diff --git a/client.c b/client.c
index fa0fdfa8..8b2b4d8b 100644
--- a/client.c
+++ b/client.c
@@ -683,8 +683,7 @@ client_resize(client_t *c, area_t geometry, bool hints)
     area_t area;
 
     /* offscreen appearance fixes */
-    area = display_area_get(c->phys_screen, NULL,
-                            &c->screen->padding);
+    area = display_area_get(c->phys_screen, NULL);
 
     if(geometry.x > area.width)
         geometry.x = area.width - geometry.width;
@@ -815,7 +814,7 @@ client_setfullscreen(client_t *c, bool s)
             client_setabove(c, false);
             client_setontop(c, false);
 
-            geometry = screen_area_get(c->screen, NULL, NULL, false);
+            geometry = screen_area_get(c->screen, NULL, false);
             c->geometries.fullscreen = c->geometry;
             c->border_fs = c->border;
             client_setborder(c, 0);
@@ -851,7 +850,6 @@ client_setmaxhoriz(client_t *c, bool s)
 
             geometry = screen_area_get(c->screen,
                                        &c->screen->wiboxes,
-                                       &c->screen->padding,
                                        true);
             geometry.y = c->geometry.y;
             geometry.height = c->geometry.height;
@@ -891,7 +889,6 @@ client_setmaxvert(client_t *c, bool s)
 
             geometry = screen_area_get(c->screen,
                                        &c->screen->wiboxes,
-                                       &c->screen->padding,
                                        true);
             geometry.x = c->geometry.x;
             geometry.width = c->geometry.width;
@@ -1439,7 +1436,7 @@ luaA_client_struts(lua_State *L)
     if(lua_gettop(L) == 2)
     {
         strut_t struts;
-        area_t screen_area = display_area_get(c->phys_screen, NULL, NULL);
+        area_t screen_area = display_area_get(c->phys_screen, NULL);
 
         struts.left = luaA_getopt_number(L, 2, "left", c->strut.left);
         struts.right = luaA_getopt_number(L, 2, "right", c->strut.right);
diff --git a/ewmh.c b/ewmh.c
index 2d6ce176..950f764e 100644
--- a/ewmh.c
+++ b/ewmh.c
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ static void
 ewmh_update_desktop_geometry(int phys_screen)
 {
     area_t geom = screen_area_get(&globalconf.screens.tab[phys_screen],
-                                  NULL,
                                   NULL,
                                   false);
     uint32_t sizes[] = { geom.width, geom.height };
@@ -234,7 +233,6 @@ ewmh_update_workarea(int phys_screen)
     uint32_t *area = p_alloca(uint32_t, tags->len * 4);
     area_t geom = screen_area_get(&globalconf.screens.tab[phys_screen],
                                   &globalconf.screens.tab[phys_screen].wiboxes,
-                                  &globalconf.screens.tab[phys_screen].padding,
                                   true);
 
 
diff --git a/lib/awful/layout/init.lua.in b/lib/awful/layout/init.lua.in
index f7300326..3bff6014 100644
--- a/lib/awful/layout/init.lua.in
+++ b/lib/awful/layout/init.lua.in
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ local tag = require("awful.tag")
 local util = require("awful.util")
 local suit = require("awful.layout.suit")
 local client = require("awful.client")
+local ascreen = require("awful.screen")
 local capi =
 {
     hooks = hooks,
@@ -64,6 +65,14 @@ local function on_arrange (screen)
     local t = tag.selected(screen)
     local p = {}
     p.workarea = capi.screen[screen].workarea
+    -- Handle padding
+    local padding = ascreen.padding(screen)
+    if padding then
+        p.workarea.x = p.workarea.x + (padding.left or 0)
+        p.workarea.y = p.workarea.y + (padding.top or 0)
+        p.workarea.width = p.workarea.width - ((padding.left or 0 ) + (padding.right or 0))
+        p.workarea.height = p.workarea.height - ((padding.top or 0) + (padding.bottom or 0))
+    end
     p.geometry = capi.screen[screen].geometry
     p.clients = client.tiled(screen)
     p.ncol = tag.getncol(t)
@@ -89,4 +98,6 @@ hooks.property.register(function (c, prop)
     end
 end)
 
+hooks.padding.register(function(screen) on_arrange(screen) end)
+
 -- vim: filetype=lua:expandtab:shiftwidth=4:tabstop=8:softtabstop=4:encoding=utf-8:textwidth=80
diff --git a/lib/awful/screen.lua.in b/lib/awful/screen.lua.in
index 95f8a9b7..e6ef1c83 100644
--- a/lib/awful/screen.lua.in
+++ b/lib/awful/screen.lua.in
@@ -13,10 +13,17 @@ local capi =
 }
 local util = require("awful.util")
 local client = require("awful.client")
+local hooks = require("awful.hooks")
 
 --- Screen module for awful
 module("awful.screen")
 
+local data = {}
+data.padding = {}
+
+-- Create a hook for padding event
+hooks.user.create("padding")
+
 --- Give the focus to a screen, and move pointer.
 -- @param i Relative screen number.
 function focus(i)
@@ -27,4 +34,16 @@ function focus(i)
     capi.mouse.screen = s
 end
 
