diff --git a/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.h b/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.h
--- a/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.h
+++ b/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.h
@@ -519,6 +519,8 @@
  * This should eventually be refactored into its own type.
  */
 uint8_t	ieee80211_node_get_txrate_dot11rate(struct ieee80211_node *);
+void	ieee80211_node_get_txrate(struct ieee80211_node *,
+	    struct ieee80211_node_txrate *);
 void	ieee80211_node_set_txrate_dot11rate(struct ieee80211_node *, uint8_t);
 void	ieee80211_node_set_txrate_ht_mcsrate(struct ieee80211_node *, uint8_t);
 uint32_t	ieee80211_node_get_txrate_kbit(struct ieee80211_node *);
diff --git a/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c b/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c
--- a/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c
+++ b/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c
@@ -3171,6 +3171,24 @@
 	}
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief return the txrate representing the current transmit rate
+ *
+ * This is the API call for drivers and rate control APIs to fetch
+ * rates.  It will populate a struct ieee80211_node_txrate with the
+ * current rate configuration to use.
+ *
+ * @param ni		the ieee80211_node to return the transmit rate for
+ * @param txrate	the struct ieee80211_node_txrate to populate
+ */
+void
+ieee80211_node_get_txrate(struct ieee80211_node *ni,
+    struct ieee80211_node_txrate *txr)
+{
+
+	*txr = ni->ni_txrate;
+}
+
 /**
  * @brief set the dot11rate / ratecode representing the current transmit rate
  *