diff --git a/R/forecast.R b/R/forecast.R
index 16e963bb6..95732c676 100644
--- a/R/forecast.R
+++ b/R/forecast.R
@@ -117,22 +117,10 @@ as_forecast.default <- function(data,
     data <- set_forecast_unit(data, forecast_unit)
   }
 
-  # find forecast type
-  desired <- forecast_type
+  # assert forecast type is as expected
+  assert_forecast_type(data, desired = forecast_type)
   forecast_type <- get_forecast_type(data)
 
-  if (!is.null(desired) && desired != forecast_type) {
-    #nolint start: object_usage_linter keyword_quote_linter
-    cli_abort(
-      c(
-        "!" = "Forecast type determined by scoringutils based on input:
-        {.val {forecast_type}}.",
-        "i" = "Desired forecast type: {.val {desired}}."
-      )
-    )
-    #nolint end
-  }
-
   # produce warning if old format is suspected
   # old quantile format
   if (forecast_type == "point" && "quantile" %in% colnames(data)) {
@@ -194,7 +182,7 @@ as_forecast.default <- function(data,
 #' @examples
 #' forecast <- as_forecast(example_binary)
 #' validate_forecast(forecast)
-validate_forecast <- function(data, ...) {
+validate_forecast <- function(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...) {
   UseMethod("validate_forecast")
 }
 
@@ -202,7 +190,7 @@ validate_forecast <- function(data, ...) {
 #' @importFrom cli cli_abort
 #' @export
 #' @keywords check-forecasts
-validate_forecast.default <- function(data, ...) {
+validate_forecast.default <- function(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...) {
   cli_abort(
     c(
       "!" = "The input needs to be a forecast object.",
@@ -215,8 +203,9 @@ validate_forecast.default <- function(data, ...) {
 #' @export
 #' @importFrom cli cli_abort
 #' @keywords check-forecasts
-validate_forecast.forecast_binary <- function(data, ...) {
+validate_forecast.forecast_binary <- function(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...) {
   data <- validate_general(data)
+  assert_forecast_type(data, actual = "binary", desired = forecast_type)
 
   columns_correct <- test_columns_not_present(
     data, c("sample_id", "quantile_level")
@@ -248,8 +237,9 @@ validate_forecast.forecast_binary <- function(data, ...) {
 #' @export
 #' @importFrom cli cli_abort
 #' @keywords check-forecasts
-validate_forecast.forecast_point <- function(data, ...) {
+validate_forecast.forecast_point <- function(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...) {
   data <- validate_general(data)
+  assert_forecast_type(data, actual = "point", desired = forecast_type)
   #nolint start: keyword_quote_linter object_usage_linter
   input_check <- check_input_point(data$observed, data$predicted)
   if (!is.logical(input_check)) {
@@ -268,8 +258,10 @@ validate_forecast.forecast_point <- function(data, ...) {
 #' @export
 #' @rdname validate_forecast
 #' @keywords check-forecasts
-validate_forecast.forecast_quantile <- function(data, ...) {
+validate_forecast.forecast_quantile <- function(data,
+                                                forecast_type = NULL, ...) {
   data <- validate_general(data)
+  assert_forecast_type(data, actual = "quantile", desired = forecast_type)
   assert_numeric(data$quantile_level, lower = 0, upper = 1)
   return(data[])
 }
@@ -278,8 +270,9 @@ validate_forecast.forecast_quantile <- function(data, ...) {
 #' @export
 #' @rdname validate_forecast
 #' @keywords check-forecasts
-validate_forecast.forecast_sample <- function(data, ...) {
+validate_forecast.forecast_sample <- function(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...) {
   data <- validate_general(data)
+  assert_forecast_type(data, actual = "sample", desired = forecast_type)
   return(data[])
 }
 
diff --git a/R/get_-functions.R b/R/get_-functions.R
index adc188c70..fa5af1169 100644
--- a/R/get_-functions.R
+++ b/R/get_-functions.R
@@ -98,6 +98,33 @@ test_forecast_type_is_quantile <- function(data) {
 }
 
