diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.test.ts
index b878c25c36906..12b68f9526a22 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.test.ts
@@ -310,6 +310,52 @@ describe('TaskPoller', () => {
     expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(asOk(3));
   });
 
+  test('continues polling if getCapacity throws error fails', async () => {
+    const pollInterval = 100;
+
+    const handler = jest.fn();
+    let callCount = 0;
+    const work = jest.fn(async () => callCount);
+    const poller = createTaskPoller<string, number>({
+      initialPollInterval: pollInterval,
+      logger: loggingSystemMock.create().get(),
+      pollInterval$: of(pollInterval),
+      pollIntervalDelay$: of(0),
+      work,
+      getCapacity: () => {
+        callCount++;
+        if (callCount === 2) {
+          throw new Error('error getting capacity');
+        }
+        return 2;
+      },
+    });
+    poller.events$.subscribe(handler);
+    poller.start();
+
+    clock.tick(pollInterval);
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
+
+    expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(asOk(1));
+
+    clock.tick(pollInterval);
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
+
+    const expectedError = new PollingError<string>(
+      'Failed to poll for work: Error: error getting capacity',
+      PollingErrorType.WorkError,
+      none
+    );
+    expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(asErr(expectedError));
+    expect(handler.mock.calls[1][0].error.type).toEqual(PollingErrorType.WorkError);
+    expect(handler).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(asOk(2));
+
+    clock.tick(pollInterval);
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
+
+    expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(asOk(3));
+  });
+
   test(`doesn't start polling until start is called`, async () => {
     const pollInterval = 100;
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.ts b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.ts
index 64d17fad2f81a..038cd48ac527e 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/polling/task_poller.ts
@@ -61,14 +61,15 @@ export function createTaskPoller<T, H>({
   async function runCycle() {
     timeoutId = null;
     const start = Date.now();
-    if (hasCapacity()) {
-      try {
+    try {
+      if (hasCapacity()) {
         const result = await work();
         subject.next(asOk(result));
-      } catch (e) {
-        subject.next(asPollingError<T>(e, PollingErrorType.WorkError));
       }
+    } catch (e) {
+      subject.next(asPollingError<T>(e, PollingErrorType.WorkError));
     }
+
     if (running) {
       // Set the next runCycle call
       timeoutId = setTimeout(
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.test.ts
index 3919860d27061..593be2d5497ec 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.test.ts
@@ -1343,6 +1343,137 @@ describe('TaskClaiming', () => {
       expect(result.docs.length).toEqual(3);
     });
 
