diff --git a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.spec.ts b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.spec.ts
index ce064371..8e4c77bd 100644
--- a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.spec.ts
@@ -82,24 +82,6 @@ describe("CosmWasmClient", () => {
     });
   });
 
-  describe("getSequence", () => {
-    it("works", async () => {
-      pendingWithoutWasmd();
-      const client = await CosmWasmClient.connect(wasmd.endpoint);
-      expect(await client.getSequence(unused.address)).toEqual({
-        accountNumber: unused.accountNumber,
-        sequence: unused.sequence,
-      });
-    });
-
-    it("returns null for missing accounts", async () => {
-      pendingWithoutWasmd();
-      const client = await CosmWasmClient.connect(wasmd.endpoint);
-      const missing = makeRandomAddress();
-      expect(await client.getSequence(missing)).toBeNull();
-    });
-  });
-
   describe("getAccount", () => {
     it("works", async () => {
       pendingWithoutWasmd();
@@ -120,6 +102,26 @@ describe("CosmWasmClient", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe("getSequence", () => {
+    it("works", async () => {
+      pendingWithoutWasmd();
+      const client = await CosmWasmClient.connect(wasmd.endpoint);
+      expect(await client.getSequence(unused.address)).toEqual({
+        accountNumber: unused.accountNumber,
+        sequence: unused.sequence,
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("rejects for missing accounts", async () => {
+      pendingWithoutWasmd();
+      const client = await CosmWasmClient.connect(wasmd.endpoint);
+      const missing = makeRandomAddress();
+      await expectAsync(client.getSequence(missing)).toBeRejectedWithError(
+        /account does not exist on chain/i,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
   describe("getBlock", () => {
     it("works for latest block", async () => {
       pendingWithoutWasmd();
diff --git a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.ts b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.ts
index 11644fb8..b6d57e64 100644
--- a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.ts
+++ b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/cosmwasmclient.ts
@@ -120,14 +120,17 @@ export class CosmWasmClient {
     }
   }
 
-  public async getSequence(address: string): Promise<SequenceResponse | null> {
+  public async getSequence(address: string): Promise<SequenceResponse> {
     const account = await this.getAccount(address);
-    return account
-      ? {
-          accountNumber: account.accountNumber,
-          sequence: account.sequence,
-        }
-      : null;
+    if (!account) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "Account does not exist on chain. Send some tokens there before trying to query sequence.",
+      );
+    }
+    return {
+      accountNumber: account.accountNumber,
+      sequence: account.sequence,
+    };
   }
 
   public async getBlock(height?: number): Promise<Block> {
diff --git a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/signingcosmwasmclient.ts b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/signingcosmwasmclient.ts
index 9184905a..8da3742c 100644
--- a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/signingcosmwasmclient.ts
+++ b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/signingcosmwasmclient.ts
@@ -409,11 +409,7 @@ export class SigningCosmWasmClient extends CosmWasmClient {
       throw new Error("Failed to retrieve account from signer");
     }
     const pubkey = encodePubkey(encodeSecp256k1Pubkey(accountFromSigner.pubkey));
-    const accountFromChain = await this.getAccount(signerAddress);
-    if (!accountFromChain) {
-      throw new Error("Account not found");
-    }
-    const { accountNumber, sequence } = accountFromChain;
+    const { accountNumber, sequence } = await this.getSequence(signerAddress);
     const chainId = await this.getChainId();
     const txBody = {
       messages: messages,