diff --git a/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal b/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal
--- a/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal
+++ b/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                 bitcoin-payment-channel
-version:              0.5.0.0
+version:              0.5.0.1
 synopsis:             Library for working with Bitcoin payment channels
 description:
     A Bitcoin payment channel allows secure and instant transfer of bitcoins from one
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@
   build-depends:        base                >= 4.7    && < 5,
                         haskoin-core        >= 0.4.0  && < 0.5.0,
                         base16-bytestring   >= 0.1.0  && < 0.2.0,
-                        base64-bytestring   >= 1.0.0  && < 1.1.0,
                         bytestring          >= 0.10.0 && < 0.11.0,
                         cereal              >= 0.5.0  && < 0.6.0,
                         errors              >= 2.0.0  && < 2.2.0,
diff --git a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs
--- a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs
@@ -11,17 +11,12 @@
 import           Data.Aeson
 import           Data.Aeson.Types (Parser, Pair)
 import           Data.Scientific (Scientific, scientific, toBoundedInteger)
-import           Data.Text.Encoding       (decodeUtf8, encodeUtf8)
 import qualified Data.Serialize     as Bin
 import qualified Data.Serialize.Put as BinPut
 import qualified Data.Serialize.Get as BinGet
 
-import qualified Data.ByteString.Base64.URL as B64
 import qualified Data.ByteString as B
-import qualified Data.Text as T
 import           Data.Word (Word64)
-import           Data.EitherR (fmapL)
-import           Data.Typeable
 import qualified Data.Tagged as Tag
 
 -- Generic PayChanError instance
@@ -91,13 +86,7 @@
     parseJSON = withScientific "BitcoinAmount" $
         fmap fromIntegral . parseJSONInt
 
-instance ToJSON PaymentChannelState where
-    toJSON = toJSON . txtB64Encode
 
-instance FromJSON PaymentChannelState where
-    parseJSON = withText "PaychanState" txtB64Decode
-
-
 --- Binary
 instance Bin.Serialize ChanScript where
     put (ChanScript s) =
@@ -171,24 +160,6 @@
     maxBound = BitcoinAmount $ round $ 21e6 * 1e8
 
 
---- Util
-b64Encode :: Bin.Serialize a => a -> B.ByteString
-b64Encode = B64.encode . Bin.encode
-
-b64Decode :: (Typeable a, Bin.Serialize a) => B.ByteString -> Either String a
-b64Decode b64 =
-    concatErr "failed to deserialize parsed base64 data: " . deserEither =<<
-    (concatErr "failed to parse base64 data: ") (b64Decode b64)
-        where
-            b64Decode = B64.decode . padToMod4
-            concatErr e = fmapL (e ++)
-
-txtB64Encode :: Bin.Serialize a => a -> T.Text
-txtB64Encode = decodeUtf8 . b64Encode
-
-txtB64Decode :: (Typeable a, Bin.Serialize a) => T.Text -> Parser a
-txtB64Decode = either fail return . b64Decode . encodeUtf8
-
 parseJSONInt :: Scientific -> Parser Integer
 parseJSONInt s =
     case toBoundedInteger s of
@@ -200,12 +171,3 @@
     case toBoundedInteger s of
         Just w -> return w
         Nothing -> fail $ "failed to decode JSON number to Word64. data: " ++ show s
-
-padToMod4 :: B.ByteString -> B.ByteString
-padToMod4 bs =
-    let
-        lastGroupSize = B.length bs `mod` 4
-        numPadChars = if lastGroupSize > 0 then 4 - lastGroupSize else 0
-        equalASCIIChar = 61
-    in
-        B.concat [bs, B.replicate numPadChars equalASCIIChar]
diff --git a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs
--- a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@
 import Data.Bitcoin.PaymentChannel.Internal.Error (PayChanError(..))
 
 import qualified  Data.Serialize as Bin
-import            Data.Aeson as JSON -- (FromJSON, ToJSON)
 import qualified  Network.Haskoin.Crypto as HC
 import qualified  Network.Haskoin.Transaction as HT
 import            Data.Word (Word64)
@@ -91,7 +90,7 @@
 newtype ReceiverPaymentChannel = CReceiverPaymentChannel {
     -- |Internal state object
     rpcState        ::  PaymentChannelState
-} deriving (Eq, Bin.Serialize, FromJSON, ToJSON)
+} deriving (Eq, Bin.Serialize)
 
 instance PaymentChannel SenderPaymentChannel where
     valueToMe = channelValueLeft