diff --git a/backend/igny8_core/api/authentication.py b/backend/igny8_core/api/authentication.py
index 9daada1b..f20ec8a5 100644
--- a/backend/igny8_core/api/authentication.py
+++ b/backend/igny8_core/api/authentication.py
@@ -55,25 +55,28 @@ class JWTAuthentication(BaseAuthentication):
                 return None
             
             try:
-                # Refresh user from DB with account and plan relationships to get latest data
-                # This ensures changes to account/plan are reflected immediately without re-login
-                user = User.objects.select_related('account', 'account__plan').get(id=user_id)
+                user = User.objects.get(id=user_id)
             except User.DoesNotExist:
                 # User not found - return None to allow other auth classes to try
                 return None
             
-            # Get account from token (token's account_id is authoritative per unified API model)
-            # Unified API Standard: Token contains account_id, middleware extracts and sets request.account
+            # Get account from token
             account_id = payload.get('account_id')
             account = None
             if account_id:
                 try:
                     account = Account.objects.get(id=account_id)
                 except Account.DoesNotExist:
-                    # Account from token doesn't exist - set to None
+                    pass
+            
+            if not account:
+                try:
+                    account = getattr(user, 'account', None)
+                except (AttributeError, Exception):
+                    # If account access fails, set to None
                     account = None
             
-            # Set account on request (unified API model: token's account_id is authoritative)
+            # Set account on request
             request.account = account
             
             return (user, token)
diff --git a/backend/igny8_core/auth/middleware.py b/backend/igny8_core/auth/middleware.py
index f738a4b8..1bcdd16f 100644
--- a/backend/igny8_core/auth/middleware.py
+++ b/backend/igny8_core/auth/middleware.py
@@ -99,14 +99,13 @@ class AccountContextMiddleware(MiddlewareMixin):
                     user = User.objects.select_related('account', 'account__plan').get(id=user_id)
                     request.user = user
                     if account_id:
-                        # Unified API Standard: Extract account_id from JWT, load Account object, set request.account
-                        # Token's account_id is authoritative - no validation against user.account
-                        try:
-                            account = Account.objects.get(id=account_id)
+                        # Verify account still exists and matches user
+                        account = Account.objects.get(id=account_id)
+                        # If user's account changed, use the new one from user object
+                        if user.account and user.account.id != account_id:
+                            request.account = user.account
+                        else:
                             request.account = account
-                        except Account.DoesNotExist:
-                            # Account from token doesn't exist - set to None
-                            request.account = None
                     else:
                         try:
                             user_account = getattr(user, 'account', None)