diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index c5755b7..3da7c6c 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -141,5 +141,7 @@ django_celerybeat_service_name: "celerybeat-{{ django_service_name }}"
 django_celeryd_opts: "--time-limit=300 --concurrency=8"
 django_celeryd_log_level: "INFO"
 django_celerybeat_log_level: "INFO"
-django_celeryd_pid_file:
-django_celery_beat_pid_file:
+django_celeryd_pid_directory: "/run/celery-{{ django_system_user }}"
+django_celeryd_pid_file: "{{ django_celeryd_pid_directory }}/%n.pid"
+django_celery_beat_pid_directory: "/var/run/{{ django_system_user }}"
+django_celery_beat_pid_file: "{{ django_celery_beat_pid_directory }}/celerybeat.pid"
diff --git a/tasks/celery.yml b/tasks/celery.yml
index b206e48..5b7917d 100644
--- a/tasks/celery.yml
+++ b/tasks/celery.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,17 @@
 ---
+- name: Ensure celery pid directories are present
+  file:
+    state: directory
+    owner: "{{ django_system_user }}"
+    group: "{{ django_system_group }}"
+    path: "{{ item }}"
+  when:
+    - item is defined
+    - item is not none
+  with_items:
+    - "{{ django_celeryd_pid_directory }}"
+    - "{{ django_celery_beat_pid_directory }}"
+
 - name: Copy celeryd default script
   template:
     src: templates/etc/default/celeryd.j2
diff --git a/templates/etc/default/celerybeat.j2 b/templates/etc/default/celerybeat.j2
index 3ce3117..0e6ad3c 100644
--- a/templates/etc/default/celerybeat.j2
+++ b/templates/etc/default/celerybeat.j2
@@ -20,13 +20,9 @@ C_FORCE_ROOT=1
 CELERYBEAT_LOG_LEVEL="{{ django_celerybeat_log_level }}"
 CELERYBEAT_LOG_FILE="{{ django_log_path }}/celerybeat.log"
 CELERY_CREATE_DIRS=1
-CELERYBEAT_SCHEDULE="/var/run/{{ django_system_user }}/celerybeat-schedule"
-CELERYBEAT_STATE_DIR="/var/run/{{ django_system_user }}/celerybeat"
-{% if django_celery_beat_pid_file %}
+CELERYBEAT_SCHEDULE="{{ django_celery_beat_pid_directory }}/celerybeat-schedule"
+CELERYBEAT_STATE_DIR="{{ django_celery_beat_pid_directory }}/celerybeat"
 CELERYBEAT_PID_FILE="{{ django_celery_beat_pid_file }}"
-{% else %}
-CELERYBEAT_PID_FILE="/var/run/{{ django_system_user }}/celerybeat.pid"
-{% endif %}
 # Name of the projects settings module.
 # in this case is just settings and not the full path because it will change the dir to
 # the project folder first.
diff --git a/templates/etc/default/celeryd.j2 b/templates/etc/default/celeryd.j2
index a780051..0d7d5d3 100644
--- a/templates/etc/default/celeryd.j2
+++ b/templates/etc/default/celeryd.j2
@@ -22,11 +22,7 @@ CELERY_APP="{{ django_celery_app }}"
 
 # %n will be replaced with the nodename.
 CELERYD_LOG_FILE="{{ django_log_path }}/celery-%n.log"
-{% if django_celeryd_pid_file %}
 CELERYD_PID_FILE="{{ django_celeryd_pid_file }}"
-{% else %}
-CELERYD_PID_FILE="/run/celery-{{ django_system_user }}/%n.pid"
-{% endif %}
 
 # Workers should run as an unprivileged user.
 CELERYD_USER="{{ django_system_user }}"
diff --git a/tests/test.yml b/tests/test.yml
index 11116d1..fb0a5c3 100644
--- a/tests/test.yml
+++ b/tests/test.yml
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
       - uwsgi
       - 'redis==2.10.6'
       - 'django==1.11'
+      - requests
     django_top_python_statements:
       - import os
       - from decimal import Decimal