diff --git a/src/backend/distributed/transaction/transaction_recovery.c b/src/backend/distributed/transaction/transaction_recovery.c
index a4ad3e094..1f8ba949e 100644
--- a/src/backend/distributed/transaction/transaction_recovery.c
+++ b/src/backend/distributed/transaction/transaction_recovery.c
@@ -88,30 +88,33 @@ recover_prepared_transactions(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 void
 LogTransactionRecord(int32 groupId, char *transactionName, FullTransactionId outerXid)
 {
-	Datum values[Natts_pg_dist_transaction];
-	bool isNulls[Natts_pg_dist_transaction];
-
-	/* form new transaction tuple */
-	memset(values, 0, sizeof(values));
-	memset(isNulls, false, sizeof(isNulls));
-
-	values[Anum_pg_dist_transaction_groupid - 1] = Int32GetDatum(groupId);
-	values[Anum_pg_dist_transaction_gid - 1] = CStringGetTextDatum(transactionName);
-	values[Anum_pg_dist_transaction_outerxid - 1] = FullTransactionIdGetDatum(outerXid);
-
-	/* open transaction relation and insert new tuple */
+	/* open transaction relation */
 	Relation pgDistTransaction = table_open(DistTransactionRelationId(),
 											RowExclusiveLock);
 
 	TupleDesc tupleDescriptor = RelationGetDescr(pgDistTransaction);
+
+	/* form new transaction tuple */
+	Datum *values = (Datum *) palloc0(tupleDescriptor->natts * sizeof(Datum));
+	bool *isNulls = (bool *) palloc0(tupleDescriptor->natts * sizeof(bool));
+
+	values[Anum_pg_dist_transaction_groupid - 1] = Int32GetDatum(groupId);
+	values[Anum_pg_dist_transaction_gid - 1] = CStringGetTextDatum(transactionName);
+	values[GetOuterXidAttrIndexInPgDistTransaction(tupleDescriptor)] =
+		FullTransactionIdGetDatum(outerXid);
+
 	HeapTuple heapTuple = heap_form_tuple(tupleDescriptor, values, isNulls);
 
+	/* insert new tuple */
 	CATALOG_INSERT_WITH_SNAPSHOT(pgDistTransaction, heapTuple);
 
 	CommandCounterIncrement();
 
 	/* close relation and invalidate previous cache entry */
 	table_close(pgDistTransaction, NoLock);
+
+	pfree(values);
+	pfree(isNulls);
 }
 
 
@@ -309,9 +312,10 @@ RecoverWorkerTransactions(WorkerNode *workerNode, MultiConnection *connection)
 			SearchSysCacheExistsAttName(DistTransactionRelationId(), "outer_xid"))
 		{
 			/* Check if the transaction is created by an outer transaction from a non-main database */
-			outerXidDatum = heap_getattr(heapTuple,
-										 Anum_pg_dist_transaction_outerxid,
-										 tupleDescriptor, &outerXidIsNull);
+			outerXidDatum =
+				heap_getattr(heapTuple,
+							 GetOuterXidAttrIndexInPgDistTransaction(tupleDescriptor) + 1,
+							 tupleDescriptor, &outerXidIsNull);
 		}
 		else
 		{
@@ -665,3 +669,23 @@ DeleteWorkerTransactions(WorkerNode *workerNode)
 	systable_endscan(scanDescriptor);
 	table_close(pgDistTransaction, NoLock);
 }
+
+
+/*
+ * GetOuterXidAttrIndexInPgDistTransaction returns attrnum for outer_xid attr.
+ *
+ * outer_xid attr was added to table pg_dist_transaction using alter operation after
+ * the version where Citus started supporting downgrades, and it's only column that we've
+ * introduced to pg_dist_transaction since then.
+ *
+ * And in case of a downgrade + upgrade, tupleDesc->natts becomes greater than
+ * Natts_pg_dist_transaction and when this happens, then we know that attrnum outer_xid is
+ * not Anum_pg_dist_transaction_outerxid anymore but tupleDesc->natts - 1.
+ */
+int
+GetOuterXidAttrIndexInPgDistTransaction(TupleDesc tupleDesc)
+{
+	return TupleDescSize(tupleDesc) == Natts_pg_dist_transaction
+		   ? (Anum_pg_dist_transaction_outerxid - 1)
+		   : tupleDesc->natts - 1;
+}
diff --git a/src/include/distributed/pg_dist_transaction.h b/src/include/distributed/pg_dist_transaction.h
index 95658f782..50b8518dd 100644
--- a/src/include/distributed/pg_dist_transaction.h
+++ b/src/include/distributed/pg_dist_transaction.h
@@ -40,5 +40,7 @@ typedef FormData_pg_dist_transaction *Form_pg_dist_transaction;
 #define Anum_pg_dist_transaction_gid 2
 #define Anum_pg_dist_transaction_outerxid 3
 
+extern int GetOuterXidAttrIndexInPgDistTransaction(TupleDesc tupleDesc);
+
 
 #endif   /* PG_DIST_TRANSACTION_H */