diff --git a/GitVersionCore.Tests/IntegrationTests/ReleaseBranchScenarios.cs b/GitVersionCore.Tests/IntegrationTests/ReleaseBranchScenarios.cs
index f555e4fd63..cf56d90017 100644
--- a/GitVersionCore.Tests/IntegrationTests/ReleaseBranchScenarios.cs
+++ b/GitVersionCore.Tests/IntegrationTests/ReleaseBranchScenarios.cs
@@ -5,6 +5,56 @@
 [TestFixture]
 public class ReleaseBranchScenarios
 {
+    [Test]
+    public void NoMergeBacksToDevelopInCaseThereAreNoChangesInReleaseBranch()
+    {
+        using (var fixture = new EmptyRepositoryFixture(new Config()))
+        {
+            fixture.Repository.MakeACommit();
+            fixture.Repository.CreateBranch("develop").Checkout();
+            fixture.Repository.MakeCommits(3);
+            var releaseBranch = fixture.Repository.CreateBranch("release/1.0.0");
+            releaseBranch.Checkout();
+            fixture.Repository.Checkout("master");
+            fixture.Repository.MergeNoFF("release/1.0.0");
+            fixture.Repository.ApplyTag("1.0.0");
+            fixture.Repository.Checkout("develop");
+            fixture.Repository.MakeACommit();
+
+            fixture.Repository.Branches.Remove(releaseBranch);
+
+            fixture.AssertFullSemver("1.1.0-unstable.1");
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void NoMergeBacksToDevelopInCaseThereAreChangesInReleaseBranch()
+    {
+        using (var fixture = new EmptyRepositoryFixture(new Config()))
+        {
+            fixture.Repository.MakeACommit();
+            fixture.Repository.CreateBranch("develop").Checkout();
+            fixture.Repository.MakeCommits(3);
+            var releaseBranch = fixture.Repository.CreateBranch("release/1.0.0");
+            releaseBranch.Checkout();
+            fixture.Repository.MakeACommit();
+
+            // Merge to master
+            fixture.Repository.Checkout("master");
+            fixture.Repository.MergeNoFF("release/1.0.0");
+            fixture.Repository.ApplyTag("1.0.0");
+
+            // Merge to develop
+            fixture.Repository.Checkout("develop");
+            fixture.Repository.MergeNoFF("release/1.0.0");
+
+            fixture.Repository.MakeACommit();
+            fixture.Repository.Branches.Remove(releaseBranch);
+
+            fixture.AssertFullSemver("1.1.0-unstable.1");
+        }
+    }
+
     [Test]
     public void CanTakeVersionFromReleaseBranch()
     {
diff --git a/GitVersionCore/GitVersionCore.csproj b/GitVersionCore/GitVersionCore.csproj
index 844bfd5872..cb6a8fba04 100644
--- a/GitVersionCore/GitVersionCore.csproj
+++ b/GitVersionCore/GitVersionCore.csproj
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@
     <Compile Include="VersionCalculation\BaseVersionCalculator.cs" />
     <Compile Include="VersionCalculation\BaseVersionCalculators\BaseVersion.cs" />
     <Compile Include="VersionCalculation\BaseVersionCalculators\ConfigNextVersionBaseVersionStrategy.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="VersionCalculation\BaseVersionCalculators\GitFlowDevelopBranchBaseVersionStrategy.cs" />
     <Compile Include="VersionCalculation\BaseVersionCalculators\HighestTagBaseVersionStrategy.cs" />
     <Compile Include="VersionCalculation\BaseVersionCalculators\MergeMessageBaseVersionStrategy.cs" />
     <Compile Include="VersionCalculation\BaseVersionCalculators\VersionInBranchBaseVersionStrategy.cs" />
diff --git a/GitVersionCore/LibGitExtensions.cs b/GitVersionCore/LibGitExtensions.cs
index 12b6175153..aab2c562b4 100644
--- a/GitVersionCore/LibGitExtensions.cs
+++ b/GitVersionCore/LibGitExtensions.cs
@@ -69,6 +69,30 @@ public static IEnumerable<Branch> GetBranchesContainingCommit(this Commit commit
             }
         }
 
