diff --git a/net/bluetooth/sco.c b/net/bluetooth/sco.c
index 93df269a6470..2f2b8ddc4dd5 100644
--- a/net/bluetooth/sco.c
+++ b/net/bluetooth/sco.c
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ static struct sco_conn *sco_conn_add(struct hci_conn *hcon)
 		return NULL;
 
 	spin_lock_init(&conn->lock);
+	INIT_DELAYED_WORK(&conn->timeout_work, sco_sock_timeout);
 
 	hcon->sco_data = conn;
 	conn->hcon = hcon;
@@ -197,11 +198,11 @@ static void sco_conn_del(struct hci_conn *hcon, int err)
 		sco_chan_del(sk, err);
 		bh_unlock_sock(sk);
 		sock_put(sk);
-
-		/* Ensure no more work items will run before freeing conn. */
-		cancel_delayed_work_sync(&conn->timeout_work);
 	}
 
+	/* Ensure no more work items will run before freeing conn. */
+	cancel_delayed_work_sync(&conn->timeout_work);
+
 	hcon->sco_data = NULL;
 	kfree(conn);
 }
@@ -214,8 +215,6 @@ static void __sco_chan_add(struct sco_conn *conn, struct sock *sk,
 	sco_pi(sk)->conn = conn;
 	conn->sk = sk;
 
-	INIT_DELAYED_WORK(&conn->timeout_work, sco_sock_timeout);
-
 	if (parent)
 		bt_accept_enqueue(parent, sk, true);
 }