diff --git a/src/CONST/index.ts b/src/CONST/index.ts
index dda87c85a8ab6..fdda6fefd2862 100755
--- a/src/CONST/index.ts
+++ b/src/CONST/index.ts
@@ -6822,7 +6822,8 @@ const CONST = {
             BEFORE_PREFIX: 'reportFieldBefore-',
         },
         TAG_EMPTY_VALUE: 'none',
-        CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE: 'none,Uncategorized',
+        CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE: 'none',
+        CATEGORY_DEFAULT_VALUE: 'Uncategorized',
         SEARCH_ROUTER_ITEM_TYPE: {
             CONTEXTUAL_SUGGESTION: 'contextualSuggestion',
             AUTOCOMPLETE_SUGGESTION: 'autocompleteSuggestion',
diff --git a/src/libs/CategoryUtils.ts b/src/libs/CategoryUtils.ts
index fb87060ed1fae..30f44eeb625d1 100644
--- a/src/libs/CategoryUtils.ts
+++ b/src/libs/CategoryUtils.ts
@@ -98,9 +98,8 @@ function isCategoryMissing(category: string | undefined): boolean {
     if (!category) {
         return true;
     }
-    const emptyCategories = CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE.split(',');
 
-    return emptyCategories.includes(category ?? '');
+    return category === CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE || category === CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_DEFAULT_VALUE;
 }
 
 function isCategoryDescriptionRequired(policyCategories: PolicyCategories | undefined, category: string | undefined, areRulesEnabled: boolean | undefined): boolean {
diff --git a/src/libs/SearchAutocompleteUtils.ts b/src/libs/SearchAutocompleteUtils.ts
index e3ec6741b10ad..6786a156beb91 100644
--- a/src/libs/SearchAutocompleteUtils.ts
+++ b/src/libs/SearchAutocompleteUtils.ts
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ const userFriendlyStatusList = Object.values({
 
 /**
  * @private
+ * Determines if a specific value in the search syntax can/should be highlighted as valid or not
  */
 function filterOutRangesWithCorrectValue(
     range: SearchAutocompleteQueryRange,
@@ -193,7 +194,7 @@ function filterOutRangesWithCorrectValue(
         case CONST.SEARCH.SYNTAX_FILTER_KEYS.ACTION:
             return actionList.includes(range.value);
         case CONST.SEARCH.SYNTAX_FILTER_KEYS.CATEGORY:
-            return categoryList.get().includes(range.value);
+            return categoryList.get().includes(range.value) || range.value === CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE;
         case CONST.SEARCH.SYNTAX_FILTER_KEYS.TAG:
             return tagList.get().includes(range.value);
         case CONST.SEARCH.SYNTAX_ROOT_KEYS.GROUP_BY:
diff --git a/src/libs/SearchQueryUtils.ts b/src/libs/SearchQueryUtils.ts
index bdc8c3142113a..7291b0397be0a 100644
--- a/src/libs/SearchQueryUtils.ts
+++ b/src/libs/SearchQueryUtils.ts
@@ -834,9 +834,7 @@ function buildFilterFormValuesFromQuery(
                       .map((item) => Object.values(item ?? {}).map((category) => category.name))
                       .flat();
             const uniqueCategories = new Set(categories);
-            const emptyCategories = CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE.split(',');
-            const hasEmptyCategoriesInFilter = emptyCategories.every((category) => filterValues.includes(category));
-            // We split CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE into individual values to detect both are present in filterValues.
+            const hasEmptyCategoriesInFilter = filterValues.includes(CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE);
             // If empty categories are found, append the CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE to filtersForm.
             filtersForm[key as typeof filterKey] = filterValues.filter((name) => uniqueCategories.has(name)).concat(hasEmptyCategoriesInFilter ? [CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE] : []);
         }
diff --git a/src/libs/SearchUIUtils.ts b/src/libs/SearchUIUtils.ts
index b7460981d5e31..1757b4f2616a6 100644
--- a/src/libs/SearchUIUtils.ts
+++ b/src/libs/SearchUIUtils.ts
@@ -2508,8 +2508,7 @@ function getColumnsToShow(
         }
 
         const category = getCategory(transaction);
-        const categoryEmptyValues = CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE.split(',');
-        if (category !== '' && !categoryEmptyValues.includes(category)) {
+        if (category !== '' && category !== CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE) {
             columns[CONST.REPORT.TRANSACTION_LIST.COLUMNS.CATEGORY] = true;
         }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/Search/SearchQueryUtilsTest.ts b/tests/unit/Search/SearchQueryUtilsTest.ts
index 66b95d9195022..2e3b935d15f63 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Search/SearchQueryUtilsTest.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/Search/SearchQueryUtilsTest.ts
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ describe('SearchQueryUtils', () => {
             expect(result).toEqual({
                 type: 'expense',
                 status: CONST.SEARCH.STATUS.EXPENSE.ALL,
-                category: ['Maintenance', 'none,Uncategorized'],
+                category: ['Maintenance', 'none'],
             });
         });
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/Search/SearchUIUtilsTest.ts b/tests/unit/Search/SearchUIUtilsTest.ts
index 6abd283de26b0..aaa53367f92ce 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Search/SearchUIUtilsTest.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/Search/SearchUIUtilsTest.ts
@@ -2735,7 +2735,7 @@ describe('SearchUIUtils', () => {
                 merchant: '',
                 modifiedMerchant: 'Modified Merchant',
                 comment: {comment: ''},
-                category: 'Uncategorized', // This is in CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE
+                category: 'none', // This is in CONST.SEARCH.CATEGORY_EMPTY_VALUE
                 tag: CONST.SEARCH.TAG_EMPTY_VALUE, // This is the empty tag value
                 accountID: adminAccountID,
                 managerID: adminAccountID,