diff --git a/block/bfq-cgroup.c b/block/bfq-cgroup.c
index cd92f417cc807a1d82cafcad096eafc4c898d6a8..b663cd8b9e46f68d6854119f2a960f4d4213dcba 100644
--- a/block/bfq-cgroup.c
+++ b/block/bfq-cgroup.c
@@ -254,14 +254,12 @@ struct bfq_group *bfqq_group(struct bfq_queue *bfqq)
 
 static void bfqg_get(struct bfq_group *bfqg)
 {
-	bfqg->ref++;
+	refcount_inc(&bfqg->ref);
 }
 
 static void bfqg_put(struct bfq_group *bfqg)
 {
-	bfqg->ref--;
-
-	if (bfqg->ref == 0)
+	if (refcount_dec_and_test(&bfqg->ref))
 		kfree(bfqg);
 }
 
@@ -448,7 +446,7 @@ static struct blkg_policy_data *bfq_pd_alloc(gfp_t gfp, int node)
 	}
 
 	/* see comments in bfq_bic_update_cgroup for why refcounting */
-	bfqg_get(bfqg);
+	refcount_set(&bfqg->ref, 1);
 	return &bfqg->pd;
 }
 
diff --git a/block/bfq-iosched.h b/block/bfq-iosched.h
index bb2b9c71048e3ec32339cef72299ac3aa6fa60a0..9bbd8ea906dd6de07069f0d911c3dcb2e6b1cf6b 100644
--- a/block/bfq-iosched.h
+++ b/block/bfq-iosched.h
@@ -862,7 +862,7 @@ struct bfq_group {
 	char blkg_path[128];
 
 	/* reference counter (see comments in bfq_bic_update_cgroup) */
-	int ref;
+	refcount_t ref;
 
 	struct bfq_entity entity;
 	struct bfq_sched_data sched_data;