diff --git a/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp b/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp
index 566427356b08..146297e88806 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp
+++ b/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp
@@ -43,6 +43,20 @@ auto HandleParseNode(Context& context, Parse::ReturnTypeId node_id) -> bool {
   // Propagate the type expression.
   auto [type_node_id, type_inst_id] = context.node_stack().PopExprWithNodeId();
   auto type_id = ExprAsType(context, type_node_id, type_inst_id).type_id;
+
+  // If the previous node was `IdentifierNameBeforeParams`, then it would have
+  // caused these entries to be pushed to the pattern stacks. But it's possible
+  // to have a fn declaration without any parameters, in which case we find
+  // `IdentifierNameNotBeforeParams` on the node stack. Then these entries are
+  // not on the pattern stacks yet. They are only needed in that case if we have
+  // a return type, which we now know that we do.
+  if (context.node_stack().PeekNodeKind() ==
+      Parse::NodeKind::IdentifierNameNotBeforeParams) {
+    context.pattern_block_stack().Push();
+    context.full_pattern_stack().PushFullPattern(
+        FullPatternStack::Kind::ExplicitParamList);
+  }
+
   auto return_slot_pattern_id =
       context.AddPatternInst<SemIR::ReturnSlotPattern>(
           node_id, {.type_id = type_id, .type_inst_id = type_inst_id});
diff --git a/toolchain/check/name_component.cpp b/toolchain/check/name_component.cpp
index 43593e906bd3..0535c26783ad 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/name_component.cpp
+++ b/toolchain/check/name_component.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ auto PopNameComponent(Context& context, SemIR::InstId return_slot_pattern_id)
   auto call_params_id = SemIR::InstBlockId::None;
   auto pattern_block_id = SemIR::InstBlockId::None;
   if (param_patterns_id->has_value() ||
-      implicit_param_patterns_id->has_value()) {
+      implicit_param_patterns_id->has_value() ||
+      return_slot_pattern_id.has_value()) {
     call_params_id =
         CalleePatternMatch(context, *implicit_param_patterns_id,
                            *param_patterns_id, return_slot_pattern_id);
diff --git a/toolchain/check/testdata/function/declaration/no_prelude/fail_todo_no_params.carbon b/toolchain/check/testdata/function/declaration/no_prelude/fail_todo_no_params.carbon
index 864b09dfc0a8..1305fcfdec50 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/testdata/function/declaration/no_prelude/fail_todo_no_params.carbon
+++ b/toolchain/check/testdata/function/declaration/no_prelude/fail_todo_no_params.carbon
@@ -27,6 +27,15 @@ library "[[@TEST_NAME]]";
 fn A {
 }
 
+// --- fail_todo_return_type.carbon
+
+library "[[@TEST_NAME]]";
+// CHECK:STDERR: fail_todo_return_type.carbon:[[@LINE+4]]:1: error: semantics TODO: `function with positional parameters` [SemanticsTodo]
+// CHECK:STDERR: fn A -> ();
+// CHECK:STDERR: ^~~~~~~~~~~
+// CHECK:STDERR:
+fn A -> ();
+
 // --- fail_todo_arrow_body.carbon
 
 // TODO: We don't have parsing support for this yet.
@@ -94,6 +103,31 @@ fn A {
 // CHECK:STDOUT:   return
 // CHECK:STDOUT: }
 // CHECK:STDOUT:
+// CHECK:STDOUT: --- fail_todo_return_type.carbon
+// CHECK:STDOUT:
+// CHECK:STDOUT: constants {
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   %empty_tuple.type: type = tuple_type () [template]
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   %A.type: type = fn_type @A [template]
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   %A: %A.type = struct_value () [template]
+// CHECK:STDOUT: }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:
+// CHECK:STDOUT: file {
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   package: <namespace> = namespace [template] {
+// CHECK:STDOUT:     .A = %A.decl
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   %A.decl: %A.type = fn_decl @A [template = constants.%A] {
+// CHECK:STDOUT:     %return.patt: %empty_tuple.type = return_slot_pattern
+// CHECK:STDOUT:     %return.param_patt: %empty_tuple.type = out_param_pattern %return.patt, runtime_param0
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   } {
+// CHECK:STDOUT:     %.loc7_10.1: %empty_tuple.type = tuple_literal ()
+// CHECK:STDOUT:     %.loc7_10.2: type = converted %.loc7_10.1, constants.%empty_tuple.type [template = constants.%empty_tuple.type]
+// CHECK:STDOUT:     %return.param: ref %empty_tuple.type = out_param runtime_param0
+// CHECK:STDOUT:     %return: ref %empty_tuple.type = return_slot %return.param
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   }
+// CHECK:STDOUT: }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:
+// CHECK:STDOUT: fn @A() -> %empty_tuple.type;
+// CHECK:STDOUT:
 // CHECK:STDOUT: --- fail_todo_arrow_body.carbon
 // CHECK:STDOUT:
 // CHECK:STDOUT: file {}