diff --git a/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/NotificationTemplateEdit/NotificationTemplateEdit.jsx b/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/NotificationTemplateEdit/NotificationTemplateEdit.jsx
index 9445f9c7be..91844a477c 100644
--- a/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/NotificationTemplateEdit/NotificationTemplateEdit.jsx
+++ b/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/NotificationTemplateEdit/NotificationTemplateEdit.jsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import React, { useState } from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { CardBody } from '../../../components/Card';
-import { OrganizationsAPI } from '../../../api';
+import { NotificationTemplatesAPI } from '../../../api';
 
 import NotificationTemplateForm from '../shared/NotificationTemplateForm';
 
@@ -11,23 +11,9 @@ function NotificationTemplateEdit({ template, defaultMessages }) {
   const history = useHistory();
   const [formError, setFormError] = useState(null);
 
-  const handleSubmit = async (
-    values,
-    groupsToAssociate,
-    groupsToDisassociate
-  ) => {
+  const handleSubmit = async values => {
     try {
-      await OrganizationsAPI.update(template.id, values);
-      await Promise.all(
-        groupsToAssociate.map(id =>
-          OrganizationsAPI.associateInstanceGroup(template.id, id)
-        )
-      );
-      await Promise.all(
-        groupsToDisassociate.map(id =>
-          OrganizationsAPI.disassociateInstanceGroup(template.id, id)
-        )
-      );
+      await NotificationTemplatesAPI.update(template.id, values);
       history.push(detailsUrl);
     } catch (error) {
       setFormError(error);
diff --git a/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/shared/NotificationTemplateForm.jsx b/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/shared/NotificationTemplateForm.jsx
index f1ab928ca6..edbb591c4d 100644
--- a/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/shared/NotificationTemplateForm.jsx
+++ b/awx/ui_next/src/screens/NotificationTemplate/shared/NotificationTemplateForm.jsx
@@ -98,7 +98,8 @@ function NotificationTemplateForm({
   i18n,
 }) {
   const handleSubmit = values => {
-    onSubmit(normalizeTypeFields(values));
+    // TODO: convert list values to arrays (do it in the field itself?)
+    onSubmit(normalizeFields(values, defaultMessages));
   };
 
   let emailOptions = '';
@@ -225,24 +226,28 @@ function isCustomized(message, defaultMessage) {
   if (!message) {
     return false;
   }
-  if (!message.message || message.message !== defaultMessage.message) {
+  if (message.message && message.message !== defaultMessage.message) {
     return true;
   }
-  if (!message.body || message.body !== defaultMessage.body) {
+  if (message.body && message.body !== defaultMessage.body) {
     return true;
   }
   return false;
 }
 
+function normalizeFields(values, defaultMessages) {
+  return normalizeTypeFields(normalizeMessageFields(values, defaultMessages));
+}
+
 /* If the user filled in some of the Type Details fields, then switched
  * to a different notification type, unecessary fields may be set in the
  * notification_configuration — this function strips them off */
 function normalizeTypeFields(values) {
   const stripped = {};
   const fields = typeFieldNames[values.notification_type];
-  fields.foreach(fieldName => {
-    if (typeof values[fieldName] !== 'undefined') {
-      stripped[fieldName] = values[fieldName];
+  fields.forEach(fieldName => {
+    if (typeof values.notification_configuration[fieldName] !== 'undefined') {
+      stripped[fieldName] = values.notification_configuration[fieldName];
     }
   });
   if (values.notification_type === 'email') {
@@ -255,3 +260,46 @@ function normalizeTypeFields(values) {
     notification_configuration: stripped,
   };
 }
+
+function normalizeMessageFields(values, defaults) {
+  if (!values.useCustomMessages) {
+    return values;
+  }
+  const { messages } = values;
+  const defs = defaults[values.notification_type];
+
+  const nullIfDefault = (m, d) => {
+    return {
+      message: m.message === d.message ? null : m.message,
+      body: m.body === d.body ? null : m.body,
+    };
+  };
+
+  const nonDefaultMessages = {
+    started: nullIfDefault(messages.started, defs.started),
+    success: nullIfDefault(messages.success, defs.success),
+    error: nullIfDefault(messages.error, defs.error),
+    workflow_approval: {
+      approved: nullIfDefault(
+        messages.workflow_approval.approved,
+        defs.workflow_approval.approved
+      ),
+      denied: nullIfDefault(
+        messages.workflow_approval.denied,
+        defs.workflow_approval.denied
+      ),
+      running: nullIfDefault(
+        messages.workflow_approval.running,
+        defs.workflow_approval.running
+      ),
+      timed_out: nullIfDefault(
+        messages.workflow_approval.timed_out,
+        defs.workflow_approval.timed_out
+      ),
+    },
+  };
+  return {
+    ...values,
+    messages: nonDefaultMessages,
+  };
+}