A system and method for accounting request processing in a communication network. When an accounting request is received in a correlating network element from a service-monitoring element, it is stored unless and until the associated service has been completed. When a final accounting request associated with the service has been received, a processing track is determined; one of two or more preferably each associated with a different processing rate. Once a processing track has been assigned, each ACR is placed in a queue for processing; there are multiple queues, each associated with one or more processing tracks. In a preferred embodiment, the backlog of a queue, or of multiple queues, is considered when queuing an ACR. The backlog may be monitored and ACRs may be reassigned to a different queue, or the processing rate of a queue may be adjusted, so that ACRs may be processed at a higher (or lower) rate.