diff --git a/app/models/ci/pipeline.rb b/app/models/ci/pipeline.rb
index 3a8e68c58a67d11e3491982f1083894da6d11b38..81ce3f827967c0f70cba6ebdcf93884a0afa452e 100644
--- a/app/models/ci/pipeline.rb
+++ b/app/models/ci/pipeline.rb
@@ -1322,6 +1322,8 @@ def age_in_minutes
         raise ArgumentError, 'pipeline not fully loaded'
       end
 
+      return 0 unless created_at
+
       (Time.current - created_at).ceil / 60
     end
 
diff --git a/spec/models/ci/pipeline_spec.rb b/spec/models/ci/pipeline_spec.rb
index 6ed92c4196f3a0ad27b4b900ba412833d1bd2eea..5713e322a8e865d976c45c401ed2f62853b39261 100644
--- a/spec/models/ci/pipeline_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/ci/pipeline_spec.rb
@@ -5339,6 +5339,16 @@ def create_bridge(upstream, downstream, depend = false)
           expect(pipeline.age_in_minutes).to eq 120
         end
       end
+
+      context 'when pipeline has no created_at' do
+        before do
+          pipeline.update!(created_at: nil)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns zero' do
+          expect(pipeline.age_in_minutes).to eq 0
+        end
+      end
     end
 
     context 'when pipeline has been loaded without all attributes' do