diff --git a/src/payment/verifier.rs b/src/payment/verifier.rs
index 3d0c944..e701545 100644
--- a/src/payment/verifier.rs
+++ b/src/payment/verifier.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ use crate::payment::pricing::{calculate_price, derive_records_stored_from_price}
 use crate::payment::proof::{
     deserialize_merkle_proof, deserialize_proof, detect_proof_type, ProofType,
 };
-use crate::replication::config::storage_admission_width;
 use crate::storage::lmdb::LmdbStorage;
 use ant_protocol::payment::verify::{verify_quote_content, verify_quote_signature};
 use evmlib::common::{Amount, QuoteHash};
@@ -920,27 +919,24 @@ impl PaymentVerifier {
             }
         };
 
-        // Verify against the close group PLUS the storage-admission margin
-        // rather than the bare configured close-group width. The check compares
-        // the client's network-derived quote set against this node's *local*
-        // routing-table view, which on a real (young / large / NAT-heavy)
-        // network does not perfectly reflect the global K-closest: a peer the
-        // client legitimately quoted routinely ranks just outside this node's
-        // local close-group window. Bare `close_group_size` (no margin) falsely
-        // rejects those honest payments — the same divergence the sibling
-        // receiver admission check absorbs via `storage_admission_width`
-        // (PR #137); apply the same margin here for symmetry.
-        let admission_width = storage_admission_width(self.config.close_group_size);
+        // Closeness *verification* must mirror the uploader's pure XOR-distance
+        // peer selection. `find_closest_nodes_local_with_self` reranks the local
+        // routing table by reachability (preferring directly-reachable peers,
+        // XOR only as a tiebreaker), which demotes an XOR-close relay-only /
+        // NAT'd peer out of the compared window and falsely rejects an honest
+        // payment that legitimately quoted that peer. Use the XOR-only sibling
+        // so this check matches how the client chose the quoted close group.
+        let close_group_size = self.config.close_group_size;
         let closest = p2p_node
             .dht_manager()
-            .find_closest_nodes_local_with_self(xorname, admission_width)
+            .find_closest_nodes_local_by_distance_with_self(xorname, close_group_size)
             .await;
         if closest.iter().any(|node| node.peer_id == *issuer_peer_id) {
             return Ok(());
         }
 
         Err(Error::Payment(format!(
-            "Paid quote issuer {} is not among this node's local {admission_width} closest peers for {}",
+            "Paid quote issuer {} is not among this node's local {close_group_size} closest peers for {}",
             issuer_peer_id.to_hex(),
             hex::encode(xorname)
         )))
diff --git a/src/storage/handler.rs b/src/storage/handler.rs
index d51d717..dc7c690 100644
--- a/src/storage/handler.rs
+++ b/src/storage/handler.rs
@@ -413,9 +413,17 @@ impl AntProtocol {
 
         let self_id = *p2p_node.peer_id();
         let admission_width = storage_admission_width(self.payment_verifier.close_group_size());
+        // Storage-responsibility *verification* must mirror the uploader's pure
+        // XOR-distance peer selection. `find_closest_nodes_local_with_self`
+        // reranks the local routing table by reachability (preferring
+        // directly-reachable peers, XOR only as a tiebreaker), which demotes
+        // this node out of the compared window when it is an XOR-close
+        // relay-only / NAT'd peer and falsely rejects an honest PUT it is
+        // legitimately responsible for. Use the XOR-only sibling so the local
+        // admission check matches how the client chose the close group.
         let closest = p2p_node
             .dht_manager()
-            .find_closest_nodes_local_with_self(address, admission_width)
+            .find_closest_nodes_local_by_distance_with_self(address, admission_width)
             .await;
         if closest.iter().any(|node| node.peer_id == self_id) {
             return Ok(());