+        public static bool IsDirectMergeFromCommit(this Tag tag, Commit commit)
+        {
+            var targetCommit = tag.Target as Commit;
+            if (targetCommit != null)
+            {
+                var parents = targetCommit.Parents;
+                if (parents != null)
+                {
+                    foreach (var parent in parents)
+                    {
+                        if (parent != null)
+                        {
+                            if (string.Equals(parent.Id.Sha, commit.Id.Sha, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                            {
+                                return true;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            return false;
+        }
+
         public static GitObject PeeledTarget(this Tag tag)
         {
             var target = tag.Target;
diff --git a/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/BaseVersionCalculators/GitFlowDevelopBranchBaseVersionStrategy.cs b/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/BaseVersionCalculators/GitFlowDevelopBranchBaseVersionStrategy.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3caa58300c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/BaseVersionCalculators/GitFlowDevelopBranchBaseVersionStrategy.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+namespace GitVersion.VersionCalculation.BaseVersionCalculators
+{
+    using LibGit2Sharp;
+
+    public class GitFlowDevelopBranchBaseVersionStrategy : HighestTagBaseVersionStrategy
+    {
+        protected override bool IsValidTag(string branchName, Tag tag, Commit commit)
+        {
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(branchName))
+            {
+                if (branchName.ToLower().EndsWith("/develop"))
+                {
+                    return tag.IsDirectMergeFromCommit(commit);
+                }
+            }
+
+            return base.IsValidTag(branchName, tag, commit);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/BaseVersionCalculators/HighestTagBaseVersionStrategy.cs b/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/BaseVersionCalculators/HighestTagBaseVersionStrategy.cs
index 0bdbaab665..31e39567f5 100644
--- a/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/BaseVersionCalculators/HighestTagBaseVersionStrategy.cs
+++ b/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/BaseVersionCalculators/HighestTagBaseVersionStrategy.cs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 namespace GitVersion.VersionCalculation.BaseVersionCalculators
 {
+    using System;
     using System.Linq;
     using LibGit2Sharp;
 
@@ -17,17 +18,29 @@ public override BaseVersion GetVersion(GitVersionContext context)
             return null;
         }
 
+        protected virtual bool IsValidTag(string branchName, Tag tag, Commit commit)
+        {
+            return tag.PeeledTarget() == commit;
+        }
+
         bool GetVersion(GitVersionContext context, out VersionTaggedCommit versionTaggedCommit)
         {
+            string currentBranchName = null;
+            var head = context.Repository.Head;
+            if (head != null)
+            {
+                currentBranchName = head.CanonicalName;
+            }
+
             var olderThan = context.CurrentCommit.When();
             var allTags = context.Repository.Tags
-                .Where(tag => ((Commit) tag.PeeledTarget()).When() <= olderThan)
+                .Where(tag => ((Commit)tag.PeeledTarget()).When() <= olderThan)
                 .ToList();
             var tagsOnBranch = context.CurrentBranch
                 .Commits
                 .SelectMany(commit =>
                 {
-                    return allTags.Where(t => t.PeeledTarget() == commit);
+                    return allTags.Where(t => IsValidTag(currentBranchName, t, commit));
                 })
                 .Select(t =>
                 {
diff --git a/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/NextVersionCalculator.cs b/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/NextVersionCalculator.cs
index 27c193fc88..161acd247e 100644
--- a/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/NextVersionCalculator.cs
+++ b/GitVersionCore/VersionCalculation/NextVersionCalculator.cs
@@ -17,10 +17,11 @@ public NextVersionCalculator(IBaseVersionCalculator baseVersionCalculator = null
             baseVersionFinder = baseVersionCalculator ??
                 new BaseVersionCalculator(
                     new FallbackBaseVersionStrategy(),
-                new ConfigNextVersionBaseVersionStrategy(),
-                highestTagBaseVersionStrategy,
-                new MergeMessageBaseVersionStrategy(),
-                new VersionInBranchBaseVersionStrategy());
+                    new ConfigNextVersionBaseVersionStrategy(),
+                    highestTagBaseVersionStrategy,
+                    new GitFlowDevelopBranchBaseVersionStrategy(),
+                    new MergeMessageBaseVersionStrategy(),
+                    new VersionInBranchBaseVersionStrategy());
         }
 
         public SemanticVersion FindVersion(GitVersionContext context)