diff --git a/java/java-analysis-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/dataFlow/ContractInference.java b/java/java-analysis-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/dataFlow/ContractInference.java
index f676d47a9028..082949c98b4c 100644
--- a/java/java-analysis-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/dataFlow/ContractInference.java
+++ b/java/java-analysis-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/dataFlow/ContractInference.java
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class ContractInferenceInterpreter {
       contracts = boxReturnValues(contracts);
     }
     List<MethodContract> compatible = ContainerUtil.filter(contracts, contract -> {
-      if (contract.returnValue == NOT_NULL_VALUE &&
+      if ((contract.returnValue == NOT_NULL_VALUE || contract.returnValue == NULL_VALUE) &&
           NullableNotNullManager.getInstance(myMethod.getProject()).isNotNull(myMethod, false)) {
         return false;
       }
diff --git a/java/java-tests/testData/inspection/dataFlow/fixture/CustomTypeQualifierDefault.java b/java/java-tests/testData/inspection/dataFlow/fixture/CustomTypeQualifierDefault.java
index 18f9be2c43d6..60fb3486010f 100644
--- a/java/java-tests/testData/inspection/dataFlow/fixture/CustomTypeQualifierDefault.java
+++ b/java/java-tests/testData/inspection/dataFlow/fixture/CustomTypeQualifierDefault.java
@@ -24,10 +24,15 @@ class NotNullClass {
     return <warning descr="'null' is returned by the method declared as @MethodsAreNotNullByDefault">null</warning>;
   }
 
-  private Object privateFoo() {
+  private String privateFoo() {
     return <warning descr="'null' is returned by the method declared as @MethodsAreNotNullByDefault">null</warning>;
   }
 
+  {
+    String s2 = privateFoo();
+    int i2 = s2.length();
+  }
+
   @Nullable
   public Object foo2() {
     return null;