diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/nic_loopback/main.cc b/repos/os/src/server/nic_loopback/main.cc
index 130ec9f21d..082fb93654 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/server/nic_loopback/main.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/nic_loopback/main.cc
@@ -70,8 +70,6 @@ class Nic_loopback::Session_component : public Nic::Session_component
 
 void Nic_loopback::Session_component::_handle_packet_stream()
 {
-	size_t const alloc_size = Nic::Packet_allocator::DEFAULT_PACKET_SIZE;
-
 	/* loop while we can make progress */
 	for (;;) {
 
@@ -111,7 +109,8 @@ void Nic_loopback::Session_component::_handle_packet_stream()
 
 		Packet_descriptor packet_to_client;
 		try {
-			packet_to_client = _rx.source()->alloc_packet(alloc_size); }
+			packet_to_client = _rx.source()->alloc_packet(
+			_tx.sink()->peek_packet().size()); }
 		catch (Session::Rx::Source::Packet_alloc_failed) {
 			continue; }
 
diff --git a/repos/os/src/test/nic_loopback/main.cc b/repos/os/src/test/nic_loopback/main.cc
index fef39d98e9..e0ffc1535e 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/test/nic_loopback/main.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/test/nic_loopback/main.cc
@@ -195,9 +195,6 @@ struct Test::Roundtrip : Base
 			if (rx_packet.size() != PACKET_SIZE)
 				abort("sent and echoed packets differ in size");
 
-			if (rx_packet.offset() != _expected_packet_offset)
-				abort(__func__, ": unexpected offset of received packet");
-
 			/* compare original and echoed packets */
 			char const * const rx_content = nic.rx()->packet_content(rx_packet);
 			for (unsigned i = 0; i < PACKET_SIZE; i++)