diff --git a/nomad/core_sched.go b/nomad/core_sched.go
index 7e8566f33..0786af497 100644
--- a/nomad/core_sched.go
+++ b/nomad/core_sched.go
@@ -258,7 +258,16 @@ func (c *CoreScheduler) gcEval(eval *structs.Evaluation, thresholdIndex uint64,
 		// Job doesn't exist
 		// Job is Stopped and dead
 		// allowBatch and the job is dead
-		collect := shouldCollect(job, allowBatch)
+		collect := false
+		if job == nil {
+			collect = true
+		} else if job.Status != structs.JobStatusDead {
+			collect = false
+		} else if job.Stop {
+			collect = true
+		} else if allowBatch {
+			collect = true
+		}
 
 		// We don't want to gc anything related to a job which is not dead
 		// If the batch job doesn't exist we can GC it regardless of allowBatch
@@ -279,18 +288,7 @@ func (c *CoreScheduler) gcEval(eval *structs.Evaluation, thresholdIndex uint64,
 	gcEval := true
 	var gcAllocIDs []string
 	for _, alloc := range allocs {
-		if job == nil || job.Stop || job.Status == structs.JobStatusDead {
-			// Eligible to be GC'd because the job is not around, stopped or dead
-			gcAllocIDs = append(gcAllocIDs, alloc.ID)
-			continue
-		}
-		var reschedulePolicy *structs.ReschedulePolicy
-		tg := job.LookupTaskGroup(alloc.TaskGroup)
-
-		if tg != nil {
-			reschedulePolicy = tg.ReschedulePolicy
-		}
-		if !gcEligible(alloc, reschedulePolicy, time.Now(), thresholdIndex) {
+		if !allocGCEligible(alloc, job, time.Now(), thresholdIndex) {
 			// Can't GC the evaluation since not all of the allocations are
 			// terminal
 			gcEval = false
@@ -303,21 +301,6 @@ func (c *CoreScheduler) gcEval(eval *structs.Evaluation, thresholdIndex uint64,
 	return gcEval, gcAllocIDs, nil
 }
 
-// shouldCollect is a helper function that determines whether the job is eligible for GC
-func shouldCollect(job *structs.Job, allowBatch bool) bool {
-	collect := false
-	if job == nil {
-		collect = true
-	} else if job.Status != structs.JobStatusDead {
-		collect = false
-	} else if job.Stop {
-		collect = true
-	} else if allowBatch {
-		collect = true
-	}
-	return collect
-}
-
 // evalReap contacts the leader and issues a reap on the passed evals and
 // allocs.
 func (c *CoreScheduler) evalReap(evals, allocs []string) error {
@@ -579,13 +562,24 @@ func (c *CoreScheduler) partitionDeploymentReap(deployments []string) []*structs
 	return requests
 }
 
