diff --git a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts
index a7d678eb83a..b1d3d725570 100644
--- a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts
+++ b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts
@@ -183,15 +183,36 @@ describe("calcite-pagination", () => {
       expect(toggleSpy).toHaveReceivedEventTimes(2);
     });
   });
+
   describe("start-item", () => {
-    it("checks page defaults to 1 when start-item is negative", async () => {
+    const testCases = [
+      {
+        name: "page defaults to 1 when page-size equals total-items",
+        html: `<calcite-pagination page-size="25" start-item="1" total-items="10"></calcite-pagination>`,
+      },
+      {
+        name: "page defaults to 1 when page-size is less than total-items",
+        html: `<calcite-pagination page-size="25" start-item="1" total-items="10"></calcite-pagination>`,
+      },
+      {
+        name: "page defaults to 1 when page-size is greater than total-items",
+        html: `<calcite-pagination page-size="25" start-item="1" total-items="10"></calcite-pagination>`,
+      },
+      {
+        name: "page defaults to 1 when start-item is negative",
+        html: `<calcite-pagination start-item="-2" page-size="3"></calcite-pagination>`,
+      },
+    ];
+
+    it.each(testCases)("$name", async ({ html }) => {
       const page = await newE2EPage();
-      await page.setContent(`<calcite-pagination start-item="-2" page-size="3"></calcite-pagination>`);
+      await page.setContent(html);
       const links = await findAll(page, `calcite-pagination >>> .${CSS.page}`);
-      expect(links.length).toBe(1);
+      expect(links).toHaveLength(1);
       expect(await links[0].getProperty("value")).toBe("1");
     });
   });
+
   describe("showing one item at a time", () => {
     let page: E2EPage;
     let pagination: E2EElement;
diff --git a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx
index 490242c992f..a9a50a6d8aa 100644
--- a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx
+++ b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx
@@ -232,16 +232,8 @@ export class Pagination extends LitElement {
   }
 
   private handleLastStartItemChange(): void {
-    const { totalItems, pageSize, totalPages } = this;
-
-    const isStartNegative = totalItems - pageSize < 0;
-
-    this.lastStartItem =
-      (totalItems % pageSize === 0
-        ? isStartNegative
-          ? 0
-          : totalItems - pageSize
-        : Math.floor(totalPages) * pageSize) + 1;
+    const { totalItems, pageSize } = this;
+    this.lastStartItem = Math.max(1, Math.floor((totalItems - 1) / pageSize) * pageSize + 1);
   }
 
   private handleIsXXSmall(): void {