diff --git a/src/hpx_init.cpp b/src/hpx_init.cpp
index 0e1ce815bdde..5ff0494b980a 100644
--- a/src/hpx_init.cpp
+++ b/src/hpx_init.cpp
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ namespace hpx
 
         std::size_t get_pu_offset(util::command_line_handling const& cfg)
         {
-            std::size_t pu_offset = 0;
+            std::size_t pu_offset = -1;
 #if defined(HPX_HAVE_HWLOC)
             if (cfg.pu_offset_ != 0) {
                 pu_offset = cfg.pu_offset_;
diff --git a/src/runtime/threads/policies/parse_affinity_options.cpp b/src/runtime/threads/policies/parse_affinity_options.cpp
index 36820288bc1d..6597dd4da02e 100644
--- a/src/runtime/threads/policies/parse_affinity_options.cpp
+++ b/src/runtime/threads/policies/parse_affinity_options.cpp
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ namespace hpx { namespace threads { namespace detail
         std::vector<std::size_t>& num_pus, error_code& ec)
     {
         std::size_t num_threads = affinities.size();
-        std::size_t num_cores = max_cores % (t.get_number_of_cores()+1);
+        std::size_t num_cores = (std::min)(max_cores, t.get_number_of_cores());
         num_pus.resize(num_threads);
 
         for (std::size_t num_thread = 0; num_thread != num_threads; /**/)
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@ namespace hpx { namespace threads { namespace detail
         std::vector<std::size_t>& num_pus, error_code& ec)
     {
         std::size_t num_threads = affinities.size();
-        std::size_t num_cores = max_cores % (t.get_number_of_cores()+1);
+        std::size_t num_cores = (std::min)(max_cores, t.get_number_of_cores());
 
         std::vector<std::size_t> num_pus_cores(num_cores, 0);
         num_pus.resize(num_threads);
@@ -642,7 +642,7 @@ namespace hpx { namespace threads { namespace detail
         std::vector<std::size_t>& num_pus, error_code& ec)
     {
         std::size_t num_threads = affinities.size();
-        std::size_t num_cores = max_cores % (t.get_number_of_cores()+1);
+        std::size_t num_cores = (std::min)(max_cores, t.get_number_of_cores());
 
         std::vector<std::size_t> num_pus_cores(num_cores, 0);
         num_pus.resize(num_threads);