-// gcEligible returns if the allocation is eligible to be garbage collected
+// allocGCEligible returns if the allocation is eligible to be garbage collected
 // according to its terminal status and its reschedule trackers
-func gcEligible(a *structs.Allocation, reschedulePolicy *structs.ReschedulePolicy, gcTime time.Time, thresholdIndex uint64) bool {
+func allocGCEligible(a *structs.Allocation, job *structs.Job, gcTime time.Time, thresholdIndex uint64) bool {
 	// Not in a terminal status and old enough
 	if !a.TerminalStatus() || a.ModifyIndex > thresholdIndex {
 		return false
 	}
+
+	if job == nil || job.Stop || job.Status == structs.JobStatusDead {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	var reschedulePolicy *structs.ReschedulePolicy
+	tg := job.LookupTaskGroup(a.TaskGroup)
+
+	if tg != nil {
+		reschedulePolicy = tg.ReschedulePolicy
+	}
 	// No reschedule policy or restarts are disabled
 	if reschedulePolicy == nil || reschedulePolicy.Attempts == 0 || reschedulePolicy.Interval == 0 {
 		return true
diff --git a/nomad/core_sched_test.go b/nomad/core_sched_test.go
index eb2ffda31..36c61c530 100644
--- a/nomad/core_sched_test.go
+++ b/nomad/core_sched_test.go
@@ -1774,6 +1774,8 @@ func TestAllocation_GCEligible(t *testing.T) {
 		GCTime             time.Time
 		ClientStatus       string
 		DesiredStatus      string
+		JobStatus          string
+		JobStop            bool
 		ModifyIndex        uint64
 		NextAllocID        string
 		ReschedulePolicy   *structs.ReschedulePolicy
@@ -1794,6 +1796,26 @@ func TestAllocation_GCEligible(t *testing.T) {
 			ThresholdIndex: 90,
 			ShouldGC:       false,
 		},
+		{
+			Desc:           "GC when non terminal and job stopped",
+			ClientStatus:   structs.AllocClientStatusPending,
+			DesiredStatus:  structs.AllocDesiredStatusRun,
+			JobStop:        true,
+			GCTime:         fail,
+			ModifyIndex:    90,
+			ThresholdIndex: 90,
+			ShouldGC:       false,
+		},
+		{
+			Desc:           "GC when non terminal and job dead",
+			ClientStatus:   structs.AllocClientStatusPending,
+			DesiredStatus:  structs.AllocDesiredStatusRun,
+			JobStatus:      structs.JobStatusDead,
+			GCTime:         fail,
+			ModifyIndex:    90,
+			ThresholdIndex: 90,
+			ShouldGC:       false,
+		},
 		{
 			Desc:             "GC when threshold not met",
 			ClientStatus:     structs.AllocClientStatusComplete,
@@ -1879,6 +1901,34 @@ func TestAllocation_GCEligible(t *testing.T) {
 			NextAllocID: uuid.Generate(),
 			ShouldGC:    true,
 		},
+		{
+			Desc:             "GC when job is stopped",
+			ClientStatus:     structs.AllocClientStatusFailed,
+			DesiredStatus:    structs.AllocDesiredStatusRun,
+			GCTime:           fail,
+			ReschedulePolicy: &structs.ReschedulePolicy{5, 30 * time.Minute},
+			RescheduleTrackers: []*structs.RescheduleEvent{
+				{
+					RescheduleTime: fail.Add(-3 * time.Minute).UTC().UnixNano(),
+				},
+			},
+			JobStop:  true,
+			ShouldGC: true,
+		},
+		{
+			Desc:             "GC when job status is dead",
+			ClientStatus:     structs.AllocClientStatusFailed,
+			DesiredStatus:    structs.AllocDesiredStatusRun,
+			GCTime:           fail,
+			ReschedulePolicy: &structs.ReschedulePolicy{5, 30 * time.Minute},
+			RescheduleTrackers: []*structs.RescheduleEvent{
+				{
+					RescheduleTime: fail.Add(-3 * time.Minute).UTC().UnixNano(),
+				},
+			},
+			JobStatus: structs.JobStatusDead,
+			ShouldGC:  true,
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, tc := range harness {
@@ -1887,12 +1937,26 @@ func TestAllocation_GCEligible(t *testing.T) {
 		alloc.DesiredStatus = tc.DesiredStatus
 		alloc.ClientStatus = tc.ClientStatus
 		alloc.RescheduleTracker = &structs.RescheduleTracker{tc.RescheduleTrackers}
+		alloc.NextAllocation = tc.NextAllocID
+		job := mock.Job()
+		alloc.TaskGroup = job.TaskGroups[0].Name
+		job.TaskGroups[0].ReschedulePolicy = tc.ReschedulePolicy
+		if tc.JobStatus != "" {
+			job.Status = tc.JobStatus
+		}
+		job.Stop = tc.JobStop
 
 		t.Run(tc.Desc, func(t *testing.T) {
-			if got := gcEligible(alloc, tc.ReschedulePolicy, tc.GCTime, tc.ThresholdIndex); got != tc.ShouldGC {
+			if got := allocGCEligible(alloc, job, tc.GCTime, tc.ThresholdIndex); got != tc.ShouldGC {
 				t.Fatalf("expected %v but got %v", tc.ShouldGC, got)
 			}
 		})
 
 	}
+
+	// Verify nil job
+	require := require.New(t)
+	alloc := mock.Alloc()
+	alloc.ClientStatus = structs.AllocClientStatusComplete
+	require.True(allocGCEligible(alloc, nil, time.Now(), 1000))
 }