diff --git a/go-backend/internal/repository/notification_repository.go b/go-backend/internal/repository/notification_repository.go
index c43afaa..065a7fd 100644
--- a/go-backend/internal/repository/notification_repository.go
+++ b/go-backend/internal/repository/notification_repository.go
@@ -296,9 +296,10 @@ func (r *NotificationRepository) GetUnreadCount(ctx context.Context, userID stri
 func (r *NotificationRepository) GetUnreadBadge(ctx context.Context, userID string) (*models.UnreadBadge, error) {
 	badge := &models.UnreadBadge{}
 
-	// Get notification count
+	// Get notification count (live query, excludes archived)
 	err := r.pool.QueryRow(ctx, `
-		SELECT COALESCE(unread_notification_count, 0) FROM profiles WHERE id = $1::uuid
+		SELECT COUNT(*) FROM public.notifications 
+		WHERE user_id = $1::uuid AND is_read = FALSE AND archived_at IS NULL
 	`, userID).Scan(&badge.NotificationCount)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err