diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java
index 9c37a1b4126..cda0beead2c 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ private MethodSecurityExpressionOperations createSecurityExpressionRoot(
 	 * {@link Stream}
 	 */
 	@Override
-	public Object filter(@Nullable Object filterTarget, Expression filterExpression, EvaluationContext ctx) {
+	public @Nullable Object filter(@Nullable Object filterTarget, Expression filterExpression, EvaluationContext ctx) {
 		MethodSecurityExpressionOperations rootObject = (MethodSecurityExpressionOperations) ctx.getRootObject()
 			.getValue();
 		Assert.notNull(rootObject, "rootObject cannot be null");
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/MethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/MethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java
index 1afe7c25dda..19ceb940bb6 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/MethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/MethodSecurityExpressionHandler.java
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ public interface MethodSecurityExpressionHandler extends SecurityExpressionHandl
 	 * returned collection
 	 * @param ctx the current evaluation context (as created through a call to
 	 * {@link #createEvaluationContext(org.springframework.security.core.Authentication, Object)}
-	 * @return the filtered collection or array
+	 * @return the filtered collection or array, or {@code null}
 	 */
-	Object filter(@Nullable Object filterTarget, Expression filterExpression, EvaluationContext ctx);
+	@Nullable Object filter(@Nullable Object filterTarget, Expression filterExpression, EvaluationContext ctx);
 
 	/**
 	 * Used to inform the expression system of the return object for the given evaluation
diff --git a/core/src/test/kotlin/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests.kt b/core/src/test/kotlin/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests.kt
index f766c6aea01..1c16810a1d8 100644
--- a/core/src/test/kotlin/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests.kt
+++ b/core/src/test/kotlin/org/springframework/security/access/expression/method/DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests.kt
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
             "key3" to "value3",
         )
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ nonEmptyMap,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
         )
         val emptyMap: Map<String, String> = emptyMap()
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ emptyMap,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
             "string1",
         )
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ nonEmptyCollection,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
         )
         val emptyCollection: Collection<String> = emptyList()
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ emptyCollection,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
             "string1",
         )
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ nonEmptyArray,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
         )
         val emptyArray: Array<String> = emptyArray()
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ emptyArray,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
             "string1",
         ).stream()
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ nonEmptyStream,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
         )
         val emptyStream: Stream<String> = emptyList<String>().stream()
 
-        val filtered: Any = handler.filter(
+        val filtered: Any? = handler.filter(
             /* filterTarget = */ emptyStream,
             /* filterExpression = */ expression,
             /* ctx = */ context,
@@ -241,4 +241,20 @@ class DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandlerKotlinTests {
         val result = (filtered as Stream<String>).toList()
         assertThat(result).hasSize(0)
     }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `allows null filter results`() {
+        val handler = NullReturningMethodSecurityExpressionHandler()
+        val expression: Expression = handler.expressionParser.parseExpression("filterObject eq 'string2'")
+        val context: EvaluationContext = handler.createEvaluationContext(
+            /* authentication = */ authentication,
+            /* invocation = */ methodInvocation,
+        )
+
+        assertThat(handler.filter(null, expression, context)).isNull()
+    }
+
+    private class NullReturningMethodSecurityExpressionHandler : DefaultMethodSecurityExpressionHandler() {
+        override fun filter(filterTarget: Any?, filterExpression: Expression, ctx: EvaluationContext): Any? = null
+    }
 }