diff --git a/litellm/proxy/db/accounting_ledger.py b/litellm/proxy/db/accounting_ledger.py
index 7ebdfb70506..0dbc3d8c86a 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/db/accounting_ledger.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/db/accounting_ledger.py
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ _PENDING_COMPILATION: Final = """
 SELECT payload::text AS payload FROM "LiteLLM_AccountingEvent"
 WHERE kind = 'outbound_usage' AND compilation_state = 'pending'
 AND (compilation_retry_at IS NULL OR compilation_retry_at <= CURRENT_TIMESTAMP)
-ORDER BY recorded_at, event_id LIMIT $1::int
+ORDER BY compilation_retry_at NULLS FIRST, recorded_at, event_id LIMIT $1::int
 """
 _COMPILATION_RESULT: Final = """
 UPDATE "LiteLLM_AccountingEvent" SET compilation_state = $2, compilation_error = $3, compilation_retry_at = NULL
diff --git a/tests/integration/database/test_accounting_ledger.py b/tests/integration/database/test_accounting_ledger.py
index 8703559d6aa..0171d3683ca 100644
--- a/tests/integration/database/test_accounting_ledger.py
+++ b/tests/integration/database/test_accounting_ledger.py
@@ -1010,6 +1010,11 @@ async def test_failing_compilation_page_does_not_starve_later_usage(writer: _Wri
         return _cost().snapshot
 
     await LoggingCostCompiler(store, price, _TARGETS).compile_pending(limit=1)
+    _rows(
+        ledger_database,
+        'UPDATE "LiteLLM_AccountingEvent" SET compilation_retry_at = CURRENT_TIMESTAMP WHERE event_id = %s',
+        (broken.event_id,),
+    )
     await LoggingCostCompiler(store, price, _TARGETS).compile_pending(limit=1)
     assert _rows(ledger_database, "SELECT source_event_id FROM \"LiteLLM_AccountingEvent\" WHERE kind = 'cost'") == [
         (healthy.event_id,)