diff --git a/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGenerator.java b/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGenerator.java
index 840af016..89a87f62 100644
--- a/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGenerator.java
+++ b/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGenerator.java
@@ -430,10 +430,18 @@ private GoWriter.Writable compareVariables(String ident, Variable left, Variable
             }
         }
 
-        // also, if they're both pointers, and it's equality, there's an additional true case where both are nil
-        var elseCmpBothNull = !isOrderComparator(cmp) && isLPtr && isRPtr
-                ? goTemplate("else { $L = $L == nil && $L == nil }", ident, left.ident, right.ident)
-                : emptyGoTemplate();
+        // also, if they're both pointers, and it's (in)equality, there's an additional true case where both are nil,
+        // or both are different
+        var elseCheckPtrs = emptyGoTemplate();
+        if (isLPtr && isRPtr) {
+            if (cmp == ComparatorType.EQUAL) {
+                elseCheckPtrs = goTemplate("else { $L = $L == nil && $L == nil }",
+                        ident, left.ident, right.ident);
+            } else if (cmp == ComparatorType.NOT_EQUAL) {
+                elseCheckPtrs = goTemplate("else { $1L = ($2L == nil && $3L != nil) || ($2L != nil && $3L == nil) }",
+                        ident, left.ident, right.ident);
+            }
+        }
 
         return goTemplate("""
                  var $ident:L bool
@@ -441,7 +449,7 @@ private GoWriter.Writable compareVariables(String ident, Variable left, Variable
                  $nilCoerceRight:W
                  if $lif:L $amp:L $rif:L {
                      $ident:L = $cast:L($lhs:L) $cmp:L $cast:L($rhs:L)
-                 }$elseCmpBothNull:W""",
+                 }$elseCheckPtrs:W""",
                 Map.of(
                         "ident", ident,
                         "lif", isLPtr ? left.ident + " != nil" : "",
@@ -455,7 +463,7 @@ private GoWriter.Writable compareVariables(String ident, Variable left, Variable
                         "nilCoerceRight", nilCoerceRight
                 ),
                 Map.of(
-                        "elseCmpBothNull", elseCmpBothNull
+                        "elseCheckPtrs", elseCheckPtrs
                 ));
     }
 
diff --git a/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGeneratorTest.java b/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGeneratorTest.java
index a4b96e76..0a6b01a3 100644
--- a/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGeneratorTest.java
+++ b/codegen/smithy-go-codegen/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/go/codegen/GoJmespathExpressionGeneratorTest.java
@@ -608,4 +608,50 @@ public void testOrderComparatorNumberCoercesBothNullable() {
                 }
                 """));
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEqualBothNullable() {
+        var expr = "nullableIntegerA == nullableIntegerB";
+
+        var writer = testWriter();
+        var generator = new GoJmespathExpressionGenerator(testContext(), writer);
+        var actual = generator.generate(JmespathExpression.parse(expr), new GoJmespathExpressionGenerator.Variable(
+                TEST_MODEL.expectShape(ShapeId.from("smithy.go.test#Struct")),
+                "input"
+        ));
+        assertThat(actual.shape().toShapeId().toString(), Matchers.equalTo("smithy.api#PrimitiveBoolean"));
+        assertThat(actual.ident(), Matchers.equalTo("v3"));
+        assertThat(writer.toString(), Matchers.containsString("""
+                v1 := input.NullableIntegerA
+                v2 := input.NullableIntegerB
+                var v3 bool
+
+                if v1 != nil && v2 != nil {
+                    v3 = int64(*v1) == int64(*v2)
+                }else { v3 = v1 == nil && v2 == nil }
+                """));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testNotEqualBothNullable() {
+        var expr = "nullableIntegerA != nullableIntegerB";
+
+        var writer = testWriter();
+        var generator = new GoJmespathExpressionGenerator(testContext(), writer);
+        var actual = generator.generate(JmespathExpression.parse(expr), new GoJmespathExpressionGenerator.Variable(
+                TEST_MODEL.expectShape(ShapeId.from("smithy.go.test#Struct")),
+                "input"
+        ));
+        assertThat(actual.shape().toShapeId().toString(), Matchers.equalTo("smithy.api#PrimitiveBoolean"));
+        assertThat(actual.ident(), Matchers.equalTo("v3"));
+        assertThat(writer.toString(), Matchers.containsString("""
+                v1 := input.NullableIntegerA
+                v2 := input.NullableIntegerB
+                var v3 bool
+
+                if v1 != nil && v2 != nil {
+                    v3 = int64(*v1) != int64(*v2)
+                }else { v3 = (v1 == nil && v2 != nil) || (v1 != nil && v2 == nil) }
+                """));
+    }
 }