diff --git a/usr.sbin/pw/pw_user.c b/usr.sbin/pw/pw_user.c
--- a/usr.sbin/pw/pw_user.c
+++ b/usr.sbin/pw/pw_user.c
@@ -114,36 +114,20 @@
 	}
 	tmp[0] = '\0';
 
-	/*
-	 * This is a kludge especially for Joerg :)
-	 * If the home directory would be created in the root partition, then
-	 * we really create it under /usr which is likely to have more space.
-	 * But we create a symlink from cnf->home -> "/usr" -> cnf->home
-	 */
-	if (strchr(dirs, '/') == NULL) {
-		asprintf(&tmp, "usr/%s", dirs);
-		if (tmp == NULL)
-			errx(EX_UNAVAILABLE, "out of memory");
-		if (mkdirat(dfd, tmp, _DEF_DIRMODE) != -1 || errno == EEXIST) {
-			fchownat(dfd, tmp, 0, 0, 0);
-			symlinkat(tmp, dfd, dirs);
-		}
-		free(tmp);
-	}
 	tmp = dirs;
 	if (fstatat(dfd, dirs, &st, 0) == -1) {
 		while ((tmp = strchr(tmp + 1, '/')) != NULL) {
 			*tmp = '\0';
 			if (fstatat(dfd, dirs, &st, 0) == -1) {
 				if (mkdirat(dfd, dirs, _DEF_DIRMODE) == -1)
-					err(EX_OSFILE,  "'%s' (root home parent) is not a directory", dirs);
+					err(EX_OSFILE,  "'%s' (home parent) is not a directory", dirs);
 			}
 			*tmp = '/';
 		}
 	}
 	if (fstatat(dfd, dirs, &st, 0) == -1) {
 		if (mkdirat(dfd, dirs, _DEF_DIRMODE) == -1)
-			err(EX_OSFILE,  "'%s' (root home parent) is not a directory", dirs);
+			err(EX_OSFILE,  "'%s' (home parent) is not a directory", dirs);
 		fchownat(dfd, dirs, 0, 0, 0);
 	}
 
diff --git a/usr.sbin/pw/tests/pw_useradd_test.sh b/usr.sbin/pw/tests/pw_useradd_test.sh
--- a/usr.sbin/pw/tests/pw_useradd_test.sh
+++ b/usr.sbin/pw/tests/pw_useradd_test.sh
@@ -295,15 +295,23 @@
 	[ ! -d ${HOME}/home/bar ] || atf_fail "Directory not removed"
 }
 
-atf_test_case user_add_R_symlink
-user_add_R_symlink_body() {
+atf_test_case user_add_R_no_symlink
+user_add_R_no_symlink_body() {
 	populate_root_etc_skel
 
 	mkdir ${HOME}/usr
 	atf_check -s exit:0 ${RPW} useradd foo -m
-	test -d ${HOME}/usr/home || atf_fail "Home parent directory not created"
-	test -h ${HOME}/home || atf_fail "/home directory is not a symlink"
-	atf_check -s exit:0 -o inline:"usr/home\n" readlink ${HOME}/home
+	[ ! -d ${HOME}/usr/home ] || atf_fail "/usr/home created"
+	test -d ${HOME}/home || atf_fail "/home directory not created"
+}
+
+atf_test_case user_add_R_intermed
+user_add_R_intermed_body() {
+	populate_root_etc_skel
+
+	atf_check -s exit:0 ${RPW} useradd foo -m -d /a/b/c/foo
+	test -d ${HOME}/a/b/c || atf_fail "intermediate directories not created"
+	test -d ${HOME}/a/b/c/foo || atf_fail "user directory not created"
 }
 
 atf_test_case user_add_skel
@@ -479,7 +487,8 @@
 	atf_add_test_case user_add_invalid_group_entry
 	atf_add_test_case user_add_password_from_h
 	atf_add_test_case user_add_R
-	atf_add_test_case user_add_R_symlink
+	atf_add_test_case user_add_R_no_symlink
+	atf_add_test_case user_add_R_intermed
 	atf_add_test_case user_add_skel
 	atf_add_test_case user_add_uid0
 	atf_add_test_case user_add_uid_too_large