diff --git a/guilt-commit b/guilt-commit
index 0486ae6..6ee1f16 100755
--- a/guilt-commit
+++ b/guilt-commit
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 #
-# Copyright (c) Josef "Jeff" Sipek, 2008-2011
+# Copyright (c) Josef "Jeff" Sipek, 2008-2013
 #
 
 USAGE="-n <num> | -a | --all"
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ esac
 
 # remove patch refs for what's being committed, and update series
 sed -n -e "${pat_commit}" "$applied" | while read pname; do
+	# update the base branch to the last committed patch
+	$old_style_prefix || git update-ref refs/heads/$branch \
+				refs/patches/$branch/$pname
+
 	series_remove_patch "$pname"
 	echo "$pname" | remove_patch_refs
 done
diff --git a/regression/t-061.out b/regression/t-061.out
index 8365236..ef0f335 100644
--- a/regression/t-061.out
+++ b/regression/t-061.out
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@ fefbdcef61022d473838926619f31e030dd04fdc commit	refs/patches/master/mode
 % guilt commit -n 2
 % git for-each-ref
 fefbdcef61022d473838926619f31e030dd04fdc commit	refs/heads/guilt/master
-25465dc1687f3833ecbd4e8bca437e522d7026db commit	refs/heads/master
+5effcbeb303e8433935151d8c69f3bf63db1e8ef commit	refs/heads/master
 fefbdcef61022d473838926619f31e030dd04fdc commit	refs/patches/master/mode
 9cbe2fc643b1a9e2179a8738f80424a1c2aa202d commit	refs/patches/master/remove
 % git branch