diff --git a/src/ImpactX.cpp b/src/ImpactX.cpp
index 2b356cb72..bc71e0de1 100644
--- a/src/ImpactX.cpp
+++ b/src/ImpactX.cpp
@@ -90,13 +90,6 @@ namespace impactx {
         amr_data->InitFromScratch(0.0);
 
         // alloc particle containers
-        //   the lost particles have an extra runtime attribute: s when it was lost
-        if (!amr_data->m_particles_lost->HasRealComp("s_lost"))
-        {
-            bool comm = true;
-            amr_data->m_particles_lost->AddRealComp("s_lost", comm);
-        }
-
         //   have to resize here, not in the constructor because grids have not
         //   been built when constructor was called.
         amr_data->m_particle_container->reserveData();
diff --git a/src/particles/CollectLost.cpp b/src/particles/CollectLost.cpp
index d2390c268..24bfd575b 100644
--- a/src/particles/CollectLost.cpp
+++ b/src/particles/CollectLost.cpp
@@ -55,8 +55,38 @@ namespace impactx
         BL_PROFILE("impactX::collect_lost_particles");
 
         using SrcData = ImpactXParticleContainer::ParticleTileType::ConstParticleTileDataType;
-
         ImpactXParticleContainer& dest = *source.GetLostParticleContainer();
+
+        // Check destination has the same attributes as source + "s_lost"
+        for (auto & name : source.RealSoA_names())
+        {
+            amrex::Print() << "name: " << name << std::endl;
+            if (!dest.HasRealComp(name)) {
+                amrex::Print() << "adding " << name << std::endl;
+                dest.AddRealComp(name);
+            }
+            AMREX_ALWAYS_ASSERT_WITH_MESSAGE(source.GetRealCompIndex(name) == dest.GetRealCompIndex(name),
+                                             "Source and destination Real attributes misaligned!");
+        }
+        for (auto & name : source.intSoA_names())
+        {
+            if (!dest.HasIntComp(name)) {
+                dest.AddIntComp(name);
+            }
+            AMREX_ALWAYS_ASSERT_WITH_MESSAGE(source.GetIntCompIndex(name) == dest.GetIntCompIndex(name),
+                                             "Source and destination Int attributes misaligned!");
+        }
+        // the lost particles have an extra runtime attribute: s when it was lost
+        if (!dest.HasRealComp("s_lost"))
+        {
+            bool comm = true;
+            dest.AddRealComp("s_lost", comm);
+        }
+        AMREX_ALWAYS_ASSERT_WITH_MESSAGE(source.RealSoA_names().size() + 1 == dest.RealSoA_names().size(),
+                                         "Source and destination have different Real attributes!");
+        AMREX_ALWAYS_ASSERT_WITH_MESSAGE(source.intSoA_names().size() == dest.intSoA_names().size(),
+                                         "Source and destination have different Int attributes!");
+
         const int s_runtime_index = dest.GetRealCompIndex("s_lost") - dest.NArrayReal;
 
         RefPart const ref_part = source.GetRefParticle();