diff --git a/drivers/dma/dmaengine.c b/drivers/dma/dmaengine.c
index 99c22b42bada79dbbd834bf09156e00f3fef81ff..10de69eb1a3e1e01479b35a2f66fc6cdcc21559b 100644
--- a/drivers/dma/dmaengine.c
+++ b/drivers/dma/dmaengine.c
@@ -183,9 +183,10 @@ static void dma_client_chan_alloc(struct dma_client *client)
 				/* we are done once this client rejects
 				 * an available resource
 				 */
-				if (ack == DMA_ACK)
+				if (ack == DMA_ACK) {
 					dma_chan_get(chan);
-				else if (ack == DMA_NAK)
+					chan->client_count++;
+				} else if (ack == DMA_NAK)
 					return;
 			}
 		}
@@ -272,8 +273,10 @@ static void dma_clients_notify_removed(struct dma_chan *chan)
 		/* client was holding resources for this channel so
 		 * free it
 		 */
-		if (ack == DMA_ACK)
+		if (ack == DMA_ACK) {
 			dma_chan_put(chan);
+			chan->client_count--;
+		}
 	}
 
 	mutex_unlock(&dma_list_mutex);
@@ -313,8 +316,10 @@ void dma_async_client_unregister(struct dma_client *client)
 			ack = client->event_callback(client, chan,
 				DMA_RESOURCE_REMOVED);
 
-			if (ack == DMA_ACK)
+			if (ack == DMA_ACK) {
 				dma_chan_put(chan);
+				chan->client_count--;
+			}
 		}
 
 	list_del(&client->global_node);
@@ -394,6 +399,7 @@ int dma_async_device_register(struct dma_device *device)
 		kref_get(&device->refcount);
 		kref_get(&device->refcount);
 		kref_init(&chan->refcount);
+		chan->client_count = 0;
 		chan->slow_ref = 0;
 		INIT_RCU_HEAD(&chan->rcu);
 	}
diff --git a/include/linux/dmaengine.h b/include/linux/dmaengine.h
index d08a5c5eb928f3f2d8ef8639a518b0ac37fb6c89..6432b83432201ab5e431c32e2b163b5d1c6388c7 100644
--- a/include/linux/dmaengine.h
+++ b/include/linux/dmaengine.h
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ struct dma_chan_percpu {
  * @rcu: the DMA channel's RCU head
  * @device_node: used to add this to the device chan list
  * @local: per-cpu pointer to a struct dma_chan_percpu
+ * @client-count: how many clients are using this channel
  */
 struct dma_chan {
 	struct dma_device *device;
@@ -154,6 +155,7 @@ struct dma_chan {
 
 	struct list_head device_node;
 	struct dma_chan_percpu *local;
+	int client_count;
 };
 
 #define to_dma_chan(p) container_of(p, struct dma_chan, dev)