diff --git a/homeassistant/components/mqtt/__init__.py b/homeassistant/components/mqtt/__init__.py
index b743626ebbb5bb5de3622a510fbef6161de71be2..c610a430711fc45b175c9902bb5978dda424a854 100644
--- a/homeassistant/components/mqtt/__init__.py
+++ b/homeassistant/components/mqtt/__init__.py
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ PROTOCOL_31 = "3.1"
 DEFAULT_PORT = 1883
 DEFAULT_KEEPALIVE = 60
 DEFAULT_PROTOCOL = PROTOCOL_311
-DEFAULT_DISCOVERY_PREFIX = "homeassistant"
+DEFAULT_PREFIX = "homeassistant"
 DEFAULT_TLS_PROTOCOL = "auto"
 DEFAULT_PAYLOAD_AVAILABLE = "online"
 DEFAULT_PAYLOAD_NOT_AVAILABLE = "offline"
@@ -139,10 +139,24 @@ CLIENT_KEY_AUTH_MSG = (
     "the MQTT broker configuration"
 )
 
+DEFAULT_BIRTH = {
+    ATTR_TOPIC: DEFAULT_PREFIX + "/status",
+    CONF_PAYLOAD: DEFAULT_PAYLOAD_AVAILABLE,
+    ATTR_QOS: DEFAULT_QOS,
+    ATTR_RETAIN: DEFAULT_RETAIN,
+}
+
+DEFAULT_WILL = {
+    ATTR_TOPIC: DEFAULT_PREFIX + "/status",
+    CONF_PAYLOAD: DEFAULT_PAYLOAD_NOT_AVAILABLE,
+    ATTR_QOS: DEFAULT_QOS,
+    ATTR_RETAIN: DEFAULT_RETAIN,
+}
+
 MQTT_WILL_BIRTH_SCHEMA = vol.Schema(
     {
-        vol.Required(ATTR_TOPIC): valid_publish_topic,
-        vol.Required(ATTR_PAYLOAD, CONF_PAYLOAD): cv.string,
+        vol.Inclusive(ATTR_TOPIC, "topic_payload"): valid_publish_topic,
+        vol.Inclusive(ATTR_PAYLOAD, "topic_payload"): cv.string,
         vol.Optional(ATTR_QOS, default=DEFAULT_QOS): _VALID_QOS_SCHEMA,
         vol.Optional(ATTR_RETAIN, default=DEFAULT_RETAIN): cv.boolean,
     },
@@ -188,13 +202,17 @@ CONFIG_SCHEMA = vol.Schema(
                     vol.Optional(CONF_PROTOCOL, default=DEFAULT_PROTOCOL): vol.All(
                         cv.string, vol.In([PROTOCOL_31, PROTOCOL_311])
                     ),
-                    vol.Optional(CONF_WILL_MESSAGE): MQTT_WILL_BIRTH_SCHEMA,
-                    vol.Optional(CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE): MQTT_WILL_BIRTH_SCHEMA,
+                    vol.Optional(
+                        CONF_WILL_MESSAGE, default=DEFAULT_WILL
+                    ): MQTT_WILL_BIRTH_SCHEMA,
+                    vol.Optional(
+                        CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE, default=DEFAULT_BIRTH
+                    ): MQTT_WILL_BIRTH_SCHEMA,
                     vol.Optional(CONF_DISCOVERY, default=DEFAULT_DISCOVERY): cv.boolean,
                     # discovery_prefix must be a valid publish topic because if no
                     # state topic is specified, it will be created with the given prefix.
                     vol.Optional(
-                        CONF_DISCOVERY_PREFIX, default=DEFAULT_DISCOVERY_PREFIX
+                        CONF_DISCOVERY_PREFIX, default=DEFAULT_PREFIX
                     ): valid_publish_topic,
                 }
             ),
@@ -698,7 +716,10 @@ class MQTT:
         self._mqttc.on_disconnect = self._mqtt_on_disconnect
         self._mqttc.on_message = self._mqtt_on_message
 
