diff --git a/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/interface/HcalFinegrainBit.h b/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/interface/HcalFinegrainBit.h
index 4d4f91dcfee2c..b1f3cbb35d778 100644
--- a/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/interface/HcalFinegrainBit.h
+++ b/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/interface/HcalFinegrainBit.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class HcalFinegrainBit {
   int version_;
 
   // define prompt-delayed TDC range. Note this is offset from depth and ieta by 1
-  const int tdc_HE[29][7] = {
+  const int tdc_boundary[29][7] = {
       {8, 14, 15, 17, 0, 0, 0}, {8, 14, 15, 17, 0, 0, 0}, {8, 14, 14, 17, 0, 0, 0}, {8, 14, 14, 17, 0, 0, 0},
       {8, 13, 14, 16, 0, 0, 0}, {8, 13, 14, 16, 0, 0, 0}, {8, 12, 14, 15, 0, 0, 0}, {8, 12, 14, 15, 0, 0, 0},
       {7, 12, 13, 15, 0, 0, 0}, {7, 12, 13, 15, 0, 0, 0}, {7, 12, 13, 15, 0, 0, 0}, {7, 12, 13, 15, 0, 0, 0},
diff --git a/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/src/HcalFinegrainBit.cc b/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/src/HcalFinegrainBit.cc
index 8af181da03873..37657b1081512 100644
--- a/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/src/HcalFinegrainBit.cc
+++ b/SimCalorimetry/HcalTrigPrimAlgos/src/HcalFinegrainBit.cc
@@ -63,22 +63,14 @@ std::bitset<6> HcalFinegrainBit::compute(const HcalFinegrainBit::TowerTDC& tower
 
     // timing bits
     if (TDC < 50) {  // exclude error code for TDC in HE (unpacked)
-      if (abs(tp_ieta) <=
-          16) {  // in HB, TDC values are compressed. 01 = first delayed range, 10 = second delayed range
-        if (TDC == 1 && bit15 == 1)
+      if ((abs(tp_ieta) <= 16) || (i >= 1)) {
+        // count delayed / prompt hits either in HB, or in HE (excluding depth 1 due to backgrounds in HE)
+        // TDC values are uncompressed (0-49) at the trigger primitive level. Packing (compressing HB TDC 6:2) happens in packer.
+        if (TDC > tdc_boundary[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] && TDC <= tdc_boundary[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] + 2 && bit15 == 1)
           Ndelayed += 1;
-        if (TDC == 2 && bit15 == 1)
+        if (TDC > tdc_boundary[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] + 2 && bit15 == 1)
           NveryDelayed += 1;
-        if (TDC == 0 && bit14 == 1)
-          Nprompt += 1;
-      }
-      if (abs(tp_ieta) > 16 &&
-          i >= 1) {  // in HE, TDC values are uncompressed (0-49). Exclude depth 1 in HE due to backgrounds
-        if (TDC > tdc_HE[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] && TDC <= tdc_HE[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] + 2 && bit15 == 1)
-          Ndelayed += 1;
-        if (TDC > tdc_HE[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] + 2 && bit15 == 1)
-          NveryDelayed += 1;
-        if (TDC <= tdc_HE[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] && TDC >= 0 && bit14 == 1)
+        if (TDC <= tdc_boundary[abs(tp_ieta) - 1][i] && TDC >= 0 && bit14 == 1)
           Nprompt += 1;
       }
     }