diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
index 748e41127..059fa25e7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
@@ -155,6 +155,10 @@ public final class DefaultPersister implements Persister {
   public void forceUpdate(EntityBean entityBean, Transaction t, boolean deleteMissingChildren) {
 
     PersistRequestBean<?> req = createRequest(entityBean, t, null, PersistRequest.Type.UPDATE);
+    if (req.isReference()) {
+      // skip update as only got the Id property set
+      return;
+    }
     req.setStatelessUpdate(true, deleteMissingChildren);
     try {
       req.initTransIfRequired();
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestStatelessUpdate.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestStatelessUpdate.java
index 4f9e96d4d..69d6ba630 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestStatelessUpdate.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestStatelessUpdate.java
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public class TestStatelessUpdate extends BaseTestCase {
     // act
     EBasic basicWithoutChanges = new EBasic();
     basicWithoutChanges.setId(basic.getId());
-    server.update(basicWithoutChanges, null, null, true, false);
+    server.update(basicWithoutChanges);
 
     // assert
     // Nothing to check, simply no exception should occur
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public class TestStatelessUpdate extends BaseTestCase {
     // act
     Customer customerWithoutChanges = new Customer();
     customerWithoutChanges.setId(customer.getId());
-    server.update(customerWithoutChanges, null, null, true, false);
+    server.update(customerWithoutChanges);
 
     Customer result = Ebean.find(Customer.class, customer.getId());
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestUpdatePartial.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestUpdatePartial.java
index 683333fa0..9309de714 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestUpdatePartial.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestUpdatePartial.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package com.avaje.tests.update;
 
+import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import com.avaje.ebean.BaseTestCase;