Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for sending and receiving a buffer status report, a user equipment, and a base station. The method includes: receiving indication information that is sent by a macro base station and that is used to request a user equipment UE to send a buffer status report, and sending a buffer status report BSR to the macro base station and/or at least one small cell according to the indication information, where the macro base station and the at least one small cell jointly serve the UE, and a service area of the macro base station is larger than a service area of each small cell of the at least one small cell.