A method for using a charging system to account for service provided by a network element (NE) of a service provider network includes receiving an accounting request (ACR) from the NE at a router in the charging system, the ACR associated with service provided by the NE in the service provider network in conjunction with a communication session; modifying the ACR to form a modified ACR; sending the modified ACR to a charging collection function (CCF) server; receiving an accounting answer from the CCF server indicating the CCF server was not able to process the modified ACR; and resending the modified ACR to the CCF server or changing the modified ACR to form a revised ACR and sending the revised ACR to an alternate CCF server. A router associated with the method includes a service network communication module, a message processing module, and a charging system communication module.