diff --git a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/search/builder/SearchBuilder.java b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/search/builder/SearchBuilder.java
index ee59388c22d..8588733f5f8 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/search/builder/SearchBuilder.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/search/builder/SearchBuilder.java
@@ -1596,7 +1596,7 @@ public class SearchBuilder implements ISearchBuilder<JpaPid> {
 
 			String sql = localReferenceQuery + " UNION " + canonicalQuery.getLeft();
 
-			Map<String, Object> limitParams = null;
+			Map<String, Object> limitParams = new HashMap<>();
 			if (maxCount != null) {
 				LinkedList<Object> bindVariables = new LinkedList<>();
 				sql = SearchQueryBuilder.applyLimitToSql(
@@ -1605,7 +1605,6 @@ public class SearchBuilder implements ISearchBuilder<JpaPid> {
 				// The dialect SQL limiter uses positional params, but we're using
 				// named params here, so we need to replace the positional params
 				// with equivalent named ones
-				limitParams = new HashMap<>(bindVariables.size());
 				StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
 				for (int i = 0; i < sql.length(); i++) {
 					char nextChar = sql.charAt(i);
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/provider/r4/ResourceProviderR4Test.java b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/provider/r4/ResourceProviderR4Test.java
index f5cbc222944..d97013876ea 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/provider/r4/ResourceProviderR4Test.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/provider/r4/ResourceProviderR4Test.java
@@ -2983,6 +2983,32 @@ public class ResourceProviderR4Test extends BaseResourceProviderR4Test {
 		assertEquals(10, bundle.getTotal());
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testIncludeWithNullMaxIncludesToLoad() {
+		myStorageSettings.setMaximumIncludesToLoadPerPage(null);
+		Organization org = new Organization();
+		org.setName("ORG");
+		IIdType orgId = myOrganizationDao.create(org, mySrd).getId().toUnqualifiedVersionless();
+
+		Patient pt = new Patient();
+		pt.getManagingOrganization().setReference(orgId.getValue());
+		pt.addName().setFamily("FAM");
+		myPatientDao.create(pt, mySrd);
+
+		Bundle bundle = myClient
+			.search()
+			.forResource(Patient.class)
+			.include(Patient.INCLUDE_ORGANIZATION)
+			.returnBundle(Bundle.class)
+			.execute();
+
+		ourLog.debug(myFhirContext.newJsonParser().setPrettyPrint(true).encodeResourceToString(bundle));
+
+		assertThat(bundle.getEntry()).hasSize(2);
+		assertEquals("Patient", bundle.getEntry().get(0).getResource().getIdElement().getResourceType());
+		assertEquals("Organization", bundle.getEntry().get(1).getResource().getIdElement().getResourceType());
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testIncludeWithExternalReferences() {
 		myStorageSettings.setAllowExternalReferences(true);
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-utilities/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/test/BaseJpaTest.java b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-utilities/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/test/BaseJpaTest.java
index 2a338b75f58..de47f6e8d32 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-utilities/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/test/BaseJpaTest.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-test-utilities/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/test/BaseJpaTest.java
@@ -390,6 +390,7 @@ public abstract class BaseJpaTest extends BaseTest {
 		myStorageSettings.setAdvancedHSearchIndexing(defaultConfig.isAdvancedHSearchIndexing());
 		myStorageSettings.setAllowContainsSearches(defaultConfig.isAllowContainsSearches());
 		myStorageSettings.setIncludeHashIdentityForTokenSearches(defaultConfig.isIncludeHashIdentityForTokenSearches());
+		myStorageSettings.setMaximumIncludesToLoadPerPage(defaultConfig.getMaximumIncludesToLoadPerPage());
 
 	}