diff --git a/include/net/ieee802154_netdev.h b/include/net/ieee802154_netdev.h
index 6e4d3e1071b5..bc9a7475e57e 100644
--- a/include/net/ieee802154_netdev.h
+++ b/include/net/ieee802154_netdev.h
@@ -222,8 +222,9 @@ static inline void ieee802154_addr_to_sa(struct ieee802154_addr_sa *sa,
  */
 struct ieee802154_mac_cb {
 	u8 lqi;
-	u8 flags;
-	u8 seq;
+	u8 type;
+	bool ackreq;
+	bool secen;
 	struct ieee802154_addr source;
 	struct ieee802154_addr dest;
 };
@@ -233,24 +234,12 @@ static inline struct ieee802154_mac_cb *mac_cb(struct sk_buff *skb)
 	return (struct ieee802154_mac_cb *)skb->cb;
 }
 
-#define MAC_CB_FLAG_TYPEMASK		((1 << 3) - 1)
-
-#define MAC_CB_FLAG_ACKREQ		(1 << 3)
-#define MAC_CB_FLAG_SECEN		(1 << 4)
-
-static inline bool mac_cb_is_ackreq(struct sk_buff *skb)
+static inline struct ieee802154_mac_cb *mac_cb_init(struct sk_buff *skb)
 {
-	return mac_cb(skb)->flags & MAC_CB_FLAG_ACKREQ;
-}
+	BUILD_BUG_ON(sizeof(struct ieee802154_mac_cb) > sizeof(skb->cb));
 
-static inline bool mac_cb_is_secen(struct sk_buff *skb)
-{
-	return mac_cb(skb)->flags & MAC_CB_FLAG_SECEN;
-}
-
-static inline int mac_cb_type(struct sk_buff *skb)
-{
-	return mac_cb(skb)->flags & MAC_CB_FLAG_TYPEMASK;
+	memset(skb->cb, 0, sizeof(struct ieee802154_mac_cb));
+	return mac_cb(skb);
 }
 
 #define IEEE802154_MAC_SCAN_ED		0
diff --git a/net/ieee802154/6lowpan_rtnl.c b/net/ieee802154/6lowpan_rtnl.c
index 0f5a69ed746d..d0191c53cbd8 100644
--- a/net/ieee802154/6lowpan_rtnl.c
+++ b/net/ieee802154/6lowpan_rtnl.c
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ static int lowpan_header_create(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	const u8 *saddr = _saddr;
 	const u8 *daddr = _daddr;
 	struct ieee802154_addr sa, da;
+	struct ieee802154_mac_cb *cb = mac_cb_init(skb);
 
 	/* TODO:
 	 * if this package isn't ipv6 one, where should it be routed?
@@ -115,8 +116,7 @@ static int lowpan_header_create(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	 * from MAC subif of the 'dev' and 'real_dev' network devices, but
 	 * this isn't implemented in mainline yet, so currently we assign 0xff
 	 */
-	mac_cb(skb)->flags = IEEE802154_FC_TYPE_DATA;
-	mac_cb(skb)->seq = ieee802154_mlme_ops(dev)->get_dsn(dev);
+	cb->type = IEEE802154_FC_TYPE_DATA;
 
 	/* prepare wpan address data */
 	sa.mode = IEEE802154_ADDR_LONG;
@@ -135,11 +135,10 @@ static int lowpan_header_create(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	} else {
 		da.mode = IEEE802154_ADDR_LONG;
 		da.extended_addr = ieee802154_devaddr_from_raw(daddr);
-
-		/* request acknowledgment */
-		mac_cb(skb)->flags |= MAC_CB_FLAG_ACKREQ;
 	}
 
+	cb->ackreq = !lowpan_is_addr_broadcast(daddr);
+
 	return dev_hard_header(skb, lowpan_dev_info(dev)->real_dev,
 			type, (void *)&da, (void *)&sa, 0);
 }
diff --git a/net/ieee802154/dgram.c b/net/ieee802154/dgram.c
index 786437bc0c08..d95e2e1bdf54 100644
--- a/net/ieee802154/dgram.c
+++ b/net/ieee802154/dgram.c
@@ -209,6 +209,7 @@ static int dgram_sendmsg(struct kiocb *iocb, struct sock *sk,
 	struct net_device *dev;
 	unsigned int mtu;
 	struct sk_buff *skb;
+	struct ieee802154_mac_cb *cb;
 	struct dgram_sock *ro = dgram_sk(sk);
 	int hlen, tlen;
 	int err;
@@ -249,18 +250,15 @@ static int dgram_sendmsg(struct kiocb *iocb, struct sock *sk,
 
 	skb_reset_network_header(skb);
 
