arr is not None:
+        return _maybe_make_sharded_array(
+            arr,
+            self._partitioner.mesh,
+            axes=info.mesh_axes,
+            restore_dtype=self._restore_dtype,
+        )
 
     state_dict = jax.tree_util.tree_map(
-        _maybe_make_sharded_array_helper, state_dict, param_infos
+        _maybe_make_sharded_array_helper,
+        state_dict,
+        param_infos,
+        is_leaf=lambda x: x is None,
     )
 
     train_state = self._train_state.restore_state(state_dict)