diff --git a/components/wpa_supplicant/esp_supplicant/src/esp_wpa3.c b/components/wpa_supplicant/esp_supplicant/src/esp_wpa3.c
index 1654f11ab8..974f3a374d 100644
--- a/components/wpa_supplicant/esp_supplicant/src/esp_wpa3.c
+++ b/components/wpa_supplicant/esp_supplicant/src/esp_wpa3.c
@@ -526,6 +526,11 @@ static void wpa3_process_rx_confirm(wpa3_hostap_auth_event_t *evt)
             goto done;
         }
         if (ret == WLAN_STATUS_SUCCESS) {
+            if (sta->sae_data && esp_send_sae_auth_reply(hapd, sta->addr, frm->bssid, WLAN_AUTH_SAE, 2,
+                                                         WLAN_STATUS_SUCCESS, wpabuf_head(sta->sae_data), wpabuf_len(sta->sae_data)) != ESP_OK) {
+                ap_free_sta(hapd, sta);
+                goto done;
+            }
             if (esp_wifi_ap_notify_node_sae_auth_done(frm->bssid) != true) {
                 ap_free_sta(hapd, sta);
                 goto done;
@@ -541,6 +546,10 @@ static void wpa3_process_rx_confirm(wpa3_hostap_auth_event_t *evt)
         }
     }
 done:
+    if (sta && sta->sae_data) {
+        wpabuf_free(sta->sae_data);
+        sta->sae_data = NULL;
+    }
     os_free(frm);
 }
 
diff --git a/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/ieee802_11.c b/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/ieee802_11.c
index 622d18fbea..7f73b1e386 100644
--- a/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/ieee802_11.c
+++ b/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/ieee802_11.c
@@ -180,13 +180,16 @@ static int auth_sae_send_confirm(struct hostapd_data *hapd,
     if (sta->remove_pending) {
         reply_res = -1;
     } else {
-        reply_res = esp_send_sae_auth_reply(hapd, sta->addr, bssid, WLAN_AUTH_SAE, 2,
-                                       WLAN_STATUS_SUCCESS, wpabuf_head(data),
-                                       wpabuf_len(data));
+        if (sta->sae_data)
+            wpabuf_free(data);
+        sta->sae_data = data;
+        reply_res = 0;
+        /* confirm is sent in later stage when all the required processing for a sta is done*/
     }
+#else
+    wpabuf_free(data);
 #endif /* ESP_SUPPLICANT */
 
-    wpabuf_free(data);
     return reply_res;
 }
 
diff --git a/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.c b/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.c
index 66e856ebee..435843cef6 100644
--- a/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.c
+++ b/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.c
@@ -113,6 +113,10 @@ void ap_free_sta(struct hostapd_data *hapd, struct sta_info *sta)
 		os_mutex_delete(sta->lock);
 		sta->lock = NULL;
 	}
+        if (sta->sae_data) {
+            wpabuf_free(sta->sae_data);
+            sta->sae_data = NULL;
+        }
 #endif /* CONFIG_SAE */
 	wpa_auth_sta_deinit(sta->wpa_sm);
 #ifdef CONFIG_WPS_REGISTRAR
diff --git a/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.h b/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.h
index af475d09c0..3c3769dd1a 100644
--- a/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.h
+++ b/components/wpa_supplicant/src/ap/sta_info.h
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ struct sta_info {
 				 * processing commit for that station  */
 	bool remove_pending;	/* Flag to indicate to free station when
 				 * whose mutex is taken by task */
+	struct wpabuf *sae_data;
 #endif /* CONFIG_SAE */
 #endif /* ESP_SUPPLICANT */