diff --git a/integration/client/container_checkpoint_test.go b/integration/client/container_checkpoint_test.go
index 930b6991b..6fe68396b 100644
--- a/integration/client/container_checkpoint_test.go
+++ b/integration/client/container_checkpoint_test.go
@@ -533,3 +533,83 @@ func TestCheckpointRestoreWithImagePath(t *testing.T) {
 	<-statusC
 	ntask.Delete(ctx)
 }
+
+func TestCheckpointOnPauseStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	if !supportsCriu {
+		t.Skip("system does not have criu installed")
+	}
+	client, err := newClient(t, address)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer client.Close()
+	if client.Runtime() == plugin.RuntimeLinuxV1 {
+		t.Skip()
+	}
+
+	var (
+		ctx, cancel = testContext(t)
+		id          = t.Name()
+	)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	image, err := client.GetImage(ctx, testImage)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, WithNewSnapshot(id, image), WithNewSpec(oci.WithImageConfig(image), oci.WithProcessArgs("sleep", "10")))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithSnapshotCleanup)
+
+	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, empty())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		task.Resume(ctx)
+		task.Delete(ctx)
+	}()
+
+	statusC, err := task.Wait(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := task.Start(ctx); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := task.Pause(ctx); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = container.Checkpoint(ctx, testCheckpointName+"on-pause", []CheckpointOpts{
+		WithCheckpointRuntime,
+		WithCheckpointRW,
+		WithCheckpointTask,
+	}...)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	status, err := task.Status(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if status.Status != Paused {
+		t.Fatalf("expected paused state, but got %s", status.Status)
+	}
+
+	if err := task.Resume(ctx); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := task.Kill(ctx, syscall.SIGKILL); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	<-statusC
+}
diff --git a/task.go b/task.go
index 2704339cd..ab7f9f0a8 100644
--- a/task.go
+++ b/task.go
@@ -451,11 +451,20 @@ func (t *task) Checkpoint(ctx context.Context, opts ...CheckpointTaskOpts) (Imag
 		}
 		request.Options = any
 	}
-	// make sure we pause it and resume after all other filesystem operations are completed
-	if err := t.Pause(ctx); err != nil {
+
+	status, err := t.Status(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	defer t.Resume(ctx)
+
+	if status.Status != Paused {
+		// make sure we pause it and resume after all other filesystem operations are completed
+		if err := t.Pause(ctx); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		defer t.Resume(ctx)
+	}
+
 	index := v1.Index{
 		Versioned: is.Versioned{
 			SchemaVersion: 2,