diff --git a/ChangeLog.md b/ChangeLog.md
--- a/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/ChangeLog.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 ## Unreleased changes
 
+## 2.8.1
+
+* Let the user pass instances that will be derived for record and for key types (https://github.com/yesodweb/persistent/pull/990
+
 ## 2.8.0.1
 
 * Small optimization/code cleanup to generated Template Haskell code size, by slimming the implementation of to/fromPersistValue for Entities. [#1014](https://github.com/yesodweb/persistent/pull/1014)
diff --git a/Database/Persist/TH.hs b/Database/Persist/TH.hs
--- a/Database/Persist/TH.hs
+++ b/Database/Persist/TH.hs
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
     , mpsPrefixFields
     , mpsEntityJSON
     , mpsGenerateLenses
+    , mpsDeriveInstances
     , EntityJSON(..)
     , mkPersistSettings
     , sqlSettings
@@ -445,6 +446,12 @@
     -- Default: False
     --
     -- @since 1.3.1
+    , mpsDeriveInstances :: ![Name]
+    -- ^ Automatically derive these typeclass instances for all record and key types.
+    --
+    -- Default: []
+    --
+    -- @since 2.8.1
     }
 
 data EntityJSON = EntityJSON
@@ -467,6 +474,7 @@
         , entityFromJSON = 'entityIdFromJSON
         }
     , mpsGenerateLenses = False
+    , mpsDeriveInstances = []
     }
 
 -- | Use the 'SqlPersist' backend.
@@ -502,7 +510,9 @@
 
 dataTypeDec :: MkPersistSettings -> EntityDef -> Q Dec
 dataTypeDec mps t = do
-    let names = map (mkName . unpack) $ entityDerives t
+    let entityInstances     = map (mkName . unpack) $ entityDerives t
+        additionalInstances = filter (`notElem` entityInstances) $ mpsDeriveInstances mps
+        names               = entityInstances <> additionalInstances
     DataD [] nameFinal paramsFinal
                 Nothing
                 constrs
@@ -791,14 +801,14 @@
       if mpsGeneric mps
         then if not useNewtype
                then do pfDec <- pfInstD
-                       return (pfDec, [''Generic])
+                       return (pfDec, supplement [''Generic])
                else do gi <- genericNewtypeInstances
-                       return (gi, [])
+                       return (gi, supplement [])
         else if not useNewtype
                then do pfDec <- pfInstD
-                       return (pfDec, [''Show, ''Read, ''Eq, ''Ord, ''Generic])
+                       return (pfDec, supplement [''Show, ''Read, ''Eq, ''Ord, ''Generic])
                 else do
-                    let allInstances = [''Show, ''Read, ''Eq, ''Ord, ''PathPiece, ''ToHttpApiData, ''FromHttpApiData, ''PersistField, ''PersistFieldSql, ''ToJSON, ''FromJSON]
+                    let allInstances = supplement [''Show, ''Read, ''Eq, ''Ord, ''PathPiece, ''ToHttpApiData, ''FromHttpApiData, ''PersistField, ''PersistFieldSql, ''ToJSON, ''FromJSON]
                     if customKeyType
                       then return ([], allInstances)
                       else do
@@ -873,6 +883,8 @@
     useNewtype = pkNewtype mps t
     customKeyType = not (defaultIdType t) || not useNewtype || isJust (entityPrimary t)
 
+    supplement :: [Name] -> [Name]
+    supplement names = names <> (filter (`notElem` names) $ mpsDeriveInstances mps)
 
 keyIdName :: EntityDef -> Name
 keyIdName = mkName . unpack . keyIdText
@@ -1011,7 +1023,7 @@
     , tableName
     , "`. "
     , err
-    ]        
+    ]
 
 mkEntity :: EntityMap -> MkPersistSettings -> EntityDef -> Q [Dec]
 mkEntity entityMap mps t = do
@@ -1260,7 +1272,7 @@
         columnNames = map (unHaskellName . fieldHaskell) (entityFields (entityDef (Just entity)))
         fieldsAsPersistValues = map toPersistValue $ toPersistFields entity
 
-entityFromPersistValueHelper :: (PersistEntity record) 
+entityFromPersistValueHelper :: (PersistEntity record)
                              => [String] -- ^ Column names, as '[String]' to avoid extra calls to "pack" in the generated code
                              -> PersistValue
                              -> Either Text record
@@ -1269,9 +1281,9 @@
 
     let columnMap = HM.fromList persistMap
         lookupPersistValueByColumnName :: String -> PersistValue
-        lookupPersistValueByColumnName columnName = 
+        lookupPersistValueByColumnName columnName =
             fromMaybe PersistNull (HM.lookup (pack columnName) columnMap)
-    
+
     fromPersistValues $ map lookupPersistValueByColumnName columnNames
 
 -- | Produce code similar to the following:
@@ -1840,19 +1852,19 @@
 
   case unenabledExtensions of
     [] -> pure ()
-    [extension] -> fail $ mconcat 
+    [extension] -> fail $ mconcat
                      [ "Generating Persistent entities now requires the "
                      , show extension
                      , " language extension. Please enable it by copy/pasting this line to the top of your file:\n\n"
                      , extensionToPragma extension
                      ]
-    extensions -> fail $ mconcat 
+    extensions -> fail $ mconcat
                     [ "Generating Persistent entities now requires the following language extensions:\n\n"
                     , List.intercalate "\n" (map show extensions)
                     , "\n\nPlease enable the extensions by copy/pasting these lines into the top of your file:\n\n"
                     , List.intercalate "\n" (map extensionToPragma extensions)
                     ]
-        
+
   where
     requiredExtensions = [DerivingStrategies, GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving, StandaloneDeriving, UndecidableInstances]
     extensionToPragma ext = "{-# LANGUAGE " <> show ext <> " #-}"
diff --git a/persistent-template.cabal b/persistent-template.cabal
--- a/persistent-template.cabal
+++ b/persistent-template.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:            persistent-template
-version:         2.8.0.1
+version:         2.8.1
 license:         MIT
 license-file:    LICENSE
 author:          Michael Snoyman <michael@snoyman.com>
diff --git a/test/main.hs b/test/main.hs
--- a/test/main.hs
+++ b/test/main.hs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE DeriveGeneric #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE ExistentialQuantification #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving #-}
@@ -31,13 +32,14 @@
 import Test.Hspec.QuickCheck
 import Test.QuickCheck.Arbitrary
 import Test.QuickCheck.Gen (Gen)
+import GHC.Generics (Generic)
 
 import Database.Persist
 import Database.Persist.TH
 import TemplateTestImports
 
 
-share [mkPersist sqlSettings { mpsGeneric = False }, mkDeleteCascade sqlSettings { mpsGeneric = False }] [persistUpperCase|
+share [mkPersist sqlSettings { mpsGeneric = False, mpsDeriveInstances = [''Generic] }, mkDeleteCascade sqlSettings { mpsGeneric = False }] [persistUpperCase|
 Person json
     name Text
     age Int Maybe