diff --git a/src/smt/theory_seq.cpp b/src/smt/theory_seq.cpp
index c8b3e50f6..53deab912 100644
--- a/src/smt/theory_seq.cpp
+++ b/src/smt/theory_seq.cpp
@@ -3793,10 +3793,10 @@ void theory_seq::add_itos_axiom(expr* e) {
     app_ref stoi(m_util.str.mk_stoi(e), m);
     add_axiom(~ge0, mk_preferred_eq(stoi, n));
 
-    // itos(n) does not start with "0"
-    // at(itos(n),0) != "0"
+    // itos(n) does not start with "0" when n > 0
+    // n = 0 or at(itos(n),0) != "0"
     // alternative: n >= 0 => itos(stoi(itos(n))) = itos(n)
-    add_axiom(~mk_eq(m_util.str.mk_at(e,zero), m_util.str.mk_string(symbol("0")), false));
+    add_axiom(mk_eq(n, zero, false), ~mk_eq(m_util.str.mk_at(e,zero), m_util.str.mk_string(symbol("0")), false));
     // add_axiom(~ge0, mk_preferred_eq(m_util.str.mk_itos(stoi), e));
 }