diff --git a/qpms/qpms_error.h b/qpms/qpms_error.h
index 48111d1..b1ea0f7 100644
--- a/qpms/qpms_error.h
+++ b/qpms/qpms_error.h
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ void qpms_pr_debug_at_flf(const char *filename, unsigned int linenum,
 
 #define QPMS_CRASHING_MALLOC(pointer, size) {(pointer) = malloc(size); if(!pointer) qpms_pr_debug_at_flf(__FILE__,__LINE__,__func__, "Allocation of %zd bytes for " #pointer " failed.", (size_t) (size));}
 
+#define QPMS_CRASHING_REALLOC(pointer, size) {(pointer) = realloc(pointer, size); if(!pointer) qpms_pr_debug_at_flf(__FILE__,__LINE__,__func__, "Rellocation of %zd bytes for " #pointer " failed.", (size_t) (size));}
+
 #define QPMS_WTF qpms_pr_error_at_flf(__FILE__,__LINE__,__func__,"Unexpected error.")
 
 #define QPMS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(x) {if(x) QPMS_WTF;}
diff --git a/qpms/scatsystem.c b/qpms/scatsystem.c
index 8721f3f..70a466c 100644
--- a/qpms/scatsystem.c
+++ b/qpms/scatsystem.c
@@ -748,8 +748,9 @@ complex double *qpms_orbit_irrep_basis(size_t *basis_size,
   check_norm_compat(bspec);
   const size_t n = bspec->n;
   const qpms_gmi_t N = ot->size;
-  if (target == NULL)
-    target = malloc(n*n*N*N*sizeof(complex double));
+  const bool newtarget = (target == NULL);
+  if (newtarget)
+    QPMS_CRASHING_MALLOC(target,n*n*N*N*sizeof(complex double));
   if (target == NULL) abort();
   memset(target, 0, n*n*N*N*sizeof(complex double));
 
@@ -786,7 +787,8 @@ complex double *qpms_orbit_irrep_basis(size_t *basis_size,
     if(s[bs] < SVD_ATOL) break;
   }
 
-  memcpy(target, V_H, bs*N*n*n*sizeof(complex double));
+  memcpy(target, V_H, bs*N*n*sizeof(complex double));
+  if(newtarget) QPMS_CRASHING_REALLOC(target, bs*N*n*sizeof(complex double));
   if(basis_size) *basis_size = bs;
 
   free(U);