diff --git a/session.cpp b/session.cpp
index 15a9c2a..853dbb3 100644
--- a/session.cpp
+++ b/session.cpp
@@ -72,6 +72,11 @@ Session::Session(const Session &other)
     this->nextPacketId = other.nextPacketId;
     this->sessionExpiryInterval = other.sessionExpiryInterval;
     this->willPublish = other.willPublish;
+    this->removalQueued = other.removalQueued;
+    this->removalQueuedAt = other.removalQueuedAt;
+
+
+    // TODO: perhaps this copy constructor is nonsense now.
 
     // TODO: see git history for a change here. We now copy the whole queued publish. Do we want to address that?
     this->qosPacketQueue = other.qosPacketQueue;
@@ -107,6 +112,7 @@ void Session::assignActiveConnection(std::shared_ptr<Client> &client)
     this->client_id = client->getClientId();
     this->username = client->getUsername();
     this->willPublish = client->getWill();
+    this->removalQueued = false;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -371,8 +377,25 @@ void Session::setSessionExpiryInterval(uint32_t newVal)
     this->sessionExpiryInterval = newVal;
 }
 
+void Session::setQueuedRemovalAt()
+{
+    this->removalQueuedAt = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+    this->removalQueued = true;
+}
+
 uint32_t Session::getSessionExpiryInterval() const
 {
     return this->sessionExpiryInterval;
 }
 
+uint32_t Session::getCurrentSessionExpiryInterval() const
+{
+    if (!this->removalQueued || hasActiveClient())
+        return this->sessionExpiryInterval;
+
+    const std::chrono::seconds age = std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::seconds>(std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - this->removalQueuedAt);
+    const uint32_t ageInSeconds = age.count();
+    const uint32_t result = ageInSeconds <= this->sessionExpiryInterval ? this->sessionExpiryInterval - age.count() : 0;
+    return result;
+}
+
diff --git a/session.h b/session.h
index 173074b..f21ef41 100644
--- a/session.h
+++ b/session.h
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ class Session
     uint16_t QoSLogPrintedAtId = 0;
     bool destroyOnDisconnect = false;
     std::shared_ptr<WillPublish> willPublish;
+    bool removalQueued = false;
+    std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock> removalQueuedAt;
     Logger *logger = Logger::getInstance();
 
     bool requiresPacketRetransmission() const;
@@ -87,7 +89,9 @@ public:
 
     void setSessionProperties(uint16_t maxQosPackets, uint32_t sessionExpiryInterval, bool clean_start, ProtocolVersion protocol_version);
     void setSessionExpiryInterval(uint32_t newVal);
+    void setQueuedRemovalAt();
     uint32_t getSessionExpiryInterval() const;
+    uint32_t getCurrentSessionExpiryInterval() const;
 };
 
 #endif // SESSION_H
diff --git a/sessionsandsubscriptionsdb.cpp b/sessionsandsubscriptionsdb.cpp
index c346875..823613e 100644
--- a/sessionsandsubscriptionsdb.cpp
+++ b/sessionsandsubscriptionsdb.cpp
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ void SessionsAndSubscriptionsDB::saveData(const std::vector<std::unique_ptr<Sess
         logger->logf(LOG_DEBUG, "Writing next packetid %d.", ses->nextPacketId);
         writeUint16(ses->nextPacketId);
 
-        writeUint32(ses->sessionExpiryInterval);
+        writeUint32(ses->getCurrentSessionExpiryInterval());
         writeUint16(ses->maxQosMsgPending);
 
         const bool hasWillThatShouldSurviveRestart = ses->getWill().operator bool() && ses->getWill()->will_delay > 0;
diff --git a/subscriptionstore.cpp b/subscriptionstore.cpp
index 5be6b50..ccbd0f3 100644
--- a/subscriptionstore.cpp
+++ b/subscriptionstore.cpp
@@ -695,6 +695,8 @@ void SubscriptionStore::queueSessionRemoval(const std::shared_ptr<Session> &sess
         return a.getExpiresAt() < b.getExpiresAt();
     };
 
+    session->setQueuedRemovalAt();
+
     std::lock_guard<std::mutex>(this->queuedSessionRemovalsMutex);
     auto pos = std::upper_bound(this->queuedSessionRemovals.begin(), this->queuedSessionRemovals.end(), qsr, comp);
     this->queuedSessionRemovals.insert(pos, qsr);