diff --git a/lib/rpmtd.c b/lib/rpmtd.c
index e33c8cb53..41c6a50e8 100644
--- a/lib/rpmtd.c
+++ b/lib/rpmtd.c
@@ -210,12 +210,12 @@ const char * rpmtdGetString(rpmtd td)
 
 uint64_t rpmtdGetNumber(rpmtd td)
 {
-    uint64_t val = 0;
-    int ix = (td->ix >= 0 ? td->ix : 0);
-
     if (td == NULL)
 	return 0;
 
+    uint64_t val = 0;
+    int ix = (td->ix >= 0 ? td->ix : 0);
+
     switch (td->type) {
     case RPM_INT64_TYPE:
 	val = *((uint64_t *) td->data + ix);