diff --git a/src/dtls13.c b/src/dtls13.c
index bd76ffe52..aeaaa3285 100644
--- a/src/dtls13.c
+++ b/src/dtls13.c
@@ -1190,6 +1190,26 @@ int Dtls13ReconstructEpochNumber(WOLFSSL* ssl, byte epochBits,
     return SEQUENCE_ERROR;
 }
 
+int Dtls13GetUnifiedHeaderSize(const byte input, word16* size)
+{
+    if (size == NULL)
+        return BAD_FUNC_ARG;
+
+    if (input & DTLS13_CID_BIT) {
+        WOLFSSL_MSG("DTLS1.3 header with connection ID. Not supported");
+        return WOLFSSL_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
+    }
+
+    /* flags (1) + seq 8bit (1) */
+    *size = OPAQUE8_LEN + OPAQUE8_LEN;
+    if (input & DTLS13_SEQ_LEN_BIT)
+        *size += OPAQUE8_LEN;
+    if (input & DTLS13_LEN_BIT)
+        *size += OPAQUE16_LEN;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 /**
  * Dtls13ParseUnifiedRecordLayer() - parse DTLS unified header
  * @ssl: [in] ssl object
@@ -1236,10 +1256,6 @@ int Dtls13ParseUnifiedRecordLayer(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
 
         ato16(input + idx, &hdrInfo->recordLength);
         idx += DTLS13_LEN_SIZE;
-
-        /* DTLS message must fit inside a datagram  */
-        if (inputSize < idx + hdrInfo->recordLength)
-            return LENGTH_ERROR;
     }
     else {
         /* length not present. The size of the record is the all the remaining
@@ -1259,8 +1275,6 @@ int Dtls13ParseUnifiedRecordLayer(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
     if (ret != 0)
         return ret;
 
-    hdrInfo->headerLength = idx;
-
     if (seqLen == DTLS13_SEQ_16_LEN) {
         hdrInfo->seqHiPresent = 1;
         hdrInfo->seqHi = seqNum[0];
diff --git a/src/internal.c b/src/internal.c
index 57c4fffc9..dd2af5d13 100644
--- a/src/internal.c
+++ b/src/internal.c
@@ -9675,6 +9675,7 @@ int CheckAvailableSize(WOLFSSL *ssl, int size)
 }
 
 #ifdef WOLFSSL_DTLS13
+static int GetInputData(WOLFSSL *ssl, word32 size);
 static int GetDtls13RecordHeader(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
     word32* inOutIdx, RecordLayerHeader* rh, word16* size)
 {
@@ -9687,6 +9688,9 @@ static int GetDtls13RecordHeader(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
 
     readSize = ssl->buffers.inputBuffer.length - *inOutIdx;
 
+    if (readSize < DTLS_UNIFIED_HEADER_MIN_SZ)
+        return BUFFER_ERROR;
+
     epochBits = *input & EE_MASK;
     ret = Dtls13ReconstructEpochNumber(ssl, epochBits, &epochNumber);
     if (ret != 0)
@@ -9718,6 +9722,20 @@ static int GetDtls13RecordHeader(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
             return SEQUENCE_ERROR;
     }
 
+    ret = Dtls13GetUnifiedHeaderSize(
+        *(input+*inOutIdx), &ssl->dtls13CurRlLength);
+    if (ret != 0)
+        return ret;
+
+    if (readSize < ssl->dtls13CurRlLength) {
+        /* when using DTLS over a medium that does not guarantee that a full
+         * message is received in a single read, we may end up without the full
+         * header */
+        ret = GetInputData(ssl, ssl->dtls13CurRlLength - readSize);
+        if (ret != 0)
+            return ret;
+    }
+
     ret = Dtls13ParseUnifiedRecordLayer(ssl, input + *inOutIdx, readSize,
         &hdrInfo);
 
@@ -9745,8 +9763,8 @@ static int GetDtls13RecordHeader(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
                    ssl->keys.curSeq);
 #endif /* WOLFSSL_DEBUG_TLS */
 
