diff --git a/api/tasks.go b/api/tasks.go
index 7ba6ea0dd..b6b184072 100644
--- a/api/tasks.go
+++ b/api/tasks.go
@@ -141,28 +141,28 @@ type LogConfig struct {
 	MaxFileSizeMB int
 }
 
-// DispatchInputConfig configures how a task gets its input from a job dispatch
-type DispatchInputConfig struct {
+// DispatchPayloadConfig configures how a task gets its input from a job dispatch
+type DispatchPayloadConfig struct {
 	File string
 }
 
 // Task is a single process in a task group.
 type Task struct {
-	Name          string
-	Driver        string
-	User          string
-	Config        map[string]interface{}
-	Constraints   []*Constraint
-	Env           map[string]string
-	Services      []Service
-	Resources     *Resources
-	Meta          map[string]string
-	KillTimeout   time.Duration
-	LogConfig     *LogConfig
-	Artifacts     []*TaskArtifact
-	Vault         *Vault
-	Templates     []*Template
-	DispatchInput *DispatchInputConfig
+	Name            string
+	Driver          string
+	User            string
+	Config          map[string]interface{}
+	Constraints     []*Constraint
+	Env             map[string]string
+	Services        []Service
+	Resources       *Resources
+	Meta            map[string]string
+	KillTimeout     time.Duration
+	LogConfig       *LogConfig
+	Artifacts       []*TaskArtifact
+	Vault           *Vault
+	Templates       []*Template
+	DispatchPayload *DispatchPayloadConfig
 }
 
 // TaskArtifact is used to download artifacts before running a task.
diff --git a/client/task_runner.go b/client/task_runner.go
index 61ca21ccc..e872e434d 100644
--- a/client/task_runner.go
+++ b/client/task_runner.go
@@ -753,9 +753,9 @@ func (r *TaskRunner) prestart(resultCh chan bool) {
 
 	// If the job is a dispatch job and there is a payload write it to disk
 	requirePayload := len(r.alloc.Job.Payload) != 0 &&
-		(r.task.DispatchInput != nil && r.task.DispatchInput.File != "")
+		(r.task.DispatchPayload != nil && r.task.DispatchPayload.File != "")
 	if !r.payloadRendered && requirePayload {
-		renderTo := filepath.Join(r.taskDir.LocalDir, r.task.DispatchInput.File)
+		renderTo := filepath.Join(r.taskDir.LocalDir, r.task.DispatchPayload.File)
 		decoded, err := snappy.Decode(nil, r.alloc.Job.Payload)
 		if err != nil {
 			r.setState(
diff --git a/client/task_runner_test.go b/client/task_runner_test.go
index b1afea5d7..e7e2b19db 100644
--- a/client/task_runner_test.go
+++ b/client/task_runner_test.go
@@ -1232,7 +1232,7 @@ func TestTaskRunner_SimpleRun_Dispatch(t *testing.T) {
 		"run_for":   "1s",
 	}
 	fileName := "test"
-	task.DispatchInput = &structs.DispatchInputConfig{
+	task.DispatchPayload = &structs.DispatchPayloadConfig{
 		File: fileName,
 	}
 	alloc.Job.ParameterizedJob = &structs.ParameterizedJobConfig{}
diff --git a/jobspec/parse.go b/jobspec/parse.go
index a4fc88e15..7c4215698 100644
--- a/jobspec/parse.go
+++ b/jobspec/parse.go
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ func parseTasks(jobName string, taskGroupName string, result *[]*structs.Task, l
 			"artifact",
 			"config",
 			"constraint",
-			"dispatch_input",
+			"dispatch_payload",
 			"driver",
 			"env",
 			"kill_timeout",
@@ -587,7 +587,7 @@ func parseTasks(jobName string, taskGroupName string, result *[]*structs.Task, l
 		delete(m, "artifact")
 		delete(m, "config")
 		delete(m, "constraint")
-		delete(m, "dispatch_input")
+		delete(m, "dispatch_payload")
 		delete(m, "env")
 		delete(m, "logs")
 		delete(m, "meta")
@@ -747,10 +747,10 @@ func parseTasks(jobName string, taskGroupName string, result *[]*structs.Task, l
 			t.Vault = v
 		}
 
