diff --git a/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/hal/rtl8188eu_recv.c b/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/hal/rtl8188eu_recv.c
index 740818a5a7cf1106b8ff5a6f0feecb470d375c74..fc06991ed7841381f1df5252b30e659ad47af4b5 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/hal/rtl8188eu_recv.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/hal/rtl8188eu_recv.c
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 
 void rtl8188eu_init_recvbuf(struct adapter *padapter, struct recv_buf *precvbuf)
 {
-	precvbuf->ref_cnt = 0;
 }
 
 int	rtl8188eu_init_recv_priv(struct adapter *padapter)
@@ -63,7 +62,6 @@ int	rtl8188eu_init_recv_priv(struct adapter *padapter)
 		res = rtw_os_recvbuf_resource_alloc(padapter, precvbuf);
 		if (res == _FAIL)
 			break;
-		precvbuf->ref_cnt = 0;
 		precvbuf->adapter = padapter;
 		precvbuf++;
 	}
diff --git a/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/include/rtw_recv.h b/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/include/rtw_recv.h
index 3f43f11791545847605e06b2ac4920e14bbd2e1e..8dadf30a818ae4d075a00e1dd994d1e7ba0eb29b 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/include/rtw_recv.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/include/rtw_recv.h
@@ -235,7 +235,6 @@ struct sta_recv_priv {
 };
 
 struct recv_buf {
-	u32	ref_cnt;
 	struct adapter *adapter;
 	u8	*pbuf;
 	struct urb *purb;
diff --git a/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/os_dep/recv_linux.c b/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/os_dep/recv_linux.c
index 2577ceb62deee1261b698539e68fd8d9a1e10559..c1664b723bf5e7dae5e6f5ae7ad39206fad9fc19 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/os_dep/recv_linux.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/rtl8188eu/os_dep/recv_linux.c
@@ -221,7 +221,6 @@ void rtw_os_read_port(struct adapter *padapter, struct recv_buf *precvbuf)
 {
 	struct recv_priv *precvpriv = &padapter->recvpriv;
 
-	precvbuf->ref_cnt--;
 	/* free skb in recv_buf */
 	dev_kfree_skb_any(precvbuf->pskb);
 	precvbuf->pskb = NULL;