diff --git a/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.cpp b/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.cpp
index 2f40aca6af..87bb164821 100644
--- a/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.cpp
+++ b/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.cpp
@@ -152,8 +152,10 @@ TEST_SUBMODULE(kwargs_and_defaults, m) {
 // PyPy needs a garbage collection to get the reference count values to match CPython's behaviour
 #ifdef PYPY_VERSION
 #    define GC_IF_NEEDED ConstructorStats::gc()
+#    define REFCNT(x) (int) Py_REFCNT(x)
 #else
 #    define GC_IF_NEEDED
+#    define REFCNT(x) Py_REFCNT(x)
 #endif
     m.def("arg_refcount_h", [](py::handle h) {
         GC_IF_NEEDED;
@@ -172,7 +174,7 @@ TEST_SUBMODULE(kwargs_and_defaults, m) {
         py::tuple t(a.size());
         for (size_t i = 0; i < a.size(); i++) {
             // Use raw Python API here to avoid an extra, intermediate incref on the tuple item:
-            t[i] = (int) Py_REFCNT(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(a.ptr(), static_cast<py::ssize_t>(i)));
+            t[i] = REFCNT(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(a.ptr(), static_cast<py::ssize_t>(i)));
         }
         return t;
     });
@@ -182,7 +184,7 @@ TEST_SUBMODULE(kwargs_and_defaults, m) {
         t[0] = o.ref_count();
         for (size_t i = 0; i < a.size(); i++) {
             // Use raw Python API here to avoid an extra, intermediate incref on the tuple item:
-            t[i + 1] = (int) Py_REFCNT(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(a.ptr(), static_cast<py::ssize_t>(i)));
+            t[i + 1] = REFCNT(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(a.ptr(), static_cast<py::ssize_t>(i)));
         }
         return t;
     });
diff --git a/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.py b/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.py
index 7053a5d43f..2ae783a599 100644
--- a/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.py
+++ b/tests/test_kwargs_and_defaults.py
@@ -420,6 +420,7 @@ def test_args_refcount():
     # for the `py::args`; in the previous case, we could simply inc_ref and pass on Python's input
     # tuple without having to inc_ref the individual elements, but here we can't, hence the extra
     # refs.
-    assert m.mixed_args_refcount(myval, myval, myval) == (exp3 + 3, exp3 + 3, exp3 + 3)
+    exp3_3 = 2**32 - 1 if exp3 == 2**32 - 1 else exp3 + 3
+    assert m.mixed_args_refcount(myval, myval, myval) == (exp3_3, exp3_3, exp3_3)
 
     assert m.class_default_argument() == "<class 'decimal.Decimal'>"