diff --git a/block/mq-deadline.c b/block/mq-deadline.c
index e4c60fc94dd6..950c46332a76 100644
--- a/block/mq-deadline.c
+++ b/block/mq-deadline.c
@@ -791,6 +791,18 @@ static void dd_prepare_request(struct request *rq)
 	rq->elv.priv[0] = NULL;
 }
 
+static bool dd_has_write_work(struct blk_mq_hw_ctx *hctx)
+{
+	struct deadline_data *dd = hctx->queue->elevator->elevator_data;
+	enum dd_prio p;
+
+	for (p = 0; p <= DD_PRIO_MAX; p++)
+		if (!list_empty_careful(&dd->per_prio[p].fifo_list[DD_WRITE]))
+			return true;
+
+	return false;
+}
+
 /*
  * Callback from inside blk_mq_free_request().
  *
@@ -813,7 +825,6 @@ static void dd_finish_request(struct request *rq)
 	struct deadline_data *dd = q->elevator->elevator_data;
 	const u8 ioprio_class = dd_rq_ioclass(rq);
 	const enum dd_prio prio = ioprio_class_to_prio[ioprio_class];
-	struct dd_per_prio *per_prio = &dd->per_prio[prio];
 
 	/*
 	 * The block layer core may call dd_finish_request() without having
@@ -829,9 +840,10 @@ static void dd_finish_request(struct request *rq)
 
 		spin_lock_irqsave(&dd->zone_lock, flags);
 		blk_req_zone_write_unlock(rq);
-		if (!list_empty(&per_prio->fifo_list[DD_WRITE]))
-			blk_mq_sched_mark_restart_hctx(rq->mq_hctx);
 		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dd->zone_lock, flags);
+
+		if (dd_has_write_work(rq->mq_hctx))
+			blk_mq_sched_mark_restart_hctx(rq->mq_hctx);
 	}
 }