diff --git a/src/controllers/authentication.js b/src/controllers/authentication.js
index c34b0acd0a..bb575a3c76 100644
--- a/src/controllers/authentication.js
+++ b/src/controllers/authentication.js
@@ -334,10 +334,13 @@ authenticationController.localLogin = function(req, username, password, next) {
 		function (next) {
 			async.parallel({
 				userData: function(next) {
-					db.getObjectFields('user:' + uid, ['password', 'banned', 'passwordExpiry'], next);
+					db.getObjectFields('user:' + uid, ['password', 'passwordExpiry'], next);
 				},
 				isAdmin: function(next) {
 					user.isAdministrator(uid, next);
+				},
+				banned: function(next) {
+					user.isBanned(uid, next);
 				}
 			}, next);
 		},
@@ -349,13 +352,13 @@ authenticationController.localLogin = function(req, username, password, next) {
 			if (!result.isAdmin && parseInt(meta.config.allowLocalLogin, 10) === 0) {
 				return next(new Error('[[error:local-login-disabled]]'));
 			}
-
 			if (!userData || !userData.password) {
 				return next(new Error('[[error:invalid-user-data]]'));
 			}
-			if (userData.banned && parseInt(userData.banned, 10) === 1) {
+			if (result.banned) {
 				return next(new Error('[[error:user-banned]]'));
 			}
+
 			Password.compare(password, userData.password, next);
 		},
 		function (passwordMatch, next) {
diff --git a/src/socket.io/user/ban.js b/src/socket.io/user/ban.js
index a8a67b17b0..d52251d76d 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/user/ban.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/user/ban.js
@@ -7,17 +7,20 @@ var events = require('../../events');
 
 module.exports = function(SocketUser) {
 
-	SocketUser.banUsers = function(socket, uids, until, callback) {
-		if (!callback && typeof until === 'function') {
-			callback = until;
-			until = 0;
+	SocketUser.banUsers = function(socket, data, callback) {
+		// Backwards compatibility
+		if (Array.isArray(data)) {
+			data = {
+				uids: data,
+				until: 0
+			}
 		}
 
-		toggleBan(socket.uid, uids, SocketUser.banUser, function(err) {
+		toggleBan(socket.uid, data.uids, banUser.bind(null, data.until || 0), function(err) {
 			if (err) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
-			async.each(uids, function(uid, next) {
+			async.each(data.uids, function(uid, next) {
 				events.log({
 					type: 'user-ban',
 					uid: socket.uid,
@@ -50,7 +53,7 @@ module.exports = function(SocketUser) {
 		], callback);
 	}
 
-	SocketUser.banUser = function(uid, until, callback) {
+	function banUser(until, uid, callback) {
 		async.waterfall([
 			function (next) {
 				user.isAdministrator(uid, next);
diff --git a/src/user.js b/src/user.js
index 50df737bc7..3303d04e79 100644
--- a/src/user.js
+++ b/src/user.js
@@ -256,6 +256,35 @@ var utils = require('../public/src/utils');
 		});
 	};
 
+	User.isBanned = function(uid, callback) {
+		async.waterfall([
+			async.apply(User.getUserField, uid, 'banned'),
+			function(banned, next) {
+				banned = parseInt(banned, 10) === 1;
+				if (!banned) {
+					return next(null, banned);
+				} else {
+					// If they are banned, see if the ban has expired
+					db.sortedSetScore('users:banned:expire', uid, function(err, score) {
+						var stillBanned = Date.now() < score;
+
+						if (!stillBanned) {
+							async.parallel([
+								async.apply(db.sortedSetRemove.bind(db), 'users:banned:expire', uid),
+								async.apply(db.sortedSetRemove.bind(db), 'users:banned', uid),
+								async.apply(User.setUserField, uid, 'banned', 0)
+							], function(err) {
+								next(err, false);
+							});
+						} else {
+							next(err, true);
+						}
+					});
+				}
+			}
+		], callback);
+	};
+
 	User.addInterstitials = function(callback) {
 		plugins.registerHook('core', {
 			hook: 'filter:register.interstitial',
diff --git a/src/user/admin.js b/src/user/admin.js
index 402c8c57a9..c402eb7e7a 100644
--- a/src/user/admin.js
+++ b/src/user/admin.js
@@ -71,6 +71,8 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 
 		if (until > 0 && Date.now() < until) {
 			tasks.push(async.apply(db.sortedSetAdd, 'users:banned:expire', until, uid));
+		} else {
+			until = 0;
 		}
 
 		async.series(tasks, function (err) {
@@ -78,7 +80,10 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
 
-			plugins.fireHook('action:user.banned', {uid: uid});
+			plugins.fireHook('action:user.banned', {
+				uid: uid,
+				until: until > 0 ? until : undefined
+			});
 			callback();
 		});
 	};