diff --git a/src/fix_ave_atom.cpp b/src/fix_ave_atom.cpp
index fd69b1e05c..e611c888b8 100644
--- a/src/fix_ave_atom.cpp
+++ b/src/fix_ave_atom.cpp
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@ FixAveAtom::FixAveAtom(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
   nrepeat = force->inumeric(FLERR,arg[4]);
   peratom_freq = force->inumeric(FLERR,arg[5]);
 
-  time_depend = 1;
-
   // parse remaining values
 
   which = new int[narg-6];
@@ -198,6 +196,7 @@ FixAveAtom::FixAveAtom(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
   // once in end_of_step() can set timestep for ones actually invoked
 
   irepeat = 0;
+  nvalid_last = -1;
   nvalid = nextvalid();
   modify->addstep_compute_all(nvalid);
 }
@@ -281,9 +280,13 @@ void FixAveAtom::end_of_step()
   int i,j,m,n;
 
   // skip if not step which requires doing something
+  // error check if timestep was reset in an invalid manner
 
   bigint ntimestep = update->ntimestep;
+  if (ntimestep < nvalid_last || ntimestep > nvalid) 
+    error->all(FLERR,"Invalid timestep resets for fix ave/time");
   if (ntimestep != nvalid) return;
+  nvalid_last = nvalid;
 
   // zero if first step
 
diff --git a/src/fix_ave_atom.h b/src/fix_ave_atom.h
index 7186f0df8d..187d5ab922 100644
--- a/src/fix_ave_atom.h
+++ b/src/fix_ave_atom.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ class FixAveAtom : public Fix {
  private:
   int nvalues;
   int nrepeat,irepeat;
-  bigint nvalid;
+  bigint nvalid,nvalid_last;
   int *which,*argindex,*value2index;
   char **ids;
   double **array;