diff --git a/internal/bans/admin_test.go b/internal/bans/admin_test.go
index d919772..4393f6c 100644
--- a/internal/bans/admin_test.go
+++ b/internal/bans/admin_test.go
@@ -61,6 +61,59 @@ func TestAdminsBansAreNeverDroppedAndDoNotCountTowardMaxBans(t *testing.T) {
 	wantBans(t, ledger, map[netip.Prefix]int{adminsOnly: 2, both: 1, second: 0, third: 1})
 }
 
+func TestEarlierBansCountABanDroppedAfterAnAdminsBan(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	rules := defaultRules()
+	rules.MaxBans = 2
+	ledger := bans.New(rules)
+	netblock := netip.MustParsePrefix("203.0.113.1/32")
+	other := netip.MustParsePrefix("203.0.113.2/32")
+
+	// An admin bans the netblock for a minute, and it then breaks a limit
+	// twice, each time after its last ban has ended.
+	ledger.BanForAdmin(netblock, midnight(), midnight().Add(time.Minute),
+		"probes for logins")
+	first, _ := ledger.BanForLimit(netblock, midnight().Add(time.Minute), bans.Notes{})
+	second, _ := ledger.BanForLimit(netblock, first.Expires, bans.Notes{})
+
+	// A ban on another netblock fills the ledger, and the netblock's first
+	// ban for a limit, its earliest that is not an admin's, goes.
+	ledger.BanForLimit(other, second.Start, bans.Notes{})
+	wantBans(t, ledger, map[netip.Prefix]int{netblock: 2, other: 1})
+
+	// The netblock's next ban still counts it.
+	third, _ := ledger.BanForLimit(netblock, second.Expires, bans.Notes{})
+	if third.Notes.EarlierBans != (bans.EarlierBans{Limit: 2, Admin: 1}) {
+		t.Errorf("the third ban for a limit has earlier bans %+v, "+
+			"want 2 for a limit and 1 an admin's", third.Notes.EarlierBans)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEarlierBansCountABanAnAdminKeepsOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	ledger := bans.New(defaultRules())
+	netblock := netip.MustParsePrefix("203.0.113.1/32")
+
+	// The netblock breaks a limit twice, the second time after its first
+	// ban has ended, and the second ban's notes count the first. An admin
+	// then keeps the first ban.
+	first, _ := ledger.BanForLimit(netblock, midnight(), bans.Notes{})
+	second, _ := ledger.BanForLimit(netblock, first.Expires, bans.Notes{})
+
+	kept := first
+	kept.Cause = bans.CauseAdmin
+	ledger.LoadEdit([]bans.Ban{kept, second})
+
+	// The netblock's next ban counts the kept ban once, as an admin's.
+	third, _ := ledger.BanForLimit(netblock, second.Expires, bans.Notes{})
+	if third.Notes.EarlierBans != (bans.EarlierBans{Limit: 1, Admin: 1}) {
+		t.Errorf("the third ban for a limit has earlier bans %+v, "+
+			"want 1 for a limit and 1 an admin's", third.Notes.EarlierBans)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestReasonOfTheBansSmallwebwafMakes(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
diff --git a/internal/bans/bans.go b/internal/bans/bans.go
index c07b52f..e3848d8 100644
--- a/internal/bans/bans.go
+++ b/internal/bans/bans.go
@@ -687,26 +687,51 @@ func (l *Ledger) ban(
 }
 
 // earlierBans returns how many bans a netblock with the bans held, oldest
-// first, has had, by cause: the first ban held counts the bans the
-// netblock had before that one, since dropped to make room, and each ban
-// held adds one.
+// first, has had, by cause. Each ban held gives a count: the bans its
+// notes count before it, and one for it and each ban held after it. A
+// ban's count misses a ban dropped after it to make room, and that of an
+// admin's ban added to bans.json without notes misses the bans before it,
+// so the count that names the most bans is taken, whole: a ban an admin
+// keeps by giving it CauseAdmin is still counted under its old cause in
+// later bans' notes, and taking each cause from another count would count
+// it twice.
 func earlierBans(held []Ban) EarlierBans {
-	earlier := held[0].Notes.EarlierBans
+	// fromHere counts ban and the bans held after it.
+	var most, fromHere EarlierBans
 
-	for _, ban := range held {
+	for _, ban := range slices.Backward(held) {
 		switch ban.Cause {
 		case CauseLimit:
-			earlier.Limit++
+			fromHere.Limit++
 		case CauseAttack:
-			earlier.Attack++
+			fromHere.Attack++
 		case CauseAdmin:
-			earlier.Admin++
+			fromHere.Admin++
 		case CauseCrowdSec:
-			earlier.CrowdSec++
+			fromHere.CrowdSec++
+		}
+
+		notes := ban.Notes.EarlierBans
+		count := EarlierBans{
+			Limit:    notes.Limit + fromHere.Limit,
+			Attack:   notes.Attack + fromHere.Attack,
+			Admin:    notes.Admin + fromHere.Admin,
+			CrowdSec: notes.CrowdSec + fromHere.CrowdSec,
+		}
+
+		// Of counts that name as many bans, the earlier ban's is taken: it
+		// counts more of the bans held by the cause they have now.
+		if count.total() >= most.total() {
+			most = count
 		}
 	}
 
-	return earlier
+	return most
+}
+
+// total returns how many bans e counts, of all causes.
+func (e EarlierBans) total() int {
+	return e.Limit + e.Attack + e.Admin + e.CrowdSec
 }
 
 // markChanged has Changed receive a value, unless one is waiting already.