diff --git a/daemon/codec.c b/daemon/codec.c
index b8a169fca..5e558b132 100644
--- a/daemon/codec.c
+++ b/daemon/codec.c
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ struct codec_ssrc_handler {
 	decoder_t *decoder;
 	encoder_t *encoder;
 	format_t encoder_format;
+	int bitrate;
 	int ptime;
 	int bytes_per_packet;
 	unsigned long ts_in; // for DTMF dupe detection
@@ -419,7 +420,16 @@ unsupported:
 		// the sink does not support this codec -> transcode
 		ilog(LOG_DEBUG, "Sink does not support codec " STR_FORMAT, STR_FMT(&pt->encoding_with_params));
 		dest_pt = pref_dest_codec;
-transcode:
+transcode:;
+		// look up the reverse side of this payload type, which is the decoder to our
+		// encoder. if any codec options such as bitrate were set during an offer,
+		// they're in the decoder // PT. copy them to the encoder PT.
+		struct rtp_payload_type *reverse_pt = g_hash_table_lookup(sink->codecs_recv,
+				&dest_pt->payload_type);
+		if (reverse_pt) {
+			if (!dest_pt->bitrate)
+				dest_pt->bitrate = reverse_pt->bitrate;
+		}
 		MEDIA_SET(receiver, TRANSCODE);
 		__make_transcoder(handler, pt, dest_pt);
 
@@ -856,6 +866,7 @@ static struct ssrc_entry *__ssrc_handler_transcode_new(void *p) {
 	ch->ts_out = random();
 	ch->ptime = h->dest_pt.ptime;
 	ch->sample_buffer = g_string_new("");
+	ch->bitrate = h->dest_pt.bitrate ? : h->dest_pt.codec_def->default_bitrate;
 
 	format_t enc_format = {
 		.clockrate = h->dest_pt.clock_rate * h->dest_pt.codec_def->clockrate_mult,
@@ -866,7 +877,7 @@ static struct ssrc_entry *__ssrc_handler_transcode_new(void *p) {
 	if (!ch->encoder)
 		goto err;
 	if (encoder_config_fmtp(ch->encoder, h->dest_pt.codec_def,
-				h->dest_pt.bitrate ? : h->dest_pt.codec_def->default_bitrate,
+				ch->bitrate,
 				ch->ptime,
 				&enc_format, &ch->encoder_format, &h->dest_pt.format_parameters))
 		goto err;
@@ -880,10 +891,10 @@ static struct ssrc_entry *__ssrc_handler_transcode_new(void *p) {
 		* h->dest_pt.codec_def->bits_per_sample / 8;
 
 	ilog(LOG_DEBUG, "Encoder created with clockrate %i, %i channels, using sample format %i "
-			"(ptime %i for %i samples per frame and %i samples (%i bytes) per packet)",
+			"(ptime %i for %i samples per frame and %i samples (%i bytes) per packet, bitrate %i)",
 			ch->encoder_format.clockrate, ch->encoder_format.channels, ch->encoder_format.format,
 			ch->ptime, ch->encoder->samples_per_frame, ch->encoder->samples_per_packet,
-			ch->bytes_per_packet);
+			ch->bytes_per_packet, ch->bitrate);
 
 	return &ch->h;
 
diff --git a/t/transcode-test.c b/t/transcode-test.c
index 6ac72ed27..4d73b42ef 100644
--- a/t/transcode-test.c
+++ b/t/transcode-test.c
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ GString *dtmf_logs;
 
 static str *sdup(char *s) {
 	str *r = g_slice_alloc(sizeof(*r));
-	str_init(r, s);
+	char *d = strdup(s);
+	str_init(r, d);
 	return r;
 }
 static void queue_dump(GString *s, GQueue *q) {
@@ -114,6 +115,24 @@ static void __expect(const char *file, int line, GQueue *dumper, const char *cod
 	g_string_free(s, TRUE);
 }
 
