diff --git a/pandas-stubs/core/frame.pyi b/pandas-stubs/core/frame.pyi
index 0acd9c855..215f14711 100644
--- a/pandas-stubs/core/frame.pyi
+++ b/pandas-stubs/core/frame.pyi
@@ -1224,7 +1224,7 @@ class DataFrame(NDFrame, OpsMixin):
     @overload
     def apply(
         self,
-        f: Callable[..., S1],
+        f: Callable[..., S1 | NAType],
         axis: AxisIndex = ...,
         raw: _bool = ...,
         result_type: None = ...,
@@ -1248,7 +1248,7 @@ class DataFrame(NDFrame, OpsMixin):
     @overload
     def apply(
         self,
-        f: Callable[..., S1],
+        f: Callable[..., S1 | NAType],
         axis: Axis = ...,
         raw: _bool = ...,
         args: Any = ...,
@@ -1309,7 +1309,7 @@ class DataFrame(NDFrame, OpsMixin):
     @overload
     def apply(
         self,
-        f: Callable[..., S1],
+        f: Callable[..., S1 | NAType],
         raw: _bool = ...,
         result_type: None = ...,
         args: Any = ...,
diff --git a/tests/test_frame.py b/tests/test_frame.py
index e17cff54c..8ce0dc356 100644
--- a/tests/test_frame.py
+++ b/tests/test_frame.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 )
 import xarray as xr
 
+from pandas._libs.missing import NAType
 from pandas._typing import Scalar
 
 from tests import (
@@ -578,6 +579,9 @@ def test_types_apply() -> None:
     def returns_scalar(x: pd.Series) -> int:
         return 2
 
+    def returns_scalar_na(x: pd.Series) -> int | NAType:
+        return 2 if (x < 5).all() else pd.NA
+
     def returns_series(x: pd.Series) -> pd.Series:
         return x**2
 
@@ -604,6 +608,11 @@ def gethead(s: pd.Series, y: int) -> pd.Series:
     check(
         assert_type(df.apply(returns_scalar), "pd.Series[int]"), pd.Series, np.integer
     )
+    check(
+        assert_type(df.apply(returns_scalar_na), "pd.Series[int]"),
+        pd.Series,
+        int,
+    )
     check(assert_type(df.apply(returns_series), pd.DataFrame), pd.DataFrame)
     check(assert_type(df.apply(returns_listlike_of_3), pd.DataFrame), pd.DataFrame)
     check(assert_type(df.apply(returns_dict), pd.Series), pd.Series)