diff --git a/src/encoder.c b/src/encoder.c
index 87399703..5316c855 100644
--- a/src/encoder.c
+++ b/src/encoder.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 
 #include "cfg.h"
 #include "strategyselector.h"
+#include "kvz_math.h"
 
 
 /**
@@ -237,6 +238,8 @@ encoder_control_t* kvz_encoder_control_init(const kvz_config *const cfg)
     }
   }
 
+  encoder->poc_lsb_bits = MAX(4, kvz_math_ceil_log2(encoder->cfg.gop_len * 2 + 1));
+
   encoder->max_inter_ref_lcu.right = 1;
   encoder->max_inter_ref_lcu.down  = 1;
 
diff --git a/src/encoder.h b/src/encoder.h
index 87896e29..57acdf74 100644
--- a/src/encoder.h
+++ b/src/encoder.h
@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ typedef struct encoder_control_t
     int down;
   } max_inter_ref_lcu;
 
+  int32_t poc_lsb_bits;
+
 } encoder_control_t;
 
 encoder_control_t* kvz_encoder_control_init(const kvz_config *cfg);
diff --git a/src/encoder_state-bitstream.c b/src/encoder_state-bitstream.c
index 483a22dc..94509f3c 100644
--- a/src/encoder_state-bitstream.c
+++ b/src/encoder_state-bitstream.c
@@ -377,7 +377,8 @@ static void encoder_state_write_bitstream_seq_parameter_set(bitstream_t* stream,
 
   WRITE_UE(stream, encoder->bitdepth-8, "bit_depth_luma_minus8");
   WRITE_UE(stream, encoder->bitdepth-8, "bit_depth_chroma_minus8");
-  WRITE_UE(stream, 1, "log2_max_pic_order_cnt_lsb_minus4");
+  WRITE_UE(stream, encoder->poc_lsb_bits - 4, "log2_max_pic_order_cnt_lsb_minus4");
+
   WRITE_U(stream, 0, 1, "sps_sub_layer_ordering_info_present_flag");
 
   //for each layer
@@ -715,16 +716,18 @@ static void kvz_encoder_state_write_bitstream_slice_header_independent(
   if (state->frame->pictype != KVZ_NAL_IDR_W_RADL
       && state->frame->pictype != KVZ_NAL_IDR_N_LP)
   {
+    const int poc_lsb = state->frame->poc & ((1 << encoder->poc_lsb_bits) - 1);
+    WRITE_U(stream, poc_lsb, encoder->poc_lsb_bits, "pic_order_cnt_lsb");
+
     int last_poc = 0;
     int poc_shift = 0;
 
-      WRITE_U(stream, state->frame->poc&0x1f, 5, "pic_order_cnt_lsb");
-      WRITE_U(stream, 0, 1, "short_term_ref_pic_set_sps_flag");
-      WRITE_UE(stream, ref_negative, "num_negative_pics");
-      WRITE_UE(stream, ref_positive, "num_positive_pics");
-    for (j = 0; j < ref_negative; j++) {      
+    WRITE_U(stream, 0, 1, "short_term_ref_pic_set_sps_flag");
+    WRITE_UE(stream, ref_negative, "num_negative_pics");
+    WRITE_UE(stream, ref_positive, "num_positive_pics");
+    for (j = 0; j < ref_negative; j++) {
       int8_t delta_poc = 0;
-      
+
       if (encoder->cfg.gop_len) {
         int8_t found = 0;
         do {