diff --git a/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts b/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts
index 7d605bc707092..6c94de6f0ea2a 100644
--- a/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts
+++ b/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts
@@ -112,8 +112,15 @@ export class PersonState {
                     // Ensure person properties don't propagate elsewhere, such as onto the event itself.
                     person.properties = {}
 
-                    // See documentation on the field.
-                    person.force_upgrade = true
+                    if (this.timestamp > person.created_at.plus({ minutes: 1 })) {
+                        // See documentation on the field.
+                        //
+                        // Note that we account for timestamp vs person creation time (with a little
+                        // padding for good measure) to account for ingestion lag. It's possible for
+                        // events to be processed after person creation even if they were sent prior
+                        // to person creation, and the user did nothing wrong in that case.
+                        person.force_upgrade = true
+                    }
 
                     return person
                 }
diff --git a/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts b/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts
index 0d8aa9b509c95..d3a04018e0d96 100644
--- a/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts
+++ b/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts
@@ -111,7 +111,8 @@ describe('PersonState.update()', () => {
         event: Partial<PluginEvent>,
         customHub?: Hub,
         processPerson = true,
-        lazyPersonCreation = false
+        lazyPersonCreation = false,
+        timestampParam = timestamp
     ) {
         const fullEvent = {
             team_id: teamId,
@@ -123,7 +124,7 @@ describe('PersonState.update()', () => {
             fullEvent as any,
             teamId,
             event.distinct_id!,
-            timestamp,
+            timestampParam,
             processPerson,
             customHub ? customHub.db : hub.db,
             lazyPersonCreation,
@@ -261,6 +262,7 @@ describe('PersonState.update()', () => {
             // `force_upgrade=true` and real Person `uuid` and `created_at`
             processPerson = false
             const event_uuid = new UUIDT().toString()
+            const timestampParam = timestamp.plus({ minutes: 5 }) // Event needs to happen after Person creation
             const fakePerson = await personState(
                 {
                     event: '$pageview',
@@ -270,7 +272,8 @@ describe('PersonState.update()', () => {
                 },
                 hubParam,
                 processPerson,
-                lazyPersonCreation
+                lazyPersonCreation,
+                timestampParam
             ).update()
             await hub.db.kafkaProducer.flush()