diff --git a/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/admission_test.go b/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/admission_test.go
index 5de5a0eab4..8e0600c75a 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/admission_test.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/admission_test.go
@@ -1098,10 +1098,12 @@ func TestAdmitBestEffortQuotaLimitIgnoresBurstable(t *testing.T) {
 func TestHasUsageStats(t *testing.T) {
 	testCases := map[string]struct {
 		a        corev1.ResourceQuota
+		relevant []corev1.ResourceName
 		expected bool
 	}{
 		"empty": {
 			a:        corev1.ResourceQuota{Status: corev1.ResourceQuotaStatus{Hard: corev1.ResourceList{}}},
+			relevant: []corev1.ResourceName{corev1.ResourceMemory},
 			expected: true,
 		},
 		"hard-only": {
@@ -1113,6 +1115,7 @@ func TestHasUsageStats(t *testing.T) {
 					Used: corev1.ResourceList{},
 				},
 			},
+			relevant: []corev1.ResourceName{corev1.ResourceMemory},
 			expected: false,
 		},
 		"hard-used": {
@@ -1126,11 +1129,27 @@ func TestHasUsageStats(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 			},
+			relevant: []corev1.ResourceName{corev1.ResourceMemory},
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		"hard-used-relevant": {
+			a: corev1.ResourceQuota{
+				Status: corev1.ResourceQuotaStatus{
+					Hard: corev1.ResourceList{
+						corev1.ResourceMemory: resource.MustParse("1Gi"),
+						corev1.ResourcePods:   resource.MustParse("1"),
+					},
+					Used: corev1.ResourceList{
+						corev1.ResourceMemory: resource.MustParse("500Mi"),
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			relevant: []corev1.ResourceName{corev1.ResourceMemory},
 			expected: true,
 		},
 	}
 	for testName, testCase := range testCases {
-		if result := hasUsageStats(&testCase.a); result != testCase.expected {
+		if result := hasUsageStats(&testCase.a, testCase.relevant); result != testCase.expected {
 			t.Errorf("%s expected: %v, actual: %v", testName, testCase.expected, result)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/controller.go b/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/controller.go
index 1c109d2713..688e2bace1 100644
--- a/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/controller.go
+++ b/plugin/pkg/admission/resourcequota/controller.go
@@ -460,8 +460,8 @@ func CheckRequest(quotas []corev1.ResourceQuota, a admission.Attributes, evaluat
 		if err := evaluator.Constraints(restrictedResources, inputObject); err != nil {
 			return nil, admission.NewForbidden(a, fmt.Errorf("failed quota: %s: %v", resourceQuota.Name, err))
 		}
-		if !hasUsageStats(&resourceQuota) {
-			return nil, admission.NewForbidden(a, fmt.Errorf("status unknown for quota: %s", resourceQuota.Name))
+		if !hasUsageStats(&resourceQuota, restrictedResources) {
+			return nil, admission.NewForbidden(a, fmt.Errorf("status unknown for quota: %s, resources: %s", resourceQuota.Name, prettyPrintResourceNames(restrictedResources)))
 		}
 		interestingQuotaIndexes = append(interestingQuotaIndexes, i)
 		localRestrictedResourcesSet := quota.ToSet(restrictedResources)
@@ -702,9 +702,13 @@ func prettyPrintResourceNames(a []corev1.ResourceName) string {
 	return strings.Join(values, ",")
 }
 
-// hasUsageStats returns true if for each hard constraint there is a value for its current usage
-func hasUsageStats(resourceQuota *corev1.ResourceQuota) bool {
+// hasUsageStats returns true if for each hard constraint in interestingResources there is a value for its current usage
+func hasUsageStats(resourceQuota *corev1.ResourceQuota, interestingResources []corev1.ResourceName) bool {
+	interestingSet := quota.ToSet(interestingResources)
 	for resourceName := range resourceQuota.Status.Hard {
+		if !interestingSet.Has(string(resourceName)) {
+			continue
+		}
 		if _, found := resourceQuota.Status.Used[resourceName]; !found {
 			return false
 		}