diff --git a/lib/moodlelib.php b/lib/moodlelib.php
index 95cebdb486e..0d46fe4ef1c 100644
--- a/lib/moodlelib.php
+++ b/lib/moodlelib.php
@@ -8145,6 +8145,10 @@ function notify_login_failures() {
         return false;
     }
 
+    if (empty($CFG->lastnotifyfailure)) {
+        $CFG->lastnotifyfailure=0;
+    }
+
     $recip = get_users_from_config($CFG->notifyloginfailures, 'moodle/site:config');
 
     // If it has been less than an hour, or if there are no recipients, don't execute.
@@ -8152,10 +8156,6 @@ function notify_login_failures() {
         return false;
     }
 
-    if (empty($CFG->lastnotifyfailure)) {
-        $CFG->lastnotifyfailure=0;
-    }
-
     // we need to deal with the threshold stuff first.
     if (empty($CFG->notifyloginthreshold)) {
         $CFG->notifyloginthreshold = 10; // default to something sensible.