diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate.go
index 9c410604d78..d4a72bf9b22 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate.go
@@ -404,16 +404,16 @@ func validateAnnotations(removeAnnotations []string, newAnnotations map[string]s
 // validateNoAnnotationOverwrites validates that when overwrite is false, to-be-updated annotations don't exist in the object annotation map (yet)
 func validateNoAnnotationOverwrites(accessor metav1.Object, annotations map[string]string) error {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	for key := range annotations {
+	for key, value := range annotations {
 		// change-cause annotation can always be overwritten
 		if key == polymorphichelpers.ChangeCauseAnnotation {
 			continue
 		}
-		if value, found := accessor.GetAnnotations()[key]; found {
+		if currValue, found := accessor.GetAnnotations()[key]; found && currValue != value {
 			if buf.Len() > 0 {
 				buf.WriteString("; ")
 			}
-			buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("'%s' already has a value (%s)", key, value))
+			buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("'%s' already has a value (%s)", key, currValue))
 		}
 	}
 	if buf.Len() > 0 {
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate_test.go
index 5e5ed0b34d9..02addbcabd6 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/annotate/annotate_test.go
@@ -236,6 +236,19 @@ func TestUpdateAnnotations(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 			annotations: map[string]string{"a": "b"},
+			expected: &v1.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Annotations: map[string]string{"a": "b"},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			obj: &v1.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Annotations: map[string]string{"a": "b"},
+				},
+			},
+			annotations: map[string]string{"a": "c"},
 			expectErr:   true,
 		},
 		{