diff --git a/include/net/sch_generic.h b/include/net/sch_generic.h
index 67f815e5d525..c1109cdbbfa6 100644
--- a/include/net/sch_generic.h
+++ b/include/net/sch_generic.h
@@ -101,6 +101,13 @@ struct Qdisc {
 	spinlock_t		busylock ____cacheline_aligned_in_smp;
 };
 
+static inline void qdisc_refcount_inc(struct Qdisc *qdisc)
+{
+	if (qdisc->flags & TCQ_F_BUILTIN)
+		return;
+	refcount_inc(&qdisc->refcnt);
+}
+
 static inline bool qdisc_is_running(const struct Qdisc *qdisc)
 {
 	return (raw_read_seqcount(&qdisc->running) & 1) ? true : false;
diff --git a/net/sched/sch_api.c b/net/sched/sch_api.c
index a3fa144b8648..4fb5a3222d0d 100644
--- a/net/sched/sch_api.c
+++ b/net/sched/sch_api.c
@@ -836,7 +836,7 @@ static int qdisc_graft(struct net_device *dev, struct Qdisc *parent,
 
 			old = dev_graft_qdisc(dev_queue, new);
 			if (new && i > 0)
-				refcount_inc(&new->refcnt);
+				qdisc_refcount_inc(new);
 
 			if (!ingress)
 				qdisc_destroy(old);
@@ -847,7 +847,7 @@ static int qdisc_graft(struct net_device *dev, struct Qdisc *parent,
 			notify_and_destroy(net, skb, n, classid,
 					   dev->qdisc, new);
 			if (new && !new->ops->attach)
-				refcount_inc(&new->refcnt);
+				qdisc_refcount_inc(new);
 			dev->qdisc = new ? : &noop_qdisc;
 
 			if (new && new->ops->attach)
@@ -1256,7 +1256,7 @@ static int tc_modify_qdisc(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *n,
 				if (q == p ||
 				    (p && check_loop(q, p, 0)))
 					return -ELOOP;
-				refcount_inc(&q->refcnt);
+				qdisc_refcount_inc(q);
 				goto graft;
 			} else {
 				if (!q)
diff --git a/net/sched/sch_generic.c b/net/sched/sch_generic.c
index 57ba406f1437..4ba6da5fb254 100644
--- a/net/sched/sch_generic.c
+++ b/net/sched/sch_generic.c
@@ -785,7 +785,7 @@ static void attach_default_qdiscs(struct net_device *dev)
 	    dev->priv_flags & IFF_NO_QUEUE) {
 		netdev_for_each_tx_queue(dev, attach_one_default_qdisc, NULL);
 		dev->qdisc = txq->qdisc_sleeping;
-		refcount_inc(&dev->qdisc->refcnt);
+		qdisc_refcount_inc(dev->qdisc);
 	} else {
 		qdisc = qdisc_create_dflt(txq, &mq_qdisc_ops, TC_H_ROOT);
 		if (qdisc) {