diff --git a/core/auth.py b/core/auth.py
index f37fe4f..d656ea7 100644
--- a/core/auth.py
+++ b/core/auth.py
@@ -1,17 +1,22 @@
+import jwt
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.utils.encoding import smart_str
 from django.utils.translation import gettext as _
 from rest_framework import HTTP_HEADER_ENCODING, exceptions
-from rest_framework_jwt.authentication import BaseJSONWebTokenAuthentication
+from rest_framework.authentication import BaseAuthentication
 from rest_framework_jwt.settings import api_settings
 from six import text_type
 
+jwt_decode_handler = api_settings.JWT_DECODE_HANDLER
+jwt_get_username_from_payload = api_settings.JWT_PAYLOAD_GET_USERNAME_HANDLER
 
-class JSONWebTokenAuthenticationQS(BaseJSONWebTokenAuthentication):
+
+class JSONWebTokenAuthenticationQS(BaseAuthentication):
     """
-    This is a custom JWT Authentication class. This has inherited
-    BaseJsonWebTokenAuthentication and also used some of the codes from
-    traditional JSONWebTokenAuthentication class. The traditional one
+    Token based authentication using the JSON Web Token standard.
+
+    This is a custom JWT Authentication class.  The traditional one
     can only authenticate from Header with a specific key only.
 
     This model will first look into HEADER and if the key is not found
@@ -92,3 +97,50 @@ def get_jwt_value(self, request):
             raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed(msg)
 
         return auth[1]
+
+    def authenticate(self, request):
+        """
+        Returns a two-tuple of `User` and token if a valid signature has been
+        supplied using JWT-based authentication.  Otherwise returns `None`.
+        """
+        jwt_value = self.get_jwt_value(request)
+        if jwt_value is None:
+            return None
+
+        try:
+            payload = jwt_decode_handler(jwt_value)
+        except jwt.ExpiredSignature:
+            msg = _("Signature has expired.")
+            raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed(msg)
+        except jwt.DecodeError:
+            msg = _("Error decoding signature.")
+            raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed(msg)
+        except jwt.InvalidTokenError:
+            raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed()
+
+        user = self.authenticate_credentials(payload)
+
+        return (user, jwt_value)
+
+    def authenticate_credentials(self, payload):
+        """
+        Returns an active user that matches the payload's user id and email.
+        """
+        User = get_user_model()
+        username = jwt_get_username_from_payload(payload)
+
+        if not username:
+            msg = _("Invalid payload.")
+            raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed(msg)
+
+        try:
+            user = User.objects.get_by_natural_key(username)
+        except User.DoesNotExist:
+            msg = _("Invalid signature.")
+            raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed(msg)
+
+        if not user.is_active:
+            msg = _("User account is disabled.")
+            raise exceptions.AuthenticationFailed(msg)
+
+        return user