diff --git a/internal/venice-client-common/src/main/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/RmdUtils.java b/internal/venice-client-common/src/main/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/RmdUtils.java
index f58c7520606..4cbf0fad1e2 100644
--- a/internal/venice-client-common/src/main/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/RmdUtils.java
+++ b/internal/venice-client-common/src/main/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/RmdUtils.java
@@ -155,16 +155,23 @@ static public long getLastUpdateTimestamp(Object object) {
     for (Schema.Field field: ((GenericRecord) timestampRecord).getSchema().getFields()) {
       // if the field is a record, then we need to iterate through the fields of the record
       if (field.schema().getType().equals(Schema.Type.RECORD)) {
-        lastUpdatedTimestamp = Math.max(
-            lastUpdatedTimestamp,
-            (Long) ((GenericRecord) ((GenericRecord) timestampRecord).get(field.name())).get(TOP_LEVEL_TS_FIELD_NAME));
-        for (long timestamp: (long[]) ((GenericRecord) ((GenericRecord) timestampRecord).get(field.name()))
-            .get(DELETED_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME)) {
-          lastUpdatedTimestamp = Math.max(lastUpdatedTimestamp, timestamp);
+        GenericRecord fieldRecord = (GenericRecord) ((GenericRecord) timestampRecord).get(field.name());
+        lastUpdatedTimestamp = Math.max(lastUpdatedTimestamp, (Long) fieldRecord.get(TOP_LEVEL_TS_FIELD_NAME));
+
+        // Handle DELETED_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME as a List/Collection
+        Object deletedTimestamps = fieldRecord.get(DELETED_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME);
+        if (deletedTimestamps instanceof List) {
+          for (Object ts: (List<?>) deletedTimestamps) {
+            lastUpdatedTimestamp = Math.max(lastUpdatedTimestamp, ((Number) ts).longValue());
+          }
         }
-        for (long timestamp: (long[]) ((GenericRecord) ((GenericRecord) timestampRecord).get(field.name()))
-            .get(ACTIVE_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME)) {
-          lastUpdatedTimestamp = Math.max(lastUpdatedTimestamp, timestamp);
+
+        // Handle ACTIVE_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME as a List/Collection
+        Object activeTimestamps = fieldRecord.get(ACTIVE_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME);
+        if (activeTimestamps instanceof List) {
+          for (Object ts: (List<?>) activeTimestamps) {
+            lastUpdatedTimestamp = Math.max(lastUpdatedTimestamp, ((Number) ts).longValue());
+          }
         }
       } else if (field.schema().getType().equals(Schema.Type.LONG)) {
         lastUpdatedTimestamp =
diff --git a/internal/venice-client-common/src/test/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/TestRmdUtils.java b/internal/venice-client-common/src/test/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/TestRmdUtils.java
index 124c5214a0f..22fe658afe9 100644
--- a/internal/venice-client-common/src/test/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/TestRmdUtils.java
+++ b/internal/venice-client-common/src/test/java/com/linkedin/venice/schema/rmd/TestRmdUtils.java
@@ -168,7 +168,56 @@ public void testExtractOffsetVectorFromRmd() {
 
   @Test
   public void testExtractLatestTimestampFromRmd() {
-    Assert.assertEquals(30L, RmdUtils.getLastUpdateTimestamp(rmdRecordWithValidPerFieldLevelTimestamp));
-    Assert.assertEquals(0L, RmdUtils.getLastUpdateTimestamp(rmdRecordWithOnlyRootLevelTimestamp));
+    Assert.assertEquals(RmdUtils.getLastUpdateTimestamp(rmdRecordWithValidPerFieldLevelTimestamp), 30L);
+    Assert.assertEquals(RmdUtils.getLastUpdateTimestamp(rmdRecordWithOnlyRootLevelTimestamp), 0L);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLastUpdateTimestampWithCollectionFields() {
+    RmdSchemaGeneratorV1 rmdSchemaGeneratorV1 = new RmdSchemaGeneratorV1();
+    Schema timestampSchema = rmdSchemaGeneratorV1.generateMetadataSchema(TestWriteUtils.USER_WITH_STRING_MAP_SCHEMA);
+    Schema mapFieldSchema = timestampSchema.getField("timestamp").schema().getTypes().get(1).getField("value").schema();
+
+    GenericRecord mapFieldRecord = new GenericData.Record(mapFieldSchema);
+    long[] activeElemTs = { 100L, 200L, 150L };
+    long[] deletedElemTs = { 50L, 75L, 300L }; // 300L should be the max
+    mapFieldRecord.put(ACTIVE_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME, activeElemTs);
+    mapFieldRecord.put(TOP_LEVEL_TS_FIELD_NAME, 25L);
+    mapFieldRecord.put(DELETED_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME, deletedElemTs);
+
+    GenericRecord timestampRecord =
+        new GenericData.Record(timestampSchema.getField("timestamp").schema().getTypes().get(1));
+    timestampRecord.put("key", 10L);
+    timestampRecord.put("age", 50L);
+    timestampRecord.put("value", mapFieldRecord);
+
+    GenericRecord rmdRecord = new GenericData.Record(timestampSchema);
+    rmdRecord.put(TIMESTAMP_FIELD_NAME, timestampRecord);
+
+    Assert.assertEquals(RmdUtils.getLastUpdateTimestamp(rmdRecord), 300L);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLastUpdateTimestampWithEmptyCollections() {
+    RmdSchemaGeneratorV1 rmdSchemaGeneratorV1 = new RmdSchemaGeneratorV1();
+    Schema timestampSchema = rmdSchemaGeneratorV1.generateMetadataSchema(TestWriteUtils.USER_WITH_STRING_MAP_SCHEMA);
+    Schema mapFieldSchema = timestampSchema.getField("timestamp").schema().getTypes().get(1).getField("value").schema();
+
+    GenericRecord mapFieldRecord = new GenericData.Record(mapFieldSchema);
+    mapFieldRecord.put(ACTIVE_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME, Collections.emptyList());
+    mapFieldRecord.put(TOP_LEVEL_TS_FIELD_NAME, 25L);
+    mapFieldRecord.put(DELETED_ELEM_TS_FIELD_NAME, Collections.emptyList());
+
+    GenericRecord timestampRecord =
+        new GenericData.Record(timestampSchema.getField("timestamp").schema().getTypes().get(1));
+    timestampRecord.put("key", 100L); // This should be the max
+    timestampRecord.put("age", 50L);
+    timestampRecord.put("value", mapFieldRecord);
+
+    GenericRecord rmdRecord = new GenericData.Record(timestampSchema);
+    rmdRecord.put(TIMESTAMP_FIELD_NAME, timestampRecord);
+
+    // Should return 100L (max from key field since collections are empty)
+    Assert.assertEquals(RmdUtils.getLastUpdateTimestamp(rmdRecord), 100L);
   }
 }