diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py
index 965b413e84f..fb1bcf6d673 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py
@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ def _scatter_by_slice(
         start, stop, step = key.indices(len(self))
         if start >= stop:
             return None
-        num_keys = (stop - start) // step
+        num_keys = len(range(start, stop, step))
 
         self._check_scatter_key_length(num_keys, value)
 
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_setitem.py b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_setitem.py
index 6b2fb90e95b..d59226ee17a 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_setitem.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_setitem.py
@@ -347,3 +347,13 @@ def test_series_setitem_upcasting_string_value():
     assert_eq(pd.Series([10, 0, 0], dtype=int), sr)
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         sr[0] = "non-integer"
+
+
+def test_scatter_by_slice_with_start_and_step():
+    source = pd.Series([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
+    csource = cudf.from_pandas(source)
+    target = pd.Series([0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0])
+    ctarget = cudf.from_pandas(target)
+    target[1::2] = source
+    ctarget[1::2] = csource
+    assert_eq(target, ctarget)