diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 36a19dfda..8098beb9e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ For debian packaging there are a few things generated for you
 * A template folder `/var/log/<app-name>`
 * A symlink `/installdir/<app-name>/logs` to `/var/log/<app-name` (Installdir is by default `/usr/share`)
 * Default `serverLoading` is `Upstart` (you can choose SystemV with `com.typesafe.sbt.packager.archetypes.ServerLoader.SystemV` )
-* Default `daemonUser` is _root_ (only relevant for SystemV)
+* Default `daemonUser` is _root_
 * If you choose different permissions than the default ones for your packages, _add-user_ and _remove-user_ statements will be added to
 the `postrm` and `postinst` control files
 
diff --git a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/upstart-template b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/upstart-template
index 643fb9305..94d077905 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/upstart-template
+++ b/src/main/resources/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/archetypes/upstart-template
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ respawn limit ${{retries}} ${{retryTimeout}}
 # set the working directory of the job processes
 chdir ${{chdir}}
 
+# changes to the user and group before running the job's process
+setuid ${{daemon_user}}
+
 # Start the process
 script
   exec ./bin/${{exec}}
-end script
\ No newline at end of file
+end script
diff --git a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/debian/DebianPlugin.scala b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/debian/DebianPlugin.scala
index bf89f398d..26f8590ae 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/debian/DebianPlugin.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/com/typesafe/sbt/packager/debian/DebianPlugin.scala
@@ -170,13 +170,6 @@ trait DebianPlugin extends Plugin with linux.LinuxPlugin {
 
               val replacements = Seq("group" -> group, "user" -> user)
 
-              val userGroupAdd = Seq(
-                TemplateWriter.generateScript(DebianPlugin.postinstGroupaddTemplateSource, replacements),
-                TemplateWriter.generateScript(DebianPlugin.postinstUseraddTemplateSource, replacements)
-              )
-
-              prependAndFixPerms(postinst, userGroupAdd, LinuxFileMetaData())
-
               // remove key, flatten it and then go through each file
               pathList.map(_._2).flatten foreach {
                 case (_, target) =>
@@ -185,6 +178,13 @@ trait DebianPlugin extends Plugin with linux.LinuxPlugin {
                   prependAndFixPerms(postinst, chownAdd, LinuxFileMetaData())
               }
 
+              val userGroupAdd = Seq(
+                TemplateWriter.generateScript(DebianPlugin.postinstGroupaddTemplateSource, replacements),
+                TemplateWriter.generateScript(DebianPlugin.postinstUseraddTemplateSource, replacements)
+              )
+
+              prependAndFixPerms(postinst, userGroupAdd, LinuxFileMetaData())
+
               val purgeAdd = Seq(TemplateWriter.generateScript(DebianPlugin.postrmPurgeTemplateSource, replacements))
               prependAndFixPerms(postrm, purgeAdd, LinuxFileMetaData())
           }