diff --git a/tracing-attributes/Cargo.toml b/tracing-attributes/Cargo.toml
index 85e51f6ffe..5a75ec0513 100644
--- a/tracing-attributes/Cargo.toml
+++ b/tracing-attributes/Cargo.toml
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ quote = "1"
 [dev-dependencies]
 tracing = { path = "../tracing", version = "0.1" }
 tracing-mock = { path = "../tracing-mock", features = ["tokio-test"] }
+tracing-subscriber = { path = "../tracing-subscriber", version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter"] }
 tokio-test = { version = "0.3.0" }
 tracing-core = { path = "../tracing-core", version = "0.1"}
 async-trait = "0.1.44"
diff --git a/tracing-attributes/src/expand.rs b/tracing-attributes/src/expand.rs
index b563d4bbfe..81ee6ed906 100644
--- a/tracing-attributes/src/expand.rs
+++ b/tracing-attributes/src/expand.rs
@@ -200,19 +200,23 @@ fn gen_block<B: ToTokens>(
         ))
     })();
 
+    let target = args.target();
+
     let err_event = match args.err_mode {
         Some(FormatMode::Default) | Some(FormatMode::Display) => {
-            Some(quote!(tracing::error!(error = %e)))
+            Some(quote!(tracing::error!(target: #target, error = %e)))
         }
-        Some(FormatMode::Debug) => Some(quote!(tracing::error!(error = ?e))),
+        Some(FormatMode::Debug) => Some(quote!(tracing::error!(target: #target, error = ?e))),
         _ => None,
     };
 
     let ret_event = match args.ret_mode {
-        Some(FormatMode::Display) => Some(quote!(tracing::event!(#level, return = %x))),
-        Some(FormatMode::Default) | Some(FormatMode::Debug) => {
-            Some(quote!(tracing::event!(#level, return = ?x)))
-        }
+        Some(FormatMode::Display) => Some(quote!(
+            tracing::event!(target: #target, #level, return = %x)
+        )),
+        Some(FormatMode::Default) | Some(FormatMode::Debug) => Some(quote!(
+            tracing::event!(target: #target, #level, return = ?x)
+        )),
         _ => None,
     };
 
diff --git a/tracing-attributes/src/lib.rs b/tracing-attributes/src/lib.rs
index 48deea2785..40bd41076e 100644
--- a/tracing-attributes/src/lib.rs
+++ b/tracing-attributes/src/lib.rs
@@ -461,6 +461,9 @@ mod expand;
 /// }
 /// ```
 ///
+/// If a `target` is specified, both the `ret` and `err` arguments will emit outputs to
+/// the declared target (or the default channel if `target` is not specified).
+///
 /// The `ret` and `err` arguments can be combined in order to record an event if a
 /// function returns [`Result::Ok`] or [`Result::Err`]:
 ///
diff --git a/tracing-attributes/tests/err.rs b/tracing-attributes/tests/err.rs
index f2706f3084..9e6d6b78c3 100644
--- a/tracing-attributes/tests/err.rs
+++ b/tracing-attributes/tests/err.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ use tracing::subscriber::with_default;
 use tracing::Level;
 use tracing_attributes::instrument;
 use tracing_mock::*;
+use tracing_subscriber::filter::EnvFilter;
+use tracing_subscriber::layer::SubscriberExt;
 
 use std::convert::TryFrom;
 use std::num::TryFromIntError;
@@ -198,3 +200,34 @@ fn test_err_display_default() {
     with_default(subscriber, || err().ok());
     handle.assert_finished();
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn test_err_custom_target() {
+    let filter: EnvFilter = "my_target=error".parse().expect("filter should parse");
+    let span = span::mock().named("error_span").with_target("my_target");
+
+    let (subscriber, handle) = subscriber::mock()
+        .new_span(span.clone())
+        .enter(span.clone())
+        .event(
+            event::mock()
+                .at_level(Level::ERROR)
+                .with_target("my_target"),
+        )
+        .exit(span.clone())
+        .drop_span(span)
+        .done()
+        .run_with_handle();
+
+    let subscriber = subscriber.with(filter);
+
+    with_default(subscriber, || {
+        let error_span = tracing::error_span!(target: "my_target", "error_span");
+
+        {
+            let _enter = error_span.enter();
+            tracing::error!(target: "my_target", "This should display")
+        }
+    });
+    handle.assert_finished();
+}
diff --git a/tracing-attributes/tests/ret.rs b/tracing-attributes/tests/ret.rs
index 01879dfd2d..cfd2de10d3 100644
--- a/tracing-attributes/tests/ret.rs
+++ b/tracing-attributes/tests/ret.rs
@@ -4,12 +4,19 @@ use tracing_mock::*;
 
 use tracing::{subscriber::with_default, Level};
 use tracing_attributes::instrument;
+use tracing_subscriber::layer::SubscriberExt;
+use tracing_subscriber::EnvFilter;
 
 #[instrument(ret)]
 fn ret() -> i32 {
     42
 }
 
+#[instrument(target = "my_target", ret)]
+fn ret_with_target() -> i32 {
+    42
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test() {
     let span = span::mock().named("ret");
@@ -30,6 +37,33 @@ fn test() {
     handle.assert_finished();
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_custom_target() {
+    let filter: EnvFilter = "my_target=info".parse().expect("filter should parse");
+    let span = span::mock()
+        .named("ret_with_target")
+        .with_target("my_target");
+
+    let (subscriber, handle) = subscriber::mock()
+        .new_span(span.clone())
+        .enter(span.clone())
+        .event(
+            event::mock()
+                .with_fields(field::mock("return").with_value(&tracing::field::debug(42)))
+                .at_level(Level::INFO)
+                .with_target("my_target"),
+        )
+        .exit(span.clone())
+        .drop_span(span)
+        .done()
+        .run_with_handle();
+
+    let subscriber = subscriber.with(filter);
+
+    with_default(subscriber, ret_with_target);
+    handle.assert_finished();
+}
+
 #[instrument(level = "warn", ret)]
 fn ret_warn() -> i32 {
     42