-    *inOutIdx += hdrInfo.headerLength;
-    ssl->dtls13CurRlLength = hdrInfo.headerLength;
+    XMEMCPY(ssl->dtls13CurRL, input + *inOutIdx, ssl->dtls13CurRlLength);
+    *inOutIdx += ssl->dtls13CurRlLength;
 
     return 0;
 }
@@ -9793,10 +9811,12 @@ static int GetDtlsRecordHeader(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
     }
 
     /* not a unified header, check that we have at least
-       DTLS_RECORD_HEADER_SZ */
-    if (read_size < DTLS_RECORD_HEADER_SZ)
-        return LENGTH_ERROR;
-
+     * DTLS_RECORD_HEADER_SZ */
+    if (read_size < DTLS_RECORD_HEADER_SZ) {
+        ret = GetInputData(ssl, DTLS_RECORD_HEADER_SZ - read_size);
+        if (ret != 0)
+            return LENGTH_ERROR;
+    }
 #endif /* WOLFSSL_DTLS13 */
 
     /* type and version in same spot */
@@ -18466,8 +18486,7 @@ int ProcessReplyEx(WOLFSSL* ssl, int allowSocketErr)
 #ifdef WOLFSSL_DTLS13
                         if (ssl->options.dtls) {
                             /* aad now points to the record header */
-                            aad = in->buffer +
-                                in->idx - ssl->dtls13CurRlLength;
+                            aad = ssl->dtls13CurRL;
                             aad_size = ssl->dtls13CurRlLength;
                         }
 #endif /* WOLFSSL_DTLS13 */
diff --git a/wolfssl/internal.h b/wolfssl/internal.h
index 2a1a5f811..800352fd5 100644
--- a/wolfssl/internal.h
+++ b/wolfssl/internal.h
@@ -1314,6 +1314,7 @@ enum Misc {
     DTLS_HANDSHAKE_HEADER_SZ = 12, /* normal + seq(2) + offset(3) + length(3) */
     DTLS_RECORD_HEADER_SZ    = 13, /* normal + epoch(2) + seq_num(6) */
     DTLS_UNIFIED_HEADER_MIN_SZ = 2,
+    DTLS_RECVD_RL_HEADER_MAX_SZ = 5, /* flags + seq_number(2) + length(20)  */
     DTLS_RECORD_HEADER_MAX_SZ = 13,
     DTLS_HANDSHAKE_EXTRA     = 8,  /* diff from normal */
     DTLS_RECORD_EXTRA        = 8,  /* diff from normal */
@@ -4368,7 +4369,6 @@ typedef enum EarlyDataState {
 
 typedef struct Dtls13UnifiedHdrInfo {
     word16 recordLength;
-    word16 headerLength;
     byte seqLo;
     byte seqHi;
     byte seqHiPresent:1;
@@ -4658,7 +4658,7 @@ struct WOLFSSL {
     Dtls13Epoch *dtls13DecryptEpoch;
     w64wrapper dtls13Epoch;
     w64wrapper dtls13PeerEpoch;
-
+    byte dtls13CurRL[DTLS_RECVD_RL_HEADER_MAX_SZ];
     word16 dtls13CurRlLength;
 
     /* used to store the message if it needs to be fragmented */
@@ -5453,6 +5453,7 @@ WOLFSSL_LOCAL int Dtls13RlAddPlaintextHeader(WOLFSSL* ssl, byte* out,
 WOLFSSL_LOCAL int Dtls13EncryptRecordNumber(WOLFSSL* ssl, byte* hdr,
     word16 recordLength);
 WOLFSSL_LOCAL int Dtls13IsUnifiedHeader(byte header_flags);
+WOLFSSL_LOCAL int Dtls13GetUnifiedHeaderSize(const byte input, word16* size);
 WOLFSSL_LOCAL int Dtls13ParseUnifiedRecordLayer(WOLFSSL* ssl, const byte* input,
     word16 input_size, Dtls13UnifiedHdrInfo* hdrInfo);
 WOLFSSL_LOCAL int Dtls13HandshakeSend(WOLFSSL* ssl, byte* output,