diff --git a/src/wallet/wallet2.cpp b/src/wallet/wallet2.cpp
index 133db6c2a..634d9b312 100644
--- a/src/wallet/wallet2.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/wallet2.cpp
@@ -1019,7 +1019,13 @@ gamma_picker::gamma_picker(const std::vector<uint64_t> &rct_offsets, double shap
   end = rct_offsets.data() + rct_offsets.size() - CRYPTONOTE_DEFAULT_TX_SPENDABLE_AGE;
   num_rct_outputs = *(end - 1);
   THROW_WALLET_EXCEPTION_IF(num_rct_outputs == 0, error::wallet_internal_error, "No rct outputs");
+  THROW_WALLET_EXCEPTION_IF(outputs_to_consider == 0, error::wallet_internal_error, "No rct outputs to consider");
   average_output_time = DIFFICULTY_TARGET_V2 * blocks_to_consider / outputs_to_consider; // this assumes constant target over the whole rct range
+  if (average_output_time == 0) {
+     // TODO: apply this to all cases; do so alongside a hard fork, where all clients will update at the same time, preventing anonymity puddle formation
+    average_output_time = DIFFICULTY_TARGET_V2 * blocks_to_consider / static_cast<double>(outputs_to_consider);
+  }
+  THROW_WALLET_EXCEPTION_IF(average_output_time == 0, error::wallet_internal_error, "Average seconds per output cannot be 0.");
 };
 
 gamma_picker::gamma_picker(const std::vector<uint64_t> &rct_offsets): gamma_picker(rct_offsets, GAMMA_SHAPE, GAMMA_SCALE) {}