-        if CONF_WILL_MESSAGE in self.conf:
+        if (
+            CONF_WILL_MESSAGE in self.conf
+            and ATTR_TOPIC in self.conf[CONF_WILL_MESSAGE]
+        ):
             will_message = Message(**self.conf[CONF_WILL_MESSAGE])
         else:
             will_message = None
@@ -749,7 +770,7 @@ class MQTT:
 
         def stop():
             """Stop the MQTT client."""
-            self._mqttc.disconnect()
+            # Do not disconnect, we want the broker to always publish will
             self._mqttc.loop_stop()
 
         await self.hass.async_add_executor_job(stop)
@@ -848,7 +869,10 @@ class MQTT:
             max_qos = max(subscription.qos for subscription in subs)
             self.hass.add_job(self._async_perform_subscription, topic, max_qos)
 
-        if CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE in self.conf:
+        if (
+            CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE in self.conf
+            and ATTR_TOPIC in self.conf[CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE]
+        ):
             birth_message = Message(**self.conf[CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE])
             self.hass.add_job(
                 self.async_publish(  # pylint: disable=no-value-for-parameter
diff --git a/tests/components/mqtt/test_init.py b/tests/components/mqtt/test_init.py
index 58a982544f0463658fba70d2f7847dbcb5a2b216..3dee1dc874b74d9b9b521d97637015768fa17890 100644
--- a/tests/components/mqtt/test_init.py
+++ b/tests/components/mqtt/test_init.py
@@ -755,7 +755,7 @@ async def test_setup_without_tls_config_uses_tlsv1_under_python36(hass):
         }
     ],
 )
-async def test_birth_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
+async def test_custom_birth_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
     """Test sending birth message."""
     calls = []
     mqtt_client_mock.publish.side_effect = lambda *args: calls.append(args)
@@ -764,6 +764,62 @@ async def test_birth_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
     assert calls[-1] == ("birth", "birth", 0, False)
 
 
+async def test_default_birth_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
+    """Test sending birth message."""
+    calls = []
+    mqtt_client_mock.publish.side_effect = lambda *args: calls.append(args)
+    mqtt_mock._mqtt_on_connect(None, None, 0, 0)
+    await hass.async_block_till_done()
+    assert calls[-1] == ("homeassistant/status", "online", 0, False)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "mqtt_config", [{mqtt.CONF_BROKER: "mock-broker", mqtt.CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE: {}}],
+)
+async def test_no_birth_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
+    """Test sending birth message."""
+    calls = []
+    mqtt_client_mock.publish.side_effect = lambda *args: calls.append(args)
+    mqtt_mock._mqtt_on_connect(None, None, 0, 0)
+    await hass.async_block_till_done()
+    assert not calls
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "mqtt_config",
+    [
+        {
+            mqtt.CONF_BROKER: "mock-broker",
+            mqtt.CONF_WILL_MESSAGE: {
+                mqtt.ATTR_TOPIC: "death",
+                mqtt.ATTR_PAYLOAD: "death",
+            },
+        }
+    ],
+)
+async def test_custom_will_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
+    """Test will message."""
+    mqtt_client_mock.will_set.assert_called_with("death", "death", 0, False, None)
+
+
+async def test_default_will_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
+    """Test will message."""
+    mqtt_client_mock.will_set.assert_called_with(
+        "homeassistant/status", "offline", 0, False, None
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "mqtt_config", [{mqtt.CONF_BROKER: "mock-broker", mqtt.CONF_WILL_MESSAGE: {}}],
+)
+async def test_no_will_message(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
+    """Test will message."""
+    mqtt_client_mock.will_set.assert_not_called()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "mqtt_config", [{mqtt.CONF_BROKER: "mock-broker", mqtt.CONF_BIRTH_MESSAGE: {}}],
+)
 async def test_mqtt_subscribes_topics_on_connect(hass, mqtt_client_mock, mqtt_mock):
     """Test subscription to topic on connect."""
     await mqtt.async_subscribe(hass, "topic/test", None)