 
+#' Assert that forecast type is as expected
+#' @param data A forecast object as produced by [as_forecast()].
+#' @param actual The actual forecast type of the data
+#' @param desired The desired forecast type of the data
+#' @inherit document_assert_functions return
+#' @importFrom cli cli_abort
+#' @importFrom checkmate assert_character
+#' @keywords internal_input_check
+assert_forecast_type <- function(data,
+                                 actual = get_forecast_type(data),
+                                 desired = NULL) {
+  assert_character(desired, null.ok = TRUE)
+  if (!is.null(desired) && desired != actual) {
+    #nolint start: object_usage_linter keyword_quote_linter
+    cli_abort(
+      c(
+        "!" = "Forecast type determined by scoringutils based on input:
+        {.val {actual}}.",
+        "i" = "Desired forecast type: {.val {desired}}."
+      )
+    )
+    #nolint end
+  }
+  return(invisible(NULL))
+}
+
+
 #' @title Get type of a vector or matrix of observed values or predictions
 #'
 #' @description Internal helper function to get the type of a vector (usually
diff --git a/man/assert_forecast_type.Rd b/man/assert_forecast_type.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d060ac8be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/assert_forecast_type.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/get_-functions.R
+\name{assert_forecast_type}
+\alias{assert_forecast_type}
+\title{Assert that forecast type is as expected}
+\usage{
+assert_forecast_type(data, actual = get_forecast_type(data), desired = NULL)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{data}{A forecast object as produced by \code{\link[=as_forecast]{as_forecast()}}.}
+
+\item{actual}{The actual forecast type of the data}
+
+\item{desired}{The desired forecast type of the data}
+}
+\value{
+Returns NULL invisibly if the assertion was successful and throws an
+error otherwise.
+}
+\description{
+Assert that forecast type is as expected
+}
+\keyword{internal_input_check}
diff --git a/man/validate_forecast.Rd b/man/validate_forecast.Rd
index 6b4f7ed2a..ca98820c7 100644
--- a/man/validate_forecast.Rd
+++ b/man/validate_forecast.Rd
@@ -6,16 +6,21 @@
 \alias{validate_forecast.forecast_sample}
 \title{Validate input data}
 \usage{
-validate_forecast(data, ...)
+validate_forecast(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...)
 
-\method{validate_forecast}{forecast_quantile}(data, ...)
+\method{validate_forecast}{forecast_quantile}(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...)
 
-\method{validate_forecast}{forecast_sample}(data, ...)
+\method{validate_forecast}{forecast_sample}(data, forecast_type = NULL, ...)
 }
 \arguments{
 \item{data}{A data.frame (or similar) with predicted and observed values.
 See \code{\link[=as_forecast]{as_forecast()}} for additional information on input formats.}
 
+\item{forecast_type}{(optional) The forecast type you expect the forecasts
+to have. If the forecast type as determined by \code{scoringutils} based on the
+input does not match this, an error will be thrown. If \code{NULL} (the default),
+the forecast type will be inferred from the data.}
+
 \item{...}{additional arguments}
 }
 \value{
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-forecast.R b/tests/testthat/test-forecast.R
index 55c7be9ae..22aaf418f 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-forecast.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-forecast.R
@@ -264,3 +264,13 @@ test_that("validate_forecast.forecast_point() works as expected", {
     "Input looks like a point forecast, but found the following issue"
   )
 })
+
+test_that("validate_forecast() complains if the forecast type is wrong", {
+  test <- na.omit(data.table::copy(example_point))
+  test <- as_forecast(test)
+  expect_error(
+    validate_forecast(test, forecast_type = "quantile"),
+    "Forecast type determined by scoringutils based on input:"
+  )
+})
+