-		// If we have a dispatch_input block parse that
-		if o := listVal.Filter("dispatch_input"); len(o.Items) > 0 {
+		// If we have a dispatch_payload block parse that
+		if o := listVal.Filter("dispatch_payload"); len(o.Items) > 0 {
 			if len(o.Items) > 1 {
-				return fmt.Errorf("only one dispatch_input block is allowed in a task. Number of dispatch_input blocks found: %d", len(o.Items))
+				return fmt.Errorf("only one dispatch_payload block is allowed in a task. Number of dispatch_payload blocks found: %d", len(o.Items))
 			}
 			var m map[string]interface{}
 			dispatchBlock := o.Items[0]
@@ -760,15 +760,15 @@ func parseTasks(jobName string, taskGroupName string, result *[]*structs.Task, l
 				"file",
 			}
 			if err := checkHCLKeys(dispatchBlock.Val, valid); err != nil {
-				return multierror.Prefix(err, fmt.Sprintf("'%s', dispatch_input ->", n))
+				return multierror.Prefix(err, fmt.Sprintf("'%s', dispatch_payload ->", n))
 			}
 
 			if err := hcl.DecodeObject(&m, dispatchBlock.Val); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 
-			t.DispatchInput = &structs.DispatchInputConfig{}
-			if err := mapstructure.WeakDecode(m, t.DispatchInput); err != nil {
+			t.DispatchPayload = &structs.DispatchPayloadConfig{}
+			if err := mapstructure.WeakDecode(m, t.DispatchPayload); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/jobspec/parse_test.go b/jobspec/parse_test.go
index e9c6c8944..7bd404a55 100644
--- a/jobspec/parse_test.go
+++ b/jobspec/parse_test.go
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
 									MaxFiles:      10,
 									MaxFileSizeMB: 10,
 								},
-								DispatchInput: &structs.DispatchInputConfig{
+								DispatchPayload: &structs.DispatchPayloadConfig{
 									File: "foo/bar",
 								},
 							},
diff --git a/jobspec/test-fixtures/parameterized_job.hcl b/jobspec/test-fixtures/parameterized_job.hcl
index 1b95a7de2..1f31e583d 100644
--- a/jobspec/test-fixtures/parameterized_job.hcl
+++ b/jobspec/test-fixtures/parameterized_job.hcl
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ job "parameterized_job" {
             driver = "docker"
             resources {}
 
-            dispatch_input {
+            dispatch_payload {
                 file = "foo/bar"
             }
         }
diff --git a/nomad/structs/diff.go b/nomad/structs/diff.go
index 9fca44c8b..82dc8ea89 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/diff.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/diff.go
@@ -375,8 +375,8 @@ func (t *Task) Diff(other *Task, contextual bool) (*TaskDiff, error) {
 		diff.Objects = append(diff.Objects, lDiff)
 	}
 
-	// Dispatch Input diff
-	dDiff := primitiveObjectDiff(t.DispatchInput, other.DispatchInput, nil, "DispatchInput", contextual)
+	// Dispatch payload diff
+	dDiff := primitiveObjectDiff(t.DispatchPayload, other.DispatchPayload, nil, "DispatchPayload", contextual)
 	if dDiff != nil {
 		diff.Objects = append(diff.Objects, dDiff)
 	}
diff --git a/nomad/structs/diff_test.go b/nomad/structs/diff_test.go
index 5cd258a55..0fa6e18dc 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/diff_test.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/diff_test.go
@@ -3666,10 +3666,10 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			// DispatchInput added
+			// DispatchPayload added
 			Old: &Task{},
 			New: &Task{
-				DispatchInput: &DispatchInputConfig{
+				DispatchPayload: &DispatchPayloadConfig{
 					File: "foo",
 				},
 			},
@@ -3678,7 +3678,7 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 				Objects: []*ObjectDiff{
 					{
 						Type: DiffTypeAdded,
-						Name: "DispatchInput",
+						Name: "DispatchPayload",
 						Fields: []*FieldDiff{
 							{
 								Type: DiffTypeAdded,
@@ -3692,9 +3692,9 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			// DispatchInput deleted
+			// DispatchPayload deleted
 			Old: &Task{
-				DispatchInput: &DispatchInputConfig{
+				DispatchPayload: &DispatchPayloadConfig{
 					File: "foo",
 				},
 			},
@@ -3704,7 +3704,7 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 				Objects: []*ObjectDiff{
 					{
 						Type: DiffTypeDeleted,
-						Name: "DispatchInput",
+						Name: "DispatchPayload",
 						Fields: []*FieldDiff{
 							{
 								Type: DiffTypeDeleted,
@@ -3718,14 +3718,14 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			// Dispatch input edited
+			// Dispatch payload edited
 			Old: &Task{
-				DispatchInput: &DispatchInputConfig{
+				DispatchPayload: &DispatchPayloadConfig{
 					File: "foo",
 				},
 			},
 			New: &Task{
-				DispatchInput: &DispatchInputConfig{
+				DispatchPayload: &DispatchPayloadConfig{
 					File: "bar",
 				},
 			},
@@ -3734,7 +3734,7 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 				Objects: []*ObjectDiff{
 					{
 						Type: DiffTypeEdited,
-						Name: "DispatchInput",
+						Name: "DispatchPayload",
 						Fields: []*FieldDiff{
 							{
 								Type: DiffTypeEdited,
@@ -3748,16 +3748,16 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			// DispatchInput edited with context. Place holder for if more
+			// DispatchPayload edited with context. Place holder for if more
 			// fields are added
 			Contextual: true,
 			Old: &Task{
-				DispatchInput: &DispatchInputConfig{
+				DispatchPayload: &DispatchPayloadConfig{
 					File: "foo",
 				},
 			},
 			New: &Task{
-				DispatchInput: &DispatchInputConfig{
+				DispatchPayload: &DispatchPayloadConfig{
 					File: "bar",
 				},
 			},
@@ -3766,7 +3766,7 @@ func TestTaskDiff(t *testing.T) {
 				Objects: []*ObjectDiff{
 					{
 						Type: DiffTypeEdited,
-						Name: "DispatchInput",
+						Name: "DispatchPayload",
 						Fields: []*FieldDiff{
 							{
 								Type: DiffTypeEdited,
diff --git a/nomad/structs/structs.go b/nomad/structs/structs.go
index ceb7df38a..71c437d65 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/structs.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/structs.go
@@ -1694,22 +1694,22 @@ func DispatchedID(templateID string, t time.Time) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s%s%d-%s", templateID, DispatchLaunchSuffix, t.Unix(), u)
 }
 
