diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index cdabe27..a740be9 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     ssh_key_bits: 256
     ssh_key_file: .ssh/id_ed25519
     create_home: "yes"
-    state: "{{ item.state }}"
+    state: "{{ item.state | default('present') }}"
     remove: "yes"
   loop: "{{ users }}"
   tags: