diff --git a/app/client/src/widgets/CheckboxGroupWidget/widget/index.test.tsx b/app/client/src/widgets/CheckboxGroupWidget/widget/index.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..add2c666c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/client/src/widgets/CheckboxGroupWidget/widget/index.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+// eslint-disable-next-line
+// @ts-nocheck
+import { defaultSelectedValuesValidation } from "./";
+
+describe("<CheckboxGroup />", () => {
+  test("should return empty parsed array on null options", async () => {
+    const result = defaultSelectedValuesValidation("", {
+      options: null,
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toStrictEqual({ isValid: true, parsed: [] });
+  });
+
+  test("should return parsed array on valid single default option as string", async () => {
+    const result = defaultSelectedValuesValidation("blue", {
+      options: [
+        {
+          label: "blue",
+          value: "blue",
+        },
+        {
+          label: "green",
+          value: "green",
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toStrictEqual({ isValid: true, parsed: ["blue"] });
+  });
+
+  test("should return parsed array on multiple default options as string ", async () => {
+    const result = defaultSelectedValuesValidation("blue,green", {
+      options: [
+        {
+          label: "blue",
+          value: "blue",
+        },
+        {
+          label: "green",
+          value: "green",
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toStrictEqual({ isValid: true, parsed: ["blue", "green"] });
+  });
+
+  test("should return parsed array on multiple default options as array ", async () => {
+    const result = defaultSelectedValuesValidation(`["blue"]`, {
+      options: [
+        {
+          label: "blue",
+          value: "blue",
+        },
+        {
+          label: "green",
+          value: "green",
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toStrictEqual({ isValid: true, parsed: ["blue"] });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/app/client/src/widgets/CheckboxGroupWidget/widget/index.tsx b/app/client/src/widgets/CheckboxGroupWidget/widget/index.tsx
index b5bdc26e86..586472cdbe 100644
--- a/app/client/src/widgets/CheckboxGroupWidget/widget/index.tsx
+++ b/app/client/src/widgets/CheckboxGroupWidget/widget/index.tsx
@@ -1,27 +1,24 @@
 import React from "react";
-import BaseWidget, { WidgetProps, WidgetState } from "widgets/BaseWidget";
-import { WidgetType } from "constants/WidgetConstants";
-import { EventType } from "constants/AppsmithActionConstants/ActionConstants";
+import { compact } from "lodash";
+
 import {
   ValidationResponse,
   ValidationTypes,
 } from "constants/WidgetValidation";
+import { WidgetType } from "constants/WidgetConstants";
 import { DerivedPropertiesMap } from "utils/WidgetFactory";
+import BaseWidget, { WidgetProps, WidgetState } from "widgets/BaseWidget";
+import { EventType } from "constants/AppsmithActionConstants/ActionConstants";
 
-import { EvaluationSubstitutionType } from "entities/DataTree/dataTreeFactory";
-import CheckboxGroupComponent, { OptionProps } from "../component";
 import { AutocompleteDataType } from "utils/autocomplete/TernServer";
+import { EvaluationSubstitutionType } from "entities/DataTree/dataTreeFactory";
 
-function defaultSelectedValuesValidation(
+import CheckboxGroupComponent, { OptionProps } from "../component";
+
+export function defaultSelectedValuesValidation(
   value: unknown,
-  props: CheckboxGroupWidgetProps,
 ): ValidationResponse {
-  let isValid = true;
   let values: string[] = [];
-  const messages: string[] = [];
-  const { options } = props;
-
-  const optionValues = options.map((option) => option.value);
 
   if (typeof value === "string") {
     try {
@@ -36,28 +33,14 @@ function defaultSelectedValuesValidation(
       }
     }
   }
+
   if (Array.isArray(value)) {
     values = Array.from(new Set(value));
   }
 
-  values.forEach((value, index) => {
-    if (!optionValues.includes(value)) {
-      isValid = false;
-      messages.push(`Mismatching value: ${value} at: ${index}`);
-    }
-  });
-
-  if (isValid) {
-    return {
-      isValid: true,
-      parsed: values,
-    };
-  }
-
   return {
-    isValid: false,
+    isValid: true,
     parsed: values,
-    messages,
   };
 }
 
@@ -81,22 +64,27 @@ class CheckboxGroupWidget extends BaseWidget<
             validation: {
               type: ValidationTypes.ARRAY,
               params: {
+                default: [],
+                unique: ["value"],
                 children: {
                   type: ValidationTypes.OBJECT,
                   params: {
+                    required: true,
                     allowedKeys: [
                       {
                         name: "label",
                         type: ValidationTypes.TEXT,
                         params: {
-                          unique: true,
+                          default: "",
+                          required: true,
                         },
                       },
                       {
                         name: "value",
                         type: ValidationTypes.TEXT,
                         params: {
-                          unique: true,
+                          default: "",
+                          required: true,
                         },
                       },
                     ],
@@ -218,10 +206,10 @@ class CheckboxGroupWidget extends BaseWidget<
       Array.isArray(this.props.options) &&
       this.props.options.length !== prevProps.options.length
     ) {
-      const prevOptions = prevProps.options.map(
+      const prevOptions = compact(prevProps.options).map(
         (prevOption) => prevOption.value,
       );
-      const options = this.props.options.map((option) => option.value);
+      const options = compact(this.props.options).map((option) => option.value);
 
       const diffOptions = prevOptions.filter(
         (prevOption) => !options.includes(prevOption),
@@ -250,7 +238,7 @@ class CheckboxGroupWidget extends BaseWidget<
         isValid={this.props.isValid}
         key={this.props.widgetId}
         onChange={this.handleCheckboxChange}
-        options={this.props.options}
+        options={compact(this.props.options)}
         rowSpace={this.props.parentRowSpace}
         selectedValues={this.props.selectedValues}
         widgetId={this.props.widgetId}