diff --git a/pyxform/tests/bug_example_xls/spaces_in_choices_header.xls b/pyxform/tests/bug_example_xls/spaces_in_choices_header.xls
index 42509ef4f..987ba5ff2 100644
Binary files a/pyxform/tests/bug_example_xls/spaces_in_choices_header.xls and b/pyxform/tests/bug_example_xls/spaces_in_choices_header.xls differ
diff --git a/pyxform/tests/bug_tests.py b/pyxform/tests/bug_tests.py
index 0cbd6d6f2..8063df362 100644
--- a/pyxform/tests/bug_tests.py
+++ b/pyxform/tests/bug_tests.py
@@ -202,6 +202,22 @@ def runTest(self):
         pyxform.xls2json.parse_file_to_json(path_to_excel_file, warnings=warnings)
         self.assertEquals(len(warnings), 3, "Found " + str(len(warnings)) + " warnings")
 
+    def test_values_with_spaces_are_cleaned(self):
+        """
+        Test that values with leading and trailing whitespaces are processed.
+    
+        This test checks that the submission_url provided is cleaned
+        of leading and trailing whitespaces.
+        """
+        filename = "spaces_in_choices_header.xls"
+        path_to_excel_file = os.path.join(DIR, "bug_example_xls", filename)
+        survey_reader = SurveyReader(path_to_excel_file)
+        result = survey_reader.to_json_dict()
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            result["submission_url"], "https://odk.ona.io/random_person/submission"
+        )
+
 
 class TestChoiceNameAsType(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_choice_name_as_type(self):
diff --git a/pyxform/tests_v1/test_whitespace.py b/pyxform/tests_v1/test_whitespace.py
index 69a02c17b..838e8ac08 100644
--- a/pyxform/tests_v1/test_whitespace.py
+++ b/pyxform/tests_v1/test_whitespace.py
@@ -17,3 +17,19 @@ def test_over_trim(self):
             """,
             xml__contains=['<label><output value=" /issue96/var "/> text </label>'],
         )
+
+    def test_values_without_whitespaces_are_processed_successfully(self):
+        md = """
+            | survey  |                 |             |       |
+            |         | type            | label       | name  |
+            |         | text            | Ignored     | Var   |
+            | settings       |                    |            |                                                   |
+            |                | id_string          | public_key | submission_url                                    |
+            |                | tutorial_encrypted | MIIB       | https://odk.ona.io/random_person/submission       |
+          """
+
+        survey = self.md_to_pyxform_survey(md_raw=md)
+        expected = """<submission action="https://odk.ona.io/random_person/submission" base64RsaPublicKey="MIIB" method="form-data-post"/>"""
+        xml = survey._to_pretty_xml()
+        self.assertEqual(1, xml.count(expected))
+        self.assertPyxformXform(md=md, xml__contains=expected, run_odk_validate=True)