A method and system for providing credit for participation in an ad hoc wireless communication network is useful for improving network efficiency. The method includes receiving at a first network node a first data packet transmitted from a second network node (step 305). The first data packet includes payload data and credit claim data. The first node then determines that the credit claim data should be forwarded to a credit accounting authority (step 310), so a second data packet is then transmitted from the first node to the credit accounting authority (step 315). The second data packet includes some of the credit claim data. The first node then transmits a third data packet to a third network node, where the third data packet includes the payload data (step 320).