diff --git a/cypress/integration/edit.js b/cypress/integration/edit.js
index c0f76a6b5d..b3006bd630 100644
--- a/cypress/integration/edit.js
+++ b/cypress/integration/edit.js
@@ -145,4 +145,18 @@ describe('Edit Page', () => {
             expect(el).to.have.value(date)
         );
     });
+
+    it('should persit emptied inputs', () => {
+        EditPostPage.navigate();
+        EditPostPage.gotoTab(3);
+        cy.contains('Tech').click();
+        cy.get('li[aria-label="Clear value"]').click();
+        EditPostPage.submit();
+
+        EditPostPage.navigate();
+        EditPostPage.gotoTab(3);
+        cy.get(EditPostPage.elements.input('category')).should(el =>
+            expect(el).to.have.value('')
+        );
+    });
 });
diff --git a/examples/simple/src/posts/PostEdit.js b/examples/simple/src/posts/PostEdit.js
index d5825bbb0a..13341fabf7 100644
--- a/examples/simple/src/posts/PostEdit.js
+++ b/examples/simple/src/posts/PostEdit.js
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ const PostEdit = ({ permissions, ...props }) => (
                 </ArrayInput>
                 <DateInput source="published_at" options={{ locale: 'pt' }} />
                 <SelectInput
+                    allowEmpty
                     resettable
                     source="category"
                     choices={[
diff --git a/packages/ra-core/src/form/index.ts b/packages/ra-core/src/form/index.ts
index 9338470292..09fa3e3461 100644
--- a/packages/ra-core/src/form/index.ts
+++ b/packages/ra-core/src/form/index.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import FormField from './FormField';
 import useInput, { InputProps } from './useInput';
 import ValidationError from './ValidationError';
 import useInitializeFormWithRecord from './useInitializeFormWithRecord';
+import sanitizeEmptyValues from './sanitizeEmptyValues';
 import useChoices, {
     ChoicesProps,
     OptionTextElement,
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ export {
     InputProps,
     OptionTextElement,
     OptionText,
+    sanitizeEmptyValues,
     useChoices,
     useInput,
     useInitializeFormWithRecord,
diff --git a/packages/ra-core/src/form/sanitizeEmptyValues.ts b/packages/ra-core/src/form/sanitizeEmptyValues.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..94154bca36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ra-core/src/form/sanitizeEmptyValues.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import merge from 'lodash/merge';
+
+/**
+ * Because final-form removes undefined and empty string values completely
+ * (the key for the empty field is removed from the values), we have to check
+ * wether this value was initially provided so that it is correctly sent to
+ * the backend.
+ * See https://github.com/final-form/react-final-form/issues/130#issuecomment-493447888
+ *
+ * @param initialValues The initial values provided to the form
+ * @param values The current form values
+ */
+const sanitizeEmptyValues = (initialValues: object, values: object) => {
+    // For every field initialy provided, we check wether it value has been removed
+    // and set it explicitly to an empty string
+    const initialValuesWithEmptyFields = Object.keys(initialValues).reduce(
+        (acc, key) => {
+            if (typeof values[key] === 'object' && values[key] !== null) {
+                acc[key] = sanitizeEmptyValues(initialValues[key], values[key]);
+            } else {
+                acc[key] =
+                    typeof values[key] === 'undefined' ? '' : values[key];
+            }
+            return acc;
+        },
+        {}
+    );
+
+    // Finaly, we merge back the values to not miss any which wasn't initialy provided
+    return merge(initialValuesWithEmptyFields, values);
+};
+
+export default sanitizeEmptyValues;
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/SimpleForm.js b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/SimpleForm.js
index f49810ae3b..a1df694665 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/SimpleForm.js
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/SimpleForm.js
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import { Form } from 'react-final-form';
 import arrayMutators from 'final-form-arrays';
 import classnames from 'classnames';
-import { useTranslate, useInitializeFormWithRecord } from 'ra-core';
+import {
+    useTranslate,
+    useInitializeFormWithRecord,
+    sanitizeEmptyValues,
+} from 'ra-core';
 
 import getFormInitialValues from './getFormInitialValues';
 import FormInput from './FormInput';
@@ -20,20 +24,25 @@ const SimpleForm = ({ initialValues, defaultValue, saving, ...props }) => {
     };
 
     const translate = useTranslate();
+
+    const finalInitialValues = getFormInitialValues(
+        initialValues,
+        defaultValue,
+        props.record
+    );
+
     const submit = values => {
         const finalRedirect =
             typeof redirect === undefined ? props.redirect : redirect.current;
-        props.save(values, finalRedirect);
+        const finalValues = sanitizeEmptyValues(finalInitialValues, values);
+
+        props.save(finalValues, finalRedirect);
     };
 
     return (
         <Form
             key={props.version}
-            initialValues={getFormInitialValues(
-                initialValues,
-                defaultValue,
-                props.record
-            )}
+            initialValues={finalInitialValues}
             onSubmit={submit}
             mutators={{ ...arrayMutators }}
             keepDirtyOnReinitialize
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/TabbedForm.js b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/TabbedForm.js
index 5dd5106748..7d261d02f0 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/TabbedForm.js
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/form/TabbedForm.js
@@ -6,7 +6,11 @@ import arrayMutators from 'final-form-arrays';
 import { Route } from 'react-router-dom';
 import Divider from '@material-ui/core/Divider';
 import { makeStyles } from '@material-ui/core/styles';
-import { useTranslate, useInitializeFormWithRecord } from 'ra-core';
+import {
+    useTranslate,
+    useInitializeFormWithRecord,
+    sanitizeEmptyValues,
+} from 'ra-core';
 
 import getFormInitialValues from './getFormInitialValues';
 import Toolbar from './Toolbar';
@@ -34,20 +38,24 @@ const TabbedForm = ({ initialValues, defaultValue, saving, ...props }) => {
     const translate = useTranslate();
     const classes = useStyles();
 
+    const finalInitialValues = getFormInitialValues(
+        initialValues,
+        defaultValue,
+        props.record
+    );
+
     const submit = values => {
         const finalRedirect =
             typeof redirect === undefined ? props.redirect : redirect.current;
-        props.save(values, finalRedirect);
+        const finalValues = sanitizeEmptyValues(finalInitialValues, values);
+
+        props.save(finalValues, finalRedirect);
     };
 
     return (
         <Form
             key={props.version}
-            initialValues={getFormInitialValues(
-                initialValues,
-                defaultValue,
-                props.record
-            )}
+            initialValues={finalInitialValues}
             onSubmit={submit}
             mutators={{ ...arrayMutators }}
             setRedirect={setRedirect}
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/SelectInput.tsx b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/SelectInput.tsx
index c9916918ab..756f450ea6 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/SelectInput.tsx
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/SelectInput.tsx
@@ -224,7 +224,12 @@ const SelectInput: FunctionComponent<
             {...sanitizeRestProps(rest)}
         >
             {allowEmpty ? (
-                <MenuItem value={emptyValue} key="null">
+                <MenuItem
+                    value={emptyValue}
+                    key="null"
+                    aria-label={translate('ra.action.clear_input_value')}
+                    title={translate('ra.action.clear_input_value')}
+                >
                     {renderEmptyItemOption()}
                 </MenuItem>
             ) : null}