-	mac_cb(skb)->flags = IEEE802154_FC_TYPE_DATA;
-	if (ro->want_ack)
-		mac_cb(skb)->flags |= MAC_CB_FLAG_ACKREQ;
+	cb = mac_cb_init(skb);
+	cb->type = IEEE802154_FC_TYPE_DATA;
+	cb->ackreq = ro->want_ack;
 
-	mac_cb(skb)->seq = ieee802154_mlme_ops(dev)->get_dsn(dev);
 	err = dev_hard_header(skb, dev, ETH_P_IEEE802154, &ro->dst_addr,
 			ro->bound ? &ro->src_addr : NULL, size);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out_skb;
 
-	skb_reset_mac_header(skb);
-
 	err = memcpy_fromiovec(skb_put(skb, size), msg->msg_iov, size);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out_skb;
diff --git a/net/mac802154/rx.c b/net/mac802154/rx.c
index 03855b0677cc..0597b96dc9ba 100644
--- a/net/mac802154/rx.c
+++ b/net/mac802154/rx.c
@@ -59,8 +59,6 @@ mac802154_subif_rx(struct ieee802154_dev *hw, struct sk_buff *skb, u8 lqi)
 	skb->protocol = htons(ETH_P_IEEE802154);
 	skb_reset_mac_header(skb);
 
-	BUILD_BUG_ON(sizeof(struct ieee802154_mac_cb) > sizeof(skb->cb));
-
 	if (!(priv->hw.flags & IEEE802154_HW_OMIT_CKSUM)) {
 		u16 crc;
 
diff --git a/net/mac802154/wpan.c b/net/mac802154/wpan.c
index cb34064d05f6..bb49e88c460f 100644
--- a/net/mac802154/wpan.c
+++ b/net/mac802154/wpan.c
@@ -192,15 +192,17 @@ static int mac802154_header_create(struct sk_buff *skb,
 {
 	struct ieee802154_hdr hdr;
 	struct mac802154_sub_if_data *priv = netdev_priv(dev);
+	struct ieee802154_mac_cb *cb = mac_cb(skb);
 	int hlen;
 
 	if (!daddr)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	memset(&hdr.fc, 0, sizeof(hdr.fc));
-	hdr.fc.type = mac_cb_type(skb);
-	hdr.fc.security_enabled = mac_cb_is_secen(skb);
-	hdr.fc.ack_request = mac_cb_is_ackreq(skb);
+	hdr.fc.type = cb->type;
+	hdr.fc.security_enabled = cb->secen;
+	hdr.fc.ack_request = cb->ackreq;
+	hdr.seq = ieee802154_mlme_ops(dev)->get_dsn(dev);
 
 	if (!saddr) {
 		spin_lock_bh(&priv->mib_lock);
@@ -391,12 +393,12 @@ mac802154_subif_frame(struct mac802154_sub_if_data *sdata, struct sk_buff *skb)
 	sdata->dev->stats.rx_packets++;
 	sdata->dev->stats.rx_bytes += skb->len;
 
-	switch (mac_cb_type(skb)) {
+	switch (mac_cb(skb)->type) {
 	case IEEE802154_FC_TYPE_DATA:
 		return mac802154_process_data(sdata->dev, skb);
 	default:
 		pr_warn("ieee802154: bad frame received (type = %d)\n",
-			mac_cb_type(skb));
+			mac_cb(skb)->type);
 		kfree_skb(skb);
 		return NET_RX_DROP;
 	}
@@ -423,6 +425,7 @@ static int mac802154_parse_frame_start(struct sk_buff *skb)
 {
 	int hlen;
 	struct ieee802154_hdr hdr;
+	struct ieee802154_mac_cb *cb = mac_cb_init(skb);
 
 	hlen = ieee802154_hdr_pull(skb, &hdr);
 	if (hlen < 0)
@@ -433,18 +436,15 @@ static int mac802154_parse_frame_start(struct sk_buff *skb)
 	pr_debug("fc: %04x dsn: %02x\n", le16_to_cpup((__le16 *)&hdr.fc),
 		 hdr.seq);
 
-	mac_cb(skb)->flags = hdr.fc.type;
-
-	if (hdr.fc.ack_request)
-		mac_cb(skb)->flags |= MAC_CB_FLAG_ACKREQ;
-	if (hdr.fc.security_enabled)
-		mac_cb(skb)->flags |= MAC_CB_FLAG_SECEN;
+	cb->type = hdr.fc.type;
+	cb->ackreq = hdr.fc.ack_request;
+	cb->secen = hdr.fc.security_enabled;
 
 	mac802154_print_addr("destination", &hdr.dest);
 	mac802154_print_addr("source", &hdr.source);
 
-	mac_cb(skb)->source = hdr.source;
-	mac_cb(skb)->dest = hdr.dest;
+	cb->source = hdr.source;
+	cb->dest = hdr.dest;
 
 	if (hdr.fc.security_enabled) {
 		u64 key;