diff --git a/gnu/local.mk b/gnu/local.mk
index 379e600b06..1bfbe28bde 100644
--- a/gnu/local.mk
+++ b/gnu/local.mk
@@ -1869,7 +1869,6 @@ dist_patch_DATA =						\
   %D%/packages/patches/spectre-meltdown-checker-find-kernel.patch \
   %D%/packages/patches/sphinxbase-fix-doxygen.patch		\
   %D%/packages/patches/spice-vdagent-glib-2.68.patch		\
-  %D%/packages/patches/sssd-optional-systemd.patch		\
   %D%/packages/patches/sssd-system-directories.patch		\
   %D%/packages/patches/steghide-fixes.patch			\
   %D%/packages/patches/suitesparse-mongoose-cmake.patch		\
diff --git a/gnu/packages/patches/sssd-optional-systemd.patch b/gnu/packages/patches/sssd-optional-systemd.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index e6d74e79fa..0000000000
--- a/gnu/packages/patches/sssd-optional-systemd.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-Allow running sss_analyze without Python modules for systemd.
-Upstream PR: https://github.com/SSSD/sssd/pull/6125
-
-diff --git a/src/tools/analyzer/modules/request.py b/src/tools/analyzer/modules/request.py
-index b9fe3caf8..51ec3a151 100644
---- a/src/tools/analyzer/modules/request.py
-+++ b/src/tools/analyzer/modules/request.py
-@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
- import re
- import logging
- 
--from sssd.source_files import Files
--from sssd.source_journald import Journald
- from sssd.parser import SubparsersAction
- from sssd.parser import Option
- 
-@@ -76,8 +74,10 @@ class RequestAnalyzer:
-             Instantiated source object
-         """
-         if args.source == "journald":
-+            from sssd.source_journald import Journald
-             source = Journald()
-         else:
-+            from sssd.source_files import Files
-             source = Files(args.logdir)
-         return source
- 
-@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ class RequestAnalyzer:
-             self.consumed_logs.append(line.rstrip(line[-1]))
-         else:
-             # files source includes newline
--            if isinstance(source, Files):
-+            if type(source).__name__ == 'Files':
-                 print(line, end='')
-             else:
-                 print(line)
-@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ class RequestAnalyzer:
-             self.print_formatted_verbose(source, patterns)
-         else:
-             for line in self.matched_line(source, patterns):
--                if isinstance(source, Journald):
-+                if type(source).__name__ == 'Journald':
-                     print(line)
-                 else:
-                     self.print_formatted(line)
diff --git a/gnu/packages/sssd.scm b/gnu/packages/sssd.scm
index e3f94fd0b0..051d7df014 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/sssd.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/sssd.scm
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
-;;; Copyright © 2016, 2017 Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net>
+;;; Copyright © 2016, 2017, 2022 Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net>
 ;;; Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2022 Tobias Geerinckx-Rice <me@tobias.gr>
 ;;; Copyright © 2020 Efraim Flashner <efraim@flashner.co.il>
 ;;; Copyright © 2021 Timotej Lazar <timotej.lazar@araneo.si>
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ (define-public ding-libs
 (define-public sssd
   (package
     (name "sssd")
-    (version "2.7.4")
+    (version "2.8.1")
     (source
      (origin
        (method git-fetch)
@@ -163,9 +163,8 @@ (define-public sssd
              (commit version)))
        (file-name (git-file-name name version))
        (sha256
-        (base32 "1946pfwyv1ci0m4flrhwkksq42p14n7kcng6fbq6sy4lcn5g3yml"))
-       (patches (search-patches "sssd-optional-systemd.patch"
-                                "sssd-system-directories.patch"))))
+        (base32 "19vn2a1r33q6fnw7jmfv3s4kirnviz0rgq0w6wzx6h008iysidsd"))
+       (patches (search-patches "sssd-system-directories.patch"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (arguments
      (list