diff --git a/payments/db/errors.go b/payments/db/errors.go
index 0457db600..3b4e25bd9 100644
--- a/payments/db/errors.go
+++ b/payments/db/errors.go
@@ -136,6 +136,11 @@ var (
 	ErrNoDuplicateNestedBucket = errors.New("nested duplicate bucket not " +
 		"found")
 
+	// ErrNoDuplicateSequenceNumber is returned when a duplicate payment
+	// sub-bucket does not contain the sequence number key.
+	ErrNoDuplicateSequenceNumber = errors.New("duplicate payment " +
+		"sequence number not found")
+
 	// ErrNoSequenceNrIndex is returned when an attempt to lookup a payment
 	// index is made for a sequence number that is not indexed.
 	//
diff --git a/payments/db/kv_store.go b/payments/db/kv_store.go
index 6d21048d7..b3fffe1e1 100644
--- a/payments/db/kv_store.go
+++ b/payments/db/kv_store.go
@@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@ func fetchPaymentWithSequenceNumber(tx kvdb.RTx, paymentHash lntypes.Hash,
 
 		seqBytes := subBucket.Get(duplicatePaymentSequenceKey)
 		if seqBytes == nil {
-			return err
+			return ErrNoDuplicateSequenceNumber
 		}
 
 		// If this duplicate payment is not the sequence number we are