diff --git a/crates/committed/src/checks.rs b/crates/committed/src/checks.rs
index 94f48d8..31d0021 100644
--- a/crates/committed/src/checks.rs
+++ b/crates/committed/src/checks.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ pub(crate) fn check_message(
     if config.no_wip() {
         failed |= check_wip(source, message, report)?;
     }
+    message = strip_wip(message);
     if config.no_fixup() {
         failed |= check_fixup(source, message, report)?;
     }
@@ -344,6 +345,15 @@ pub(crate) fn check_wip(
     }
 }
 
+pub(crate) fn strip_wip(message: &str) -> &str {
+    let Some(c) = WIP_RE.captures(message) else {
+        return message;
+    };
+
+    let matched = c.get(0).unwrap();
+    &message[matched.len()..].trim_start()
+}
+
 const FIXUP_PREFIXES: [&str; 3] = ["fixup! ", "squash! ", "amend! "];
 
 pub(crate) fn check_fixup(
diff --git a/crates/committed/tests/cmd.rs b/crates/committed/tests/cmd.rs
index 337ce9e..7d91fb5 100644
--- a/crates/committed/tests/cmd.rs
+++ b/crates/committed/tests/cmd.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ fn wip_config_override() {
     run_committed("wip bad times ahead", "no_wip = false")
         .code(1)
         .stdout_eq(str![[r#"
--: error Subject should be capitalized but found `wip`
+-: error Subject should be capitalized but found `bad`
 
 "#]])
         .stderr_eq(str![]);