diff --git a/block/bfq-cgroup.c b/block/bfq-cgroup.c
index f0ff6654af2894..9d963ed518d1f2 100644
--- a/block/bfq-cgroup.c
+++ b/block/bfq-cgroup.c
@@ -642,6 +642,12 @@ void bfq_bfqq_move(struct bfq_data *bfqd, struct bfq_queue *bfqq,
 {
 	struct bfq_entity *entity = &bfqq->entity;
 
+	/*
+	 * Get extra reference to prevent bfqq from being freed in
+	 * next possible expire or deactivate.
+	 */
+	bfqq->ref++;
+
 	/* If bfqq is empty, then bfq_bfqq_expire also invokes
 	 * bfq_del_bfqq_busy, thereby removing bfqq and its entity
 	 * from data structures related to current group. Otherwise we
@@ -652,12 +658,6 @@ void bfq_bfqq_move(struct bfq_data *bfqd, struct bfq_queue *bfqq,
 		bfq_bfqq_expire(bfqd, bfqd->in_service_queue,
 				false, BFQQE_PREEMPTED);
 
-	/*
-	 * get extra reference to prevent bfqq from being freed in
-	 * next possible deactivate
-	 */
-	bfqq->ref++;
-
 	if (bfq_bfqq_busy(bfqq))
 		bfq_deactivate_bfqq(bfqd, bfqq, false, false);
 	else if (entity->on_st_or_in_serv)
@@ -677,7 +677,7 @@ void bfq_bfqq_move(struct bfq_data *bfqd, struct bfq_queue *bfqq,
 
 	if (!bfqd->in_service_queue && !bfqd->rq_in_driver)
 		bfq_schedule_dispatch(bfqd);
-	/* release extra ref taken above */
+	/* release extra ref taken above, bfqq may happen to be freed now */
 	bfq_put_queue(bfqq);
 }