diff --git a/src/USER-DPD/npair_half_bin_newton_ssa.cpp b/src/USER-DPD/npair_half_bin_newton_ssa.cpp
index 25805461b579c97a3e8427d5dc143010f9c4900d..fd67b66e9b89a2ce3ca086e54fecec93c6d12480 100644
--- a/src/USER-DPD/npair_half_bin_newton_ssa.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-DPD/npair_half_bin_newton_ssa.cpp
@@ -251,8 +251,8 @@ void NPairHalfBinNewtonSSA::build(NeighList *list)
 
 static int cmp_ssaAIR(const void *iptr, const void *jptr)
 {
-  int i = *((int *) iptr);
-  int j = *((int *) jptr);
+  int i = NEIGHMASK & *((int *) iptr);
+  int j = NEIGHMASK & *((int *) jptr);
   if (ssaAIRptr[i] < ssaAIRptr[j]) return -1;
   if (ssaAIRptr[i] > ssaAIRptr[j]) return 1;
   return 0;
diff --git a/src/USER-DPD/npair_halffull_newton_ssa.cpp b/src/USER-DPD/npair_halffull_newton_ssa.cpp
index 3cd0b718797ec2773e4461692f33955330b050a6..2c9de3e50fad855d4e350580f6363543728de993 100644
--- a/src/USER-DPD/npair_halffull_newton_ssa.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-DPD/npair_halffull_newton_ssa.cpp
@@ -123,8 +123,8 @@ void NPairHalffullNewtonSSA::build(NeighList *list)
 
 static int cmp_ssaAIR(const void *iptr, const void *jptr)
 {
-  int i = *((int *) iptr);
-  int j = *((int *) jptr);
+  int i = NEIGHMASK & *((int *) iptr);
+  int j = NEIGHMASK & *((int *) jptr);
   if (ssaAIRptr[i] < ssaAIRptr[j]) return -1;
   if (ssaAIRptr[i] > ssaAIRptr[j]) return 1;
   return 0;