diff --git a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_instance.go b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_instance.go
index 2d42e24d7..b79923d82 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_instance.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_instance.go
@@ -469,12 +469,7 @@ func resourceAwsInstanceRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
 	d.Set("public_ip", instance.PublicIpAddress)
 	d.Set("private_dns", instance.PrivateDnsName)
 	d.Set("private_ip", instance.PrivateIpAddress)
-
-	if instance.IamInstanceProfile != nil {
-		d.Set("iam_instance_profile", iamInstanceProfileArnToName(instance.IamInstanceProfile.Arn))
-	} else if _, ok := d.GetOk("iam_instance_profile"); ok {
-		d.Set("iam_instance_profile", "")
-	}
+	d.Set("iam_instance_profile", iamInstanceProfileArnToName(instance.IamInstanceProfile))
 
 	if len(instance.NetworkInterfaces) > 0 {
 		d.Set("subnet_id", instance.NetworkInterfaces[0].SubnetId)
@@ -1078,6 +1073,9 @@ func awsTerminateInstance(conn *ec2.EC2, id string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func iamInstanceProfileArnToName(arn *string) string {
-	return strings.Split(*arn, "/")[1]
+func iamInstanceProfileArnToName(ip *ec2.IamInstanceProfile) string {
+	if ip == nil && ip.Arn == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return strings.Split(*ip.Arn, "/")[1]
 }