diff --git a/qa/rpc-tests/sprout_sapling_migration.py b/qa/rpc-tests/sprout_sapling_migration.py
index b888fb8e2..0e606fb5e 100755
--- a/qa/rpc-tests/sprout_sapling_migration.py
+++ b/qa/rpc-tests/sprout_sapling_migration.py
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ import sys; assert sys.version_info < (3,), ur"This script does not run under Py
 from decimal import Decimal
 from test_framework.test_framework import BitcoinTestFramework
 from test_framework.util import assert_equal, assert_true, get_coinbase_address, \
-    initialize_chain_clean, start_nodes, wait_and_assert_operationid_status
+    initialize_chain_clean, start_nodes, wait_and_assert_operationid_status, \
+    wait_and_assert_operationid_status_result
 
 
 class SproutSaplingMigration(BitcoinTestFramework):
@@ -54,14 +55,17 @@ class SproutSaplingMigration(BitcoinTestFramework):
 
         # At 495 we should have an async operation
         operationstatus = self.nodes[0].z_getoperationstatus()
+        print "migration operation: {}".format(operationstatus)
         assert_equal(1, len(operationstatus), "num async operations at 495")
         assert_equal('saplingmigration', operationstatus[0]['method'])
         assert_equal(500, operationstatus[0]['target_height'])
 
-        print "migration operation: {}".format(operationstatus)
-        migration_opid = operationstatus[0]['id']
-        result = wait_and_assert_operationid_status(self.nodes[0], migration_opid)
+        result = wait_and_assert_operationid_status_result(self.nodes[0], operationstatus[0]['id'])
         print "result: {}".format(result)
+        assert_equal('saplingmigration', result['method'])
+        assert_equal(500, result['target_height'])
+        assert_equal(1, result['result']['num_tx_created'])
+
         assert_equal(0, len(self.nodes[0].getrawmempool()), "mempool size at 495")
 
         self.nodes[0].generate(3)
diff --git a/qa/rpc-tests/test_framework/util.py b/qa/rpc-tests/test_framework/util.py
index 7d15ec063..590cb2d48 100644
--- a/qa/rpc-tests/test_framework/util.py
+++ b/qa/rpc-tests/test_framework/util.py
@@ -385,8 +385,9 @@ def assert_raises(exc, fun, *args, **kwds):
 def fail(message=""):
     raise AssertionError(message)
 
-# Returns txid if operation was a success or None
-def wait_and_assert_operationid_status(node, myopid, in_status='success', in_errormsg=None, timeout=300):
+
+# Returns an async operation result
+def wait_and_assert_operationid_status_result(node, myopid, in_status='success', in_errormsg=None, timeout=300):
     print('waiting for async operation {}'.format(myopid))
     result = None
     for _ in xrange(1, timeout):
@@ -399,29 +400,29 @@ def wait_and_assert_operationid_status(node, myopid, in_status='success', in_err
     assert_true(result is not None, "timeout occured")
     status = result['status']
 
-    ret = None
+    debug = os.getenv("PYTHON_DEBUG", "")
+    if debug:
+        print('...returned status: {}'.format(status))
+
     errormsg = None
     if status == "failed":
         errormsg = result['error']['message']
-    elif status == "success":
-        if type(result['result']) is dict and result['result'].get('txid'):
-            ret = result['result']['txid']
-        else:
-            ret = result['result']
-
-    if os.getenv("PYTHON_DEBUG", ""):
-        print('...returned status: {}'.format(status))
-        if errormsg is not None:
+        if debug:
             print('...returned error: {}'.format(errormsg))
+        assert_equal(in_errormsg, errormsg)
 
     assert_equal(in_status, status, "Operation returned mismatched status. Error Message: {}".format(errormsg))
 
-    if errormsg is not None:
-        assert_true(in_errormsg is not None, "No error retured. Expected: {}".format(errormsg))
-        assert_true(in_errormsg in errormsg, "Error returned: {}. Error expected: {}".format(errormsg, in_errormsg))
-        return result  # if there was an error return the result
+    return result
+
+
+# Returns txid if operation was a success or None
+def wait_and_assert_operationid_status(node, myopid, in_status='success', in_errormsg=None, timeout=300):
+    result = wait_and_assert_operationid_status_result(node, myopid, in_status, in_errormsg, timeout)
+    if result['status'] == "success":
+        return result['result']['txid']
     else:
-        return ret  # otherwise return the txid
+        return None
 
 # Find a coinbase address on the node, filtering by the number of UTXOs it has.
 # If no filter is provided, returns the coinbase address on the node containing
diff --git a/qa/rpc-tests/wallet_protectcoinbase.py b/qa/rpc-tests/wallet_protectcoinbase.py
index 851099311..5eaed7c3a 100755
--- a/qa/rpc-tests/wallet_protectcoinbase.py
+++ b/qa/rpc-tests/wallet_protectcoinbase.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from test_framework.authproxy import JSONRPCException
 from test_framework.mininode import COIN
 from test_framework.util import assert_equal, initialize_chain_clean, \
     start_nodes, connect_nodes_bi, wait_and_assert_operationid_status, \
-    get_coinbase_address
+    wait_and_assert_operationid_status_result, get_coinbase_address
 
 import sys
 import timeit
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ class WalletProtectCoinbaseTest (BitcoinTestFramework):
         recipients.append({"address":myzaddr, "amount":Decimal('1.23456789')})
         
         myopid = self.nodes[0].z_sendmany(mytaddr, recipients)
-        error_result = wait_and_assert_operationid_status(self.nodes[0], myopid, "failed", "wallet does not allow any change", 10)
+        error_result = wait_and_assert_operationid_status_result(self.nodes[0], myopid, "failed", "wallet does not allow any change", 10)
 
         # Test that the returned status object contains a params field with the operation's input parameters
         assert_equal(error_result["method"], "z_sendmany")