diff --git a/include/net/tcp_ao.h b/include/net/tcp_ao.h
index b56be10838f0..647781080613 100644
--- a/include/net/tcp_ao.h
+++ b/include/net/tcp_ao.h
@@ -62,11 +62,17 @@ static inline int tcp_ao_maclen(const struct tcp_ao_key *key)
 	return key->maclen;
 }
 
+/* Use tcp_ao_len_aligned() for TCP header calculations */
 static inline int tcp_ao_len(const struct tcp_ao_key *key)
 {
 	return tcp_ao_maclen(key) + sizeof(struct tcp_ao_hdr);
 }
 
+static inline int tcp_ao_len_aligned(const struct tcp_ao_key *key)
+{
+	return round_up(tcp_ao_len(key), 4);
+}
+
 static inline unsigned int tcp_ao_digest_size(struct tcp_ao_key *key)
 {
 	return key->digest_size;
diff --git a/net/ipv4/tcp_ao.c b/net/ipv4/tcp_ao.c
index 7696417d0640..c8be1d526eac 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/tcp_ao.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/tcp_ao.c
@@ -1100,7 +1100,7 @@ void tcp_ao_connect_init(struct sock *sk)
 			ao_info->current_key = key;
 		if (!ao_info->rnext_key)
 			ao_info->rnext_key = key;
-		tp->tcp_header_len += tcp_ao_len(key);
+		tp->tcp_header_len += tcp_ao_len_aligned(key);
 
 		ao_info->lisn = htonl(tp->write_seq);
 		ao_info->snd_sne = 0;
@@ -1346,7 +1346,7 @@ static int tcp_ao_parse_crypto(struct tcp_ao_add *cmd, struct tcp_ao_key *key)
 	syn_tcp_option_space -= TCPOLEN_MSS_ALIGNED;
 	syn_tcp_option_space -= TCPOLEN_TSTAMP_ALIGNED;
 	syn_tcp_option_space -= TCPOLEN_WSCALE_ALIGNED;
-	if (tcp_ao_len(key) > syn_tcp_option_space) {
+	if (tcp_ao_len_aligned(key) > syn_tcp_option_space) {
 		err = -EMSGSIZE;
 		goto err_kfree;
 	}
diff --git a/net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c b/net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c
index 5f693bbd578d..0c50c5a32b84 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c
@@ -690,7 +690,7 @@ static bool tcp_v4_ao_sign_reset(const struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb,
 
 	reply_options[0] = htonl((TCPOPT_AO << 24) | (tcp_ao_len(key) << 16) |
 				 (aoh->rnext_keyid << 8) | keyid);
-	arg->iov[0].iov_len += round_up(tcp_ao_len(key), 4);
+	arg->iov[0].iov_len += tcp_ao_len_aligned(key);
 	reply->doff = arg->iov[0].iov_len / 4;
 
 	if (tcp_ao_hash_hdr(AF_INET, (char *)&reply_options[1],
@@ -978,7 +978,7 @@ static void tcp_v4_send_ack(const struct sock *sk,
 					  (tcp_ao_len(key->ao_key) << 16) |
 					  (key->ao_key->sndid << 8) |
 					  key->rcv_next);
-		arg.iov[0].iov_len += round_up(tcp_ao_len(key->ao_key), 4);
+		arg.iov[0].iov_len += tcp_ao_len_aligned(key->ao_key);
 		rep.th.doff = arg.iov[0].iov_len / 4;
 
 		tcp_ao_hash_hdr(AF_INET, (char *)&rep.opt[offset],
diff --git a/net/ipv4/tcp_minisocks.c b/net/ipv4/tcp_minisocks.c
index a9807eeb311c..9e85f2a0bddd 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/tcp_minisocks.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/tcp_minisocks.c
@@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ struct sock *tcp_create_openreq_child(const struct sock *sk,
 	ao_key = treq->af_specific->ao_lookup(sk, req,
 				tcp_rsk(req)->ao_keyid, -1);
 	if (ao_key)
-		newtp->tcp_header_len += tcp_ao_len(ao_key);
+		newtp->tcp_header_len += tcp_ao_len_aligned(ao_key);
  #endif
 	if (skb->len >= TCP_MSS_DEFAULT + newtp->tcp_header_len)
 		newicsk->icsk_ack.last_seg_size = skb->len - newtp->tcp_header_len;
diff --git a/net/ipv4/tcp_output.c b/net/ipv4/tcp_output.c
index eb13a55d660c..93eef1dbbc55 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/tcp_output.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/tcp_output.c
@@ -825,7 +825,7 @@ static unsigned int tcp_syn_options(struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		timestamps = READ_ONCE(sock_net(sk)->ipv4.sysctl_tcp_timestamps);
 		if (tcp_key_is_ao(key)) {
 			opts->options |= OPTION_AO;
-			remaining -= tcp_ao_len(key->ao_key);
+			remaining -= tcp_ao_len_aligned(key->ao_key);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -915,7 +915,7 @@ static unsigned int tcp_synack_options(const struct sock *sk,
 			ireq->tstamp_ok &= !ireq->sack_ok;
 	} else if (tcp_key_is_ao(key)) {
 		opts->options |= OPTION_AO;
-		remaining -= tcp_ao_len(key->ao_key);
+		remaining -= tcp_ao_len_aligned(key->ao_key);
 		ireq->tstamp_ok &= !ireq->sack_ok;
 	}
 
@@ -982,7 +982,7 @@ static unsigned int tcp_established_options(struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb
 		size += TCPOLEN_MD5SIG_ALIGNED;
 	} else if (tcp_key_is_ao(key)) {
 		opts->options |= OPTION_AO;
-		size += tcp_ao_len(key->ao_key);
+		size += tcp_ao_len_aligned(key->ao_key);
 	}
 
 	if (likely(tp->rx_opt.tstamp_ok)) {
diff --git a/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c b/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c
index 937a02c2e534..8c6623496dd7 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c
@@ -881,7 +881,7 @@ static void tcp_v6_send_response(const struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb, u32
 	if (tcp_key_is_md5(key))
 		tot_len += TCPOLEN_MD5SIG_ALIGNED;
 	if (tcp_key_is_ao(key))
-		tot_len += tcp_ao_len(key->ao_key);
+		tot_len += tcp_ao_len_aligned(key->ao_key);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_MPTCP
 	if (rst && !tcp_key_is_md5(key)) {