diff --git a/kernel/posix-timers.c b/kernel/posix-timers.c
index 42a39afd694a377667e2de2eeabe8dc70b5880f4..aa922bbb640391ef92eb1a544b851448ba69042b 100644
--- a/kernel/posix-timers.c
+++ b/kernel/posix-timers.c
@@ -464,6 +464,7 @@ static void release_posix_timer(struct k_itimer *tmr, int it_id_set)
 		idr_remove(&posix_timers_id, tmr->it_id);
 		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&idr_lock, flags);
 	}
+	put_pid(tmr->it_pid);
 	sigqueue_free(tmr->sigq);
 	kmem_cache_free(posix_timers_cache, tmr);
 }
@@ -477,7 +478,6 @@ sys_timer_create(const clockid_t which_clock,
 {
 	struct k_itimer *new_timer;
 	int error, new_timer_id;
-	struct pid *it_pid;
 	sigevent_t event;
 	int it_id_set = IT_ID_NOT_SET;
 
@@ -531,9 +531,9 @@ sys_timer_create(const clockid_t which_clock,
 			goto out;
 		}
 		rcu_read_lock();
-		it_pid = get_pid(good_sigevent(&event));
+		new_timer->it_pid = get_pid(good_sigevent(&event));
 		rcu_read_unlock();
-		if (!it_pid) {
+		if (!new_timer->it_pid) {
 			error = -EINVAL;
 			goto out;
 		}
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ sys_timer_create(const clockid_t which_clock,
 		event.sigev_notify = SIGEV_SIGNAL;
 		event.sigev_signo = SIGALRM;
 		event.sigev_value.sival_int = new_timer->it_id;
-		it_pid = get_pid(task_tgid(current));
+		new_timer->it_pid = get_pid(task_tgid(current));
 	}
 
 	new_timer->it_sigev_notify     = event.sigev_notify;
@@ -551,7 +551,6 @@ sys_timer_create(const clockid_t which_clock,
 	new_timer->sigq->info.si_code  = SI_TIMER;
 
 	spin_lock_irq(&current->sighand->siglock);
-	new_timer->it_pid = it_pid;
 	new_timer->it_signal = current->signal;
 	list_add(&new_timer->list, &current->signal->posix_timers);
 	spin_unlock_irq(&current->sighand->siglock);
@@ -587,7 +586,7 @@ static struct k_itimer *lock_timer(timer_t timer_id, unsigned long *flags)
 	timr = idr_find(&posix_timers_id, (int)timer_id);
 	if (timr) {
 		spin_lock(&timr->it_lock);
-		if (timr->it_pid && timr->it_signal == current->signal) {
+		if (timr->it_signal == current->signal) {
 			spin_unlock(&idr_lock);
 			return timr;
 		}
@@ -834,8 +833,7 @@ sys_timer_delete(timer_t timer_id)
 	 * This keeps any tasks waiting on the spin lock from thinking
 	 * they got something (see the lock code above).
 	 */
-	put_pid(timer->it_pid);
-	timer->it_pid = NULL;
+	timer->it_signal = NULL;
 
 	unlock_timer(timer, flags);
 	release_posix_timer(timer, IT_ID_SET);
@@ -861,8 +859,7 @@ static void itimer_delete(struct k_itimer *timer)
 	 * This keeps any tasks waiting on the spin lock from thinking
 	 * they got something (see the lock code above).
 	 */
-	put_pid(timer->it_pid);
-	timer->it_pid = NULL;
+	timer->it_signal = NULL;
 
 	unlock_timer(timer, flags);
 	release_posix_timer(timer, IT_ID_SET);