diff --git a/compiler/class-assumptions.cpp b/compiler/class-assumptions.cpp
index 1ea3928f4a..855887eb37 100644
--- a/compiler/class-assumptions.cpp
+++ b/compiler/class-assumptions.cpp
@@ -155,12 +155,15 @@ ClassPtr Assumption::extract_instance_from_type_hint(const TypeHint *a) {
     // between them, so we can call a more expensive get_common_base_or_interface() method here;
     // the method below is somewhat conservative, but it's good enough in the usual cases
     ClassPtr result;
-    ClassPtr first = as_pipe->items[0]->try_as<TypeHintInstance>()->resolve();
-    for (int i = 1; i < as_pipe->items.size(); ++i) {
-      if (as_pipe->items[i]->try_as<TypeHintPrimitive>()) {
+    ClassPtr first;
+    for (const auto *item : as_pipe->items) {
+      if (item->try_as<TypeHintPrimitive>()) {
         continue; // we know that it's tp_Null
       }
-      ClassPtr other = extract_instance_from_type_hint(as_pipe->items[i]);
+      if (!first) {
+        first = item->try_as<TypeHintInstance>()->resolve();
+      }
+      ClassPtr other = extract_instance_from_type_hint(item);
       const auto common_bases = first->get_common_base_or_interface(other);
       if (common_bases.size() != 1) {
         return ClassPtr{};
diff --git a/tests/phpt/typehints/return_types/16_null_first_in_pipe.php b/tests/phpt/typehints/return_types/16_null_first_in_pipe.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..886b55648e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/phpt/typehints/return_types/16_null_first_in_pipe.php
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+@ok
+<?php
+
+class BaseClass {
+  public function call(): void {}
+}
+
+class ChildClass1 extends BaseClass {}
+class ChildClass2 extends BaseClass {}
+
+/** @return null|ChildClass1|ChildClass2 */
+function execute() {
+  return new ChildClass1();
+}
+
+/** @return null|ChildClass1|null|ChildClass2 */
+function execute2() {
+    return new ChildClass2();
+}
+
+/** @return null|null|null */
+function execute3() {
+    return null;
+}
+
+function main(): void {
+    execute()->call();
+    execute2()->call();
+    var_dump(execute3());
+}
+  
+main();