A method comprising: receiving a packet with a first one of a plurality of forwarding components included within a network device, wherein the first one of the plurality of forwarding components acts as an ingress forwarding component for a packet flow to which the received packet corresponds; wherein the packet is received from another network device via which load balancing is provided for packet flows across multiple links coupling said network device and said another network device; determining, with the ingress forwarding component, that a service is to be applied to the packet; updating, (116, 118) with the ingress forwarding component, the packet to include an ingress identifier that identifies the ingress forwarding component in response to the determination that a service is to be applied to the packet; transmitting, with the ingress forwarding component, the updated packet to a service card that applies the service; applying, with the service card, the service to the updated packet to generate a serviced packet; transmitting, with the service card, the serviced packet back to said ingress forwarding component identified by said ingress identifier which has the effect of maintaining said load balancing of packet flows across the plurality of forwarding components; determining, with the ingress forwarding component, a next hop of a plurality of next hops to which to forward the serviced packet; and forwarding, with a second one of the plurality of forwarding components, the serviced packet to the determined next hop, wherein the second one of the plurality of forwarding components acts as an egress forwarding component for a packet flow to which the serviced packet corresponds. receiving a packet with a first one of a plurality of forwarding components included within a network device, wherein the first one of the plurality of forwarding components acts as an ingress forwarding component for a packet flow to which the received packet corresponds; wherein the packet is received from another network device via which load balancing is provided for packet flows across multiple links coupling said network device and said another network device; determining, with the ingress forwarding component, that a service is to be applied to the packet; updating, (116, 118) with the ingress forwarding component, the packet to include an ingress identifier that identifies the ingress forwarding component in response to the determination that a service is to be applied to the packet; transmitting, with the ingress forwarding component, the updated packet to a service card that applies the service; applying, with the service card, the service to the updated packet to generate a serviced packet; transmitting, with the service card, the serviced packet back to said ingress forwarding component identified by said ingress identifier which has the effect of maintaining said load balancing of packet flows across the plurality of forwarding components; determining, with the ingress forwarding component, a next hop of a plurality of next hops to which to forward the serviced packet; and forwarding, with a second one of the plurality of forwarding components, the serviced packet to the determined next hop, wherein the second one of the plurality of forwarding components acts as an egress forwarding component for a packet flow to which the serviced packet corresponds.