diff --git a/x/auth/middleware/fee.go b/x/auth/middleware/fee.go
index 7285d530cfb..4d980fb059a 100644
--- a/x/auth/middleware/fee.go
+++ b/x/auth/middleware/fee.go
@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
+	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
+
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 	sdkerrors "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/errors"
-
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/tx"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
-	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
 )
 
 var _ tx.Handler = mempoolFeeTxHandler{}
@@ -30,7 +30,12 @@ func MempoolFeeMiddleware(txh tx.Handler) tx.Handler {
 	}
 }
 
-// CheckTx implements tx.Handler.CheckTx.
+// CheckTx implements tx.Handler.CheckTx. It is responsible for determining if a
+// transaction's fees meet the required minimum of the processing node. Note, a
+// node can have zero fees set as the minimum. If non-zero minimum fees are set
+// and the transaction does not meet the minimum, the transaction is rejected.
+//
+// Recall, a transaction's fee is determined by ceil(minGasPrice * gasLimit).
 func (txh mempoolFeeTxHandler) CheckTx(ctx context.Context, tx sdk.Tx, req abci.RequestCheckTx) (abci.ResponseCheckTx, error) {
 	sdkCtx := sdk.UnwrapSDKContext(ctx)
 
diff --git a/x/auth/middleware/middleware.go b/x/auth/middleware/middleware.go
index be8af217621..365d7441ed0 100644
--- a/x/auth/middleware/middleware.go
+++ b/x/auth/middleware/middleware.go
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ func NewDefaultTxHandler(options TxHandlerOptions) (tx.Handler, error) {
 		ValidateMemoMiddleware(options.AccountKeeper),
 		ConsumeTxSizeGasMiddleware(options.AccountKeeper),
 		DeductFeeMiddleware(options.AccountKeeper, options.BankKeeper, options.FeegrantKeeper),
+		TxPriorityHandler,
 		SetPubKeyMiddleware(options.AccountKeeper),
 		ValidateSigCountMiddleware(options.AccountKeeper),
 		SigGasConsumeMiddleware(options.AccountKeeper, sigGasConsumer),
diff --git a/x/auth/middleware/tx_priority.go b/x/auth/middleware/tx_priority.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..81d8d3124e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x/auth/middleware/tx_priority.go
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
+
+	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
+	sdkerrors "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/errors"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/tx"
+)
+
+var _ tx.Handler = txPriorityHandler{}
+
+type txPriorityHandler struct {
+	next tx.Handler
+}
+
+// TxPriorityHandler implements tx handling middleware that determines a
+// transaction's priority via a naive mechanism -- the total sum of fees provided.
+// It sets the Priority in ResponseCheckTx only.
+func TxPriorityHandler(txh tx.Handler) tx.Handler {
+	return txPriorityHandler{next: txh}
+}
+
+// CheckTx implements tx.Handler.CheckTx. We set the Priority of the transaction
+// to be ordered in the Tendermint mempool based naively on the total sum of all
+// fees included. Applications that need more sophisticated mempool ordering
+// should look to implement their own fee handling middleware instead of using
+// TxPriorityHandler.
+func (h txPriorityHandler) CheckTx(ctx context.Context, tx sdk.Tx, req abci.RequestCheckTx) (abci.ResponseCheckTx, error) {
+	feeTx, ok := tx.(sdk.FeeTx)
+	if !ok {
+		return abci.ResponseCheckTx{}, sdkerrors.Wrap(sdkerrors.ErrTxDecode, "Tx must be a FeeTx")
+	}
+
+	feeCoins := feeTx.GetFee()
+
+	res, err := h.next.CheckTx(ctx, tx, req)
+	res.Priority = GetTxPriority(feeCoins)
+
+	return res, err
+}
+
+func (h txPriorityHandler) DeliverTx(ctx context.Context, tx sdk.Tx, req abci.RequestDeliverTx) (abci.ResponseDeliverTx, error) {
+	return h.next.DeliverTx(ctx, tx, req)
+}
+
+func (h txPriorityHandler) SimulateTx(ctx context.Context, sdkTx sdk.Tx, req tx.RequestSimulateTx) (tx.ResponseSimulateTx, error) {
+	return h.next.SimulateTx(ctx, sdkTx, req)
+}
+
+// GetTxPriority returns a naive tx priority based on the total sum of all fees
+// provided in a transaction.
+func GetTxPriority(fee sdk.Coins) int64 {
+	var priority int64
+	for _, c := range fee {
+		priority += c.Amount.Int64()
+	}
+
+	return priority
+}