diff --git a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic.go b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic.go
index 6a8e62fa7..4174e8732 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic.go
@@ -56,7 +56,9 @@ func resourceAwsSnsTopic() *schema.Resource {
 						log.Printf("[WARN] Error compacting JSON for Policy in SNS Topic")
 						return ""
 					}
-					return buffer.String()
+					value := normalizeJson(buffer.String())
+					log.Printf("[DEBUG] topic policy before save: %s", value)
+					return value
 				},
 			},
 			"delivery_policy": &schema.Schema{
@@ -183,9 +185,14 @@ func resourceAwsSnsTopicRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
 				// Some of the fetched attributes are stateful properties such as
 				// the number of subscriptions, the owner, etc. skip those
 				if resource.Schema[iKey] != nil {
-					value := *attrmap[oKey]
+					var value string
+					if iKey == "policy" {
+						value = normalizeJson(*attrmap[oKey])
+					} else {
+						value = *attrmap[oKey]
+					}
 					log.Printf("[DEBUG] Reading %s => %s -> %s", iKey, oKey, value)
-					d.Set(iKey, *attrmap[oKey])
+					d.Set(iKey, value)
 				}
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic_test.go b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic_test.go
index 76510c76e..2852c36fb 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic_test.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_sns_topic_test.go
@@ -128,8 +128,6 @@ resource "aws_sns_topic" "test_topic" {
   name = "example"
   policy = <<EOF
 {
-  "Version": "2012-10-17",
-  "Id": "Policy1445931846145",
   "Statement": [
     {
       "Sid": "Stmt1445931846145",
@@ -140,7 +138,9 @@ resource "aws_sns_topic" "test_topic" {
       "Action": "sns:Publish",
       "Resource": "arn:aws:sns:us-west-2::example"
     }
-  ]
+  ],
+  "Version": "2012-10-17",
+  "Id": "Policy1445931846145"
 }
 EOF
 }