diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_log.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_log.c
index 2a90a483c2d6..617b393272de 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_log.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_log.c
@@ -921,7 +921,7 @@ xfs_log_write_unmount_record(
 	/* remove inited flag, and account for space used */
 	tic->t_flags = 0;
 	tic->t_curr_res -= sizeof(magic);
-	error = xlog_write(log, &vec, tic, &lsn, NULL, flags);
+	error = xlog_write(log, &vec, tic, &lsn, NULL, flags, false);
 	/*
 	 * At this point, we're umounting anyway, so there's no point in
 	 * transitioning log state to IOERROR. Just continue...
@@ -1541,7 +1541,7 @@ xlog_commit_record(
 
 	ASSERT_ALWAYS(iclog);
 	error = xlog_write(log, &vec, ticket, commitlsnp, iclog,
-					XLOG_COMMIT_TRANS);
+					XLOG_COMMIT_TRANS, false);
 	if (error)
 		xfs_force_shutdown(mp, SHUTDOWN_LOG_IO_ERROR);
 	return error;
@@ -2112,23 +2112,21 @@ xlog_print_trans(
 }
 
 /*
- * Calculate the potential space needed by the log vector.  Each region gets
- * its own xlog_op_header_t and may need to be double word aligned.
+ * Calculate the potential space needed by the log vector.  We may need a start
+ * record, and each region gets its own struct xlog_op_header and may need to be
+ * double word aligned.
  */
 static int
 xlog_write_calc_vec_length(
 	struct xlog_ticket	*ticket,
-	struct xfs_log_vec	*log_vector)
+	struct xfs_log_vec	*log_vector,
+	bool			need_start_rec)
 {
 	struct xfs_log_vec	*lv;
-	int			headers = 0;
+	int			headers = need_start_rec ? 1 : 0;
 	int			len = 0;
 	int			i;
 
-	/* acct for start rec of xact */
-	if (ticket->t_flags & XLOG_TIC_INITED)
-		headers++;
-
 	for (lv = log_vector; lv; lv = lv->lv_next) {
 		/* we don't write ordered log vectors */
 		if (lv->lv_buf_len == XFS_LOG_VEC_ORDERED)
@@ -2150,27 +2148,16 @@ xlog_write_calc_vec_length(
 	return len;
 }
 
-/*
- * If first write for transaction, insert start record  We can't be trying to
- * commit if we are inited.  We can't have any "partial_copy" if we are inited.
- */
-static int
+static void
 xlog_write_start_rec(
 	struct xlog_op_header	*ophdr,
 	struct xlog_ticket	*ticket)
 {
-	if (!(ticket->t_flags & XLOG_TIC_INITED))
-		return 0;
-
 	ophdr->oh_tid	= cpu_to_be32(ticket->t_tid);
 	ophdr->oh_clientid = ticket->t_clientid;
 	ophdr->oh_len = 0;
 	ophdr->oh_flags = XLOG_START_TRANS;
 	ophdr->oh_res2 = 0;
-
-	ticket->t_flags &= ~XLOG_TIC_INITED;
-
-	return sizeof(struct xlog_op_header);
 }
 
 static xlog_op_header_t *
@@ -2359,7 +2346,8 @@ xlog_write(
 	struct xlog_ticket	*ticket,
 	xfs_lsn_t		*start_lsn,
 	struct xlog_in_core	**commit_iclog,
-	uint			flags)
+	uint			flags,
+	bool			need_start_rec)
 {
 	struct xlog_in_core	*iclog = NULL;
 	struct xfs_log_iovec	*vecp;
@@ -2375,23 +2363,22 @@ xlog_write(
 
 	*start_lsn = 0;
 
-	len = xlog_write_calc_vec_length(ticket, log_vector);
 