+#define check_encoder(side, in_pt, out_pt, out_bitrate) \
+	__check_encoder(__FILE__, __LINE__, media_ ## side, in_pt, out_pt, out_bitrate)
+
+static void __check_encoder(const char *file, int line, struct call_media *m, int in_pt, int out_pt,
+		int out_bitrate)
+{
+	struct codec_handler *ch = g_hash_table_lookup(m->codec_handlers, &in_pt);
+	printf("running test %s:%i\n", file, line);
+	assert(ch->source_pt.payload_type == in_pt);
+	if (ch->dest_pt.payload_type != out_pt || ch->dest_pt.bitrate != out_bitrate) {
+		printf("test failed: %s:%i\n", file, line);
+		printf("expected: %i/%i\n", out_pt, out_bitrate);
+		printf("received: %i/%i\n", ch->dest_pt.payload_type, ch->dest_pt.bitrate);
+		abort();
+	}
+	printf("test ok: %s:%i\n", file, line);
+}
+
 #define packet_seq_ts(side, pt_in, pload, rtp_ts, rtp_seq, pt_out, pload_exp, ts_exp, fatal) \
 	__packet_seq_ts( __FILE__, __LINE__, media_ ## side, pt_in, (str) STR_CONST_INIT(pload), \
 			(str) STR_CONST_INIT(pload_exp), ssrc_ ## side, rtp_ts, rtp_seq, pt_out, \
@@ -523,6 +542,89 @@ int main() {
 		}
 	}
 
+	{
+		str codec_name = STR_CONST_INIT("AMR");
+		const codec_def_t *def = codec_find(&codec_name, MT_AUDIO);
+		assert(def);
+		if (def->support_encoding && def->support_decoding) {
+			// default bitrate
+			start();
+			sdp_pt(0, PCMU, 8000);
+			transcode(AMR);
+			offer();
+			expect(A, recv, "");
+			expect(A, send, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "0/PCMU/8000 96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			expect(B, send, "");
+			sdp_pt_fmt(96, AMR, 8000, "octet-align=1");
+			answer();
+			expect(A, recv, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(A, send, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			expect(B, send, "96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			check_encoder(A, 0, 96, 0); // uses codec default
+			check_encoder(B, 96, 0, 0);
+			end();
+
+			// default bitrate reverse
+			start();
+			sdp_pt(96, AMR, 8000);
+			transcode(PCMU);
+			offer();
+			expect(A, recv, "");
+			expect(A, send, "96/AMR/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "96/AMR/8000 0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, send, "");
+			sdp_pt(0, PCMU, 8000);
+			answer();
+			expect(A, recv, "96/AMR/8000");
+			expect(A, send, "96/AMR/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, send, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			check_encoder(A, 96, 0, 0);
+			check_encoder(B, 0, 96, 0); // uses codec default
+			end();
+
+			// specify forward bitrate
+			start();
+			sdp_pt(0, PCMU, 8000);
+			transcode(AMR/8000/1/6700);
+			offer();
+			expect(A, recv, "");
+			expect(A, send, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "0/PCMU/8000 96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			expect(B, send, "");
+			sdp_pt_fmt(96, AMR, 8000, "octet-align=1");
+			answer();
+			expect(A, recv, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(A, send, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			expect(B, send, "96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			check_encoder(A, 0, 96, 6700);
+			check_encoder(B, 96, 0, 0);
+			end();
+
+			// specify non-default forward bitrate
+			start();
+			sdp_pt(0, PCMU, 8000);
+			transcode(AMR/8000/1/7400);
+			offer();
+			expect(A, recv, "");
+			expect(A, send, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "0/PCMU/8000 96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			expect(B, send, "");
+			sdp_pt_fmt(96, AMR, 8000, "octet-align=1");
+			answer();
+			expect(A, recv, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(A, send, "0/PCMU/8000");
+			expect(B, recv, "96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			expect(B, send, "96/AMR/8000/octet-align=1");
+			check_encoder(A, 0, 96, 7400);
+			check_encoder(B, 96, 0, 0);
+			end();
+		}
+	}
+
 	// G.722 <> PCMA
 	start();
 	sdp_pt(8, PCMA, 8000);