+--- Get or set the screen padding.
+-- @param i The screen number.
+-- @param padding The padding, an table with 'top', 'left', 'right' and/or
+-- 'bottom'. Can be nil if you only want to retrieve padding
+function padding(i, padding)
+    if padding then
+        data.padding[i] = padding
+        hooks.user.call("padding", i)
+    end
+    return data.padding[i]
+end
+
 -- vim: filetype=lua:expandtab:shiftwidth=4:tabstop=8:softtabstop=4:encoding=utf-8:textwidth=80
diff --git a/screen.c b/screen.c
index 9fd2c065..62c9ef57 100644
--- a/screen.c
+++ b/screen.c
@@ -143,26 +143,15 @@ screen_getbycoord(screen_t *screen, int x, int y)
 /** Get screens info.
  * \param screen Screen.
  * \param wiboxes Wiboxes list to remove.
- * \param padding Padding.
  * \param strut Honor windows strut.
  * \return The screen area.
  */
 area_t
-screen_area_get(screen_t *screen, wibox_array_t *wiboxes,
-                padding_t *padding, bool strut)
+screen_area_get(screen_t *screen, wibox_array_t *wiboxes, bool strut)
 {
     area_t area = screen->geometry;
     uint16_t top = 0, bottom = 0, left = 0, right = 0;
 
-    /* make padding corrections */
-    if(padding)
-    {
-        area.x += padding->left;
-        area.y += padding->top;
-        area.width -= padding->left + padding->right;
-        area.height -= padding->top + padding->bottom;
-    }
-
     if(strut)
         foreach(_c, globalconf.clients)
         {
@@ -236,11 +225,10 @@ screen_area_get(screen_t *screen, wibox_array_t *wiboxes,
 /** Get display info.
  * \param phys_screen Physical screen number.
  * \param wiboxes The wiboxes.
- * \param padding Padding.
  * \return The display area.
  */
 area_t
-display_area_get(int phys_screen, wibox_array_t *wiboxes, padding_t *padding)
+display_area_get(int phys_screen, wibox_array_t *wiboxes)
 {
     xcb_screen_t *s = xutil_screen_get(globalconf.connection, phys_screen);
     area_t area = { .x = 0,
@@ -256,14 +244,6 @@ display_area_get(int phys_screen, wibox_array_t *wiboxes, padding_t *padding)
             area.height -= (w->position == Top || w->position == Bottom) ? w->sw.geometry.height : 0;
         }
 
-    /* make padding corrections */
-    if(padding)
-    {
-            area.x += padding->left;
-            area.y += padding->top;
-            area.width -= padding->left + padding->right;
-            area.height -= padding->top + padding->bottom;
-    }
     return area;
 }
 
@@ -327,8 +307,8 @@ screen_client_moveto(client_t *c, screen_t *new_screen, bool dotag, bool doresiz
     if(!doresize)
         return;
 
-    from = screen_area_get(old_screen, NULL, NULL, false);
-    to = screen_area_get(c->screen, NULL, NULL, false);
+    from = screen_area_get(old_screen, NULL, false);
+    to = screen_area_get(c->screen, NULL, false);
 
     area_t new_geometry = c->geometry;
 
@@ -465,7 +445,7 @@ luaA_screen_index(lua_State *L)
         luaA_pusharea(L, s->geometry);
         break;
       case A_TK_WORKAREA:
-        luaA_pusharea(L, screen_area_get(s, &s->wiboxes, &s->padding, true));
+        luaA_pusharea(L, screen_area_get(s, &s->wiboxes, true));
         break;
       default:
         return 0;
@@ -474,37 +454,6 @@ luaA_screen_index(lua_State *L)
     return 1;
 }
 
-/** Set or get the screen padding.
- * \param L The Lua VM state.
- * \return The number of elements pushed on stack.
- * \luastack
- * \lparam None or a table with new padding values.
- * \lreturn The screen padding. A table with top, right, left and bottom
- * keys and values in pixel.
- */
-static int
-luaA_screen_padding(lua_State *L)
-{
-    screen_t *s = lua_touserdata(L, 1);
-
-    if(!s)
-        luaL_typerror(L, 1, "screen");
-
-    if(lua_gettop(L) == 2)
-    {
-        s->padding = luaA_getopt_padding(L, 2, &s->padding);
-
-        s->need_arrange = true;
-
-        /* All the wiboxes repositioned */
-        foreach(w, s->wiboxes)
-            wibox_position_update(*w);
-
-        ewmh_update_workarea(screen_virttophys(screen_array_indexof(&globalconf.screens, s)));
-    }
-    return luaA_pushpadding(L, &s->padding);
-}
-
 /** Get the screen count.
  * \param L The Lua VM state.
  * \return The number of elements pushed on stack.
@@ -529,7 +478,6 @@ const struct luaL_reg awesome_screen_methods[] =
 const struct luaL_reg awesome_screen_meta[] =
 {
     { "tags", luaA_screen_tags },
-    { "padding", luaA_screen_padding },
     { "__index", luaA_screen_index },
     { NULL, NULL }
 };
diff --git a/screen.h b/screen.h
index 7a68fd9e..507213ec 100644
--- a/screen.h
+++ b/screen.h
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ struct a_screen
     tag_array_t tags;
     /** Wiboxes */
     wibox_array_t wiboxes;
-    /** Padding */
-    padding_t padding;
     /** Window that contains the systray */
     struct
     {
@@ -54,8 +52,8 @@ ARRAY_FUNCS(screen_t, screen, DO_NOTHING)
 
 void screen_scan(void);
 screen_t *screen_getbycoord(screen_t *, int, int);
-area_t screen_area_get(screen_t *, wibox_array_t *, padding_t *, bool);
-area_t display_area_get(int, wibox_array_t *, padding_t *);
+area_t screen_area_get(screen_t *, wibox_array_t *, bool);
+area_t display_area_get(int, wibox_array_t *);
 int screen_virttophys(int);
 void screen_client_moveto(client_t *, screen_t *, bool, bool);