diff --git a/assets/css/frontend/nav.css b/assets/css/frontend/nav.css
index a0f2e159..cff349eb 100644
--- a/assets/css/frontend/nav.css
+++ b/assets/css/frontend/nav.css
@@ -365,3 +365,37 @@ body.dark-theme .navbar-but-cluster .toggle-theme .theme-icon-sun {
   display: inline-block;
   vertical-align: middle;
 }
+
+
+/* Final FA baseline: never vertical-align in the top bar (flex/abs centering only). */
+.navbar-top .fa,
+.navbar-top .fas,
+.navbar-top .far,
+.navbar-top .fab,
+.navbar-top i[class*="fa-"] {
+  line-height: 1 !important;
+  vertical-align: 0 !important;
+}
+
+/* Keep every right-side control row on the same optical midline as the brand. */
+.navbar-top .container-header {
+  display: flex !important;
+  align-items: center !important;
+  min-height: 50px;
+}
+.navbar-top .navbar-form,
+.navbar-top .navbar-right,
+.navbar-top .navbar-header {
+  display: flex !important;
+  align-items: center !important;
+  min-height: 36px;
+}
+
+/* Single-type CTA optical center with 0.3em padding (zibll) */
+.navbar-top a.navbar-cta.but,
+.navbar-top .navbar-but .but,
+.navbar-top a.newadd-btns.navbar-cta,
+.navbar-top a.payvip-icon.navbar-cta {
+  min-height: calc(1.44em + 0.6em) !important; /* line-height + vertical padding */
+  box-sizing: border-box !important;
+}
diff --git a/assets/css/frontend/nav/zib-utilities.css b/assets/css/frontend/nav/zib-utilities.css
index 04f8dc0b..7851e441 100644
--- a/assets/css/frontend/nav/zib-utilities.css
+++ b/assets/css/frontend/nav/zib-utilities.css
@@ -333,13 +333,13 @@ body.mobile-navbar-show { overflow: hidden; }
   display: inline-block;
   vertical-align: middle;
 }
-/* FA in header: kill common FA vertical drift vs flex centers */
+/* FA in header: line-height only — do NOT set vertical-align (causes flex drift). */
 .navbar-top .fa,
 .navbar-top .fas,
 .navbar-top .far,
 .navbar-top .fab {
-  line-height: 1;
-  vertical-align: -0.05em;
+  line-height: 1 !important;
+  vertical-align: 0 !important;
 }
 .navbar-top .css-icon {
   width: 1em;