-// DispatchInputConfig configures how a task gets its input from a job dispatch
-type DispatchInputConfig struct {
+// DispatchPayloadConfig configures how a task gets its input from a job dispatch
+type DispatchPayloadConfig struct {
 	// File specifies a relative path to where the input data should be written
 	File string
 }
 
-func (d *DispatchInputConfig) Copy() *DispatchInputConfig {
+func (d *DispatchPayloadConfig) Copy() *DispatchPayloadConfig {
 	if d == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	nd := new(DispatchInputConfig)
+	nd := new(DispatchPayloadConfig)
 	*nd = *d
 	return nd
 }
 
-func (d *DispatchInputConfig) Validate() error {
+func (d *DispatchPayloadConfig) Validate() error {
 	// Verify the destination doesn't escape
 	escaped, err := PathEscapesAllocDir("task/local/", d.File)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -2272,8 +2272,8 @@ type Task struct {
 	// Resources is the resources needed by this task
 	Resources *Resources
 
-	// DispatchInput configures how the task retrieves its input from a dispatch
-	DispatchInput *DispatchInputConfig
+	// DispatchPayload configures how the task retrieves its input from a dispatch
+	DispatchPayload *DispatchPayloadConfig
 
 	// Meta is used to associate arbitrary metadata with this
 	// task. This is opaque to Nomad.
@@ -2312,7 +2312,7 @@ func (t *Task) Copy() *Task {
 	nt.Vault = nt.Vault.Copy()
 	nt.Resources = nt.Resources.Copy()
 	nt.Meta = helper.CopyMapStringString(nt.Meta)
-	nt.DispatchInput = nt.DispatchInput.Copy()
+	nt.DispatchPayload = nt.DispatchPayload.Copy()
 
 	if t.Artifacts != nil {
 		artifacts := make([]*TaskArtifact, 0, len(t.Artifacts))
@@ -2477,10 +2477,10 @@ func (t *Task) Validate(ephemeralDisk *EphemeralDisk) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Validate the dispatch input block if there
-	if t.DispatchInput != nil {
-		if err := t.DispatchInput.Validate(); err != nil {
-			mErr.Errors = append(mErr.Errors, fmt.Errorf("Dispatch Input validation failed: %v", err))
+	// Validate the dispatch payload block if there
+	if t.DispatchPayload != nil {
+		if err := t.DispatchPayload.Validate(); err != nil {
+			mErr.Errors = append(mErr.Errors, fmt.Errorf("Dispatch Payload validation failed: %v", err))
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/nomad/structs/structs_test.go b/nomad/structs/structs_test.go
index 72c097224..24bbc83d1 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/structs_test.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/structs_test.go
@@ -1518,8 +1518,8 @@ func TestParameterizedJobConfig_Canonicalize(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestDispatchInputConfig_Validate(t *testing.T) {
-	d := &DispatchInputConfig{
+func TestDispatchPayloadConfig_Validate(t *testing.T) {
+	d := &DispatchPayloadConfig{
 		File: "foo",
 	}