+    test('should assign startedAt value if bulkGet returns task with null startedAt', async () => {
+      const store = taskStoreMock.create({ taskManagerId: 'test-test' });
+      store.convertToSavedObjectIds.mockImplementation((ids) => ids.map((id) => `task:${id}`));
+
+      const fetchedTasks = [
+        mockInstance({ id: `id-1`, taskType: 'report' }),
+        mockInstance({ id: `id-2`, taskType: 'report' }),
+        mockInstance({ id: `id-3`, taskType: 'yawn' }),
+        mockInstance({ id: `id-4`, taskType: 'report' }),
+      ];
+
+      const { versionMap, docLatestVersions } = getVersionMapsFromTasks(fetchedTasks);
+      store.msearch.mockResolvedValueOnce({ docs: fetchedTasks, versionMap });
+      store.getDocVersions.mockResolvedValueOnce(docLatestVersions);
+      store.bulkPartialUpdate.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+        [fetchedTasks[0], fetchedTasks[1], fetchedTasks[2], fetchedTasks[3]].map(
+          getPartialUpdateResult
+        )
+      );
+      store.bulkGet.mockResolvedValueOnce([
+        asOk({ ...fetchedTasks[0], startedAt: new Date() }),
+        asOk(fetchedTasks[1]),
+        asOk({ ...fetchedTasks[2], startedAt: new Date() }),
+        asOk({ ...fetchedTasks[3], startedAt: new Date() }),
+      ]);
+
+      const taskClaiming = new TaskClaiming({
+        logger: taskManagerLogger,
+        strategy: CLAIM_STRATEGY_MGET,
+        definitions: taskDefinitions,
+        taskStore: store,
+        excludedTaskTypes: [],
+        unusedTypes: [],
+        maxAttempts: 2,
+        getAvailableCapacity: () => 10,
+        taskPartitioner,
+      });
+
+      const [resultOrErr] = await getAllAsPromise(
+        taskClaiming.claimAvailableTasksIfCapacityIsAvailable({ claimOwnershipUntil: new Date() })
+      );
+
+      if (!isOk<ClaimOwnershipResult, FillPoolResult>(resultOrErr)) {
+        expect(resultOrErr).toBe(undefined);
+      }
+
+      const result = unwrap(resultOrErr) as ClaimOwnershipResult;
+
+      expect(apm.startTransaction).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        TASK_MANAGER_MARK_AS_CLAIMED,
+        TASK_MANAGER_TRANSACTION_TYPE
+      );
+      expect(mockApmTrans.end).toHaveBeenCalledWith('success');
+
+      expect(taskManagerLogger.debug).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'task claimer claimed: 4; stale: 0; conflicts: 0; missing: 0; capacity reached: 0; updateErrors: 0; getErrors: 0; removed: 0;',
+        { tags: ['taskClaiming', 'claimAvailableTasksMget'] }
+      );
+      expect(taskManagerLogger.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'Task id-2 has a null startedAt value, setting to current time - ownerId null, status idle',
+        { tags: ['taskClaiming', 'claimAvailableTasksMget'] }
+      );
+
+      expect(store.msearch.mock.calls[0][0]?.[0]).toMatchObject({
+        size: 40,
+        seq_no_primary_term: true,
+      });
+      expect(store.getDocVersions).toHaveBeenCalledWith([
+        'task:id-1',
+        'task:id-2',
+        'task:id-3',
+        'task:id-4',
+      ]);
+      expect(store.bulkPartialUpdate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(store.bulkPartialUpdate).toHaveBeenCalledWith([
+        {
+          id: fetchedTasks[0].id,
+          version: fetchedTasks[0].version,
+          scheduledAt: fetchedTasks[0].runAt,
+          attempts: 1,
+          ownerId: 'test-test',
+          retryAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:05:30.000Z'),
+          status: 'running',
+          startedAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'),
+        },
+        {
+          id: fetchedTasks[1].id,
+          version: fetchedTasks[1].version,
+          scheduledAt: fetchedTasks[1].runAt,
+          attempts: 1,
+          ownerId: 'test-test',
+          retryAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:05:30.000Z'),
+          status: 'running',
+          startedAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'),
+        },
+        {
+          id: fetchedTasks[2].id,
+          version: fetchedTasks[2].version,
+          scheduledAt: fetchedTasks[2].runAt,
+          attempts: 1,
+          ownerId: 'test-test',
+          retryAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:05:30.000Z'),
+          status: 'running',
+          startedAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'),
+        },
+        {
+          id: fetchedTasks[3].id,
+          version: fetchedTasks[3].version,
+          scheduledAt: fetchedTasks[3].runAt,
+          attempts: 1,
+          ownerId: 'test-test',
+          retryAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:05:30.000Z'),
+          status: 'running',
+          startedAt: new Date('1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'),
+        },
+      ]);
+      expect(store.bulkGet).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['id-1', 'id-2', 'id-3', 'id-4']);
+
+      expect(result.stats).toEqual({
+        tasksClaimed: 4,
+        tasksConflicted: 0,
+        tasksErrors: 0,
+        tasksUpdated: 4,
+        tasksLeftUnclaimed: 0,
+      });
+      expect(result.docs.length).toEqual(4);
+      for (const r of result.docs) {
+        expect(r.startedAt).not.toBeNull();
+      }
+    });
+
     test('should throw when error when bulk getting all full task docs', async () => {
       const store = taskStoreMock.create({ taskManagerId: 'test-test' });
       store.convertToSavedObjectIds.mockImplementation((ids) => ids.map((id) => `task:${id}`));
@@ -2295,7 +2426,7 @@ describe('TaskClaiming', () => {
             user: 'dabo',
             scope: ['reporting', 'ceo'],
             ownerId: taskManagerId,
-            startedAt: null,
+            startedAt: new Date(),
             retryAt: null,
             scheduledAt: new Date(),
             traceparent: 'newParent',
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.ts b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.ts
index 432d7f183ce39..aa69742998c74 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/task_manager/server/task_claimers/strategy_mget.ts
@@ -247,6 +247,16 @@ async function claimAvailableTasks(opts: TaskClaimerOpts): Promise<ClaimOwnershi
     []
   );
 
+  // Look for tasks that have a null startedAt value, log them and manually set a startedAt field
+  for (const task of fullTasksToRun) {
+    if (task.startedAt == null) {
+      logger.warn(
+        `Task ${task.id} has a null startedAt value, setting to current time - ownerId ${task.ownerId}, status ${task.status}`
+      );
+      task.startedAt = now;
+    }
+  }
+
   // separate update for removed tasks; shouldn't happen often, so unlikely
   // a performance concern, and keeps the rest of the logic simpler
   let removedCount = 0;