diff --git a/src/com/amazon/ion/impl/lite/IonValueLite.java b/src/com/amazon/ion/impl/lite/IonValueLite.java
index f3ef633e56..633fd70ff6 100644
--- a/src/com/amazon/ion/impl/lite/IonValueLite.java
+++ b/src/com/amazon/ion/impl/lite/IonValueLite.java
@@ -1168,9 +1168,7 @@ private static void writeFieldNameAndAnnotations(IonWriter writer, IonValueLite
             }
         }
 
-        if (value._annotations != null) {
-            writer.setTypeAnnotationSymbols(value._annotations);
-        }
+        writer.setTypeAnnotationSymbols(value._annotations);
     }
 
     /*  The following template may be used to iterate over the tree at the current value. Copying this structure
diff --git a/test/com/amazon/ion/impl/IonWriterTestCase.java b/test/com/amazon/ion/impl/IonWriterTestCase.java
index 158e7b067b..fdfd52d15b 100644
--- a/test/com/amazon/ion/impl/IonWriterTestCase.java
+++ b/test/com/amazon/ion/impl/IonWriterTestCase.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 import static com.amazon.ion.impl.Symtabs.FRED_MAX_IDS;
 import static com.amazon.ion.impl._Private_IonWriterBase.ERROR_MISSING_FIELD_NAME;
 import static com.amazon.ion.impl._Private_Utils.newSymbolToken;
+import static com.amazon.ion.junit.IonAssert.assertAnnotations;
 import static com.amazon.ion.junit.IonAssert.assertIonEquals;
 import static com.amazon.ion.junit.IonAssert.expectNextField;
 
@@ -1288,4 +1289,23 @@ public void testWriteToWithFieldName()
 
         assertNull(reader.next());
     }
+
+    // Create a writer, set it using the provided annotations, then write the given value using IonValue.writeTo.
+    // Assert that the resulting value is annotated with only the annotations on the original IonValue, not the ones
+    // set on the writer.
+    private void writeToWithAnnotations(IonValue value, String... annotations) throws Exception {
+        iw = makeWriter();
+        iw.setTypeAnnotations(annotations);
+        value.writeTo(iw);
+        IonValue reread = system().singleValue(outputByteArray());
+        assertAnnotations(reread, value.getTypeAnnotations());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void writeToOverwritesExistingAnnotations() throws Exception {
+        writeToWithAnnotations(system().singleValue("bar"));
+        writeToWithAnnotations(system().singleValue("foo::bar"));
+        writeToWithAnnotations(system().singleValue("foo"), "bar");
+        writeToWithAnnotations(system().singleValue("foo::bar"), "baz");
+    }
 }