 	/*
-	 * Region headers and bytes are already accounted for.
-	 * We only need to take into account start records and
-	 * split regions in this function.
+	 * Region headers and bytes are already accounted for.  We only need to
+	 * take into account start records and split regions in this function.
 	 */
-	if (ticket->t_flags & XLOG_TIC_INITED)
-		ticket->t_curr_res -= sizeof(xlog_op_header_t);
+	if (ticket->t_flags & XLOG_TIC_INITED) {
+		ticket->t_curr_res -= sizeof(struct xlog_op_header);
+		ticket->t_flags &= ~XLOG_TIC_INITED;
+	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Commit record headers need to be accounted for. These
-	 * come in as separate writes so are easy to detect.
+	 * Commit record headers and unmount records need to be accounted for.
+	 * These come in as separate writes so are easy to detect.
 	 */
-	if (flags & (XLOG_COMMIT_TRANS | XLOG_UNMOUNT_TRANS))
-		ticket->t_curr_res -= sizeof(xlog_op_header_t);
-
+	if (!need_start_rec)
+		ticket->t_curr_res -= sizeof(struct xlog_op_header);
 	if (ticket->t_curr_res < 0) {
 		xfs_alert_tag(log->l_mp, XFS_PTAG_LOGRES,
 		     "ctx ticket reservation ran out. Need to up reservation");
@@ -2399,6 +2386,8 @@ xlog_write(
 		xfs_force_shutdown(log->l_mp, SHUTDOWN_LOG_IO_ERROR);
 	}
 
+	len = xlog_write_calc_vec_length(ticket, log_vector, need_start_rec);
+
 	index = 0;
 	lv = log_vector;
 	vecp = lv->lv_iovecp;
@@ -2425,7 +2414,6 @@ xlog_write(
 		while (lv && (!lv->lv_niovecs || index < lv->lv_niovecs)) {
 			struct xfs_log_iovec	*reg;
 			struct xlog_op_header	*ophdr;
-			int			start_rec_copy;
 			int			copy_len;
 			int			copy_off;
 			bool			ordered = false;
@@ -2441,11 +2429,15 @@ xlog_write(
 			ASSERT(reg->i_len % sizeof(int32_t) == 0);
 			ASSERT((unsigned long)ptr % sizeof(int32_t) == 0);
 
-			start_rec_copy = xlog_write_start_rec(ptr, ticket);
-			if (start_rec_copy) {
-				record_cnt++;
+			/*
+			 * Before we start formatting log vectors, we need to
+			 * write a start record. Only do this for the first
+			 * iclog we write to.
+			 */
+			if (need_start_rec) {
+				xlog_write_start_rec(ptr, ticket);
 				xlog_write_adv_cnt(&ptr, &len, &log_offset,
-						   start_rec_copy);
+						sizeof(struct xlog_op_header));
 			}
 
 			ophdr = xlog_write_setup_ophdr(log, ptr, ticket, flags);
@@ -2477,8 +2469,13 @@ xlog_write(
 				xlog_write_adv_cnt(&ptr, &len, &log_offset,
 						   copy_len);
 			}
-			copy_len += start_rec_copy + sizeof(xlog_op_header_t);
+			copy_len += sizeof(struct xlog_op_header);
 			record_cnt++;
+			if (need_start_rec) {
+				copy_len += sizeof(struct xlog_op_header);
+				record_cnt++;
+				need_start_rec = false;
+			}
 			data_cnt += contwr ? copy_len : 0;
 
 			error = xlog_write_copy_finish(log, iclog, flags,
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
index 64cc0bf2ab3b..e0aeb316ce6c 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
@@ -801,7 +801,7 @@ xlog_cil_push_work(
 	lvhdr.lv_iovecp = &lhdr;
 	lvhdr.lv_next = ctx->lv_chain;
 
-	error = xlog_write(log, &lvhdr, tic, &ctx->start_lsn, NULL, 0);
+	error = xlog_write(log, &lvhdr, tic, &ctx->start_lsn, NULL, 0, true);
 	if (error)
 		goto out_abort_free_ticket;
 
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h
index 2b0aec37e73e..b895e16460ee 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h
@@ -439,14 +439,10 @@ xlog_write_adv_cnt(void **ptr, int *len, int *off, size_t bytes)
 
 void	xlog_print_tic_res(struct xfs_mount *mp, struct xlog_ticket *ticket);
 void	xlog_print_trans(struct xfs_trans *);
-int
-xlog_write(
-	struct xlog		*log,
-	struct xfs_log_vec	*log_vector,
-	struct xlog_ticket	*tic,
-	xfs_lsn_t		*start_lsn,
-	struct xlog_in_core	**commit_iclog,
-	uint			flags);
+int	xlog_write(struct xlog *log, struct xfs_log_vec *log_vector,
+		struct xlog_ticket *tic, xfs_lsn_t *start_lsn,
+		struct xlog_in_core **commit_iclog, uint flags,
+		bool need_start_rec);
 
 /*
  * When we crack an atomic LSN, we sample it first so that the value will not
