diff --git a/drivers/rtc/class.c b/drivers/rtc/class.c
index 2ed970d61da140..eef4123a573504 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/class.c
+++ b/drivers/rtc/class.c
@@ -161,6 +161,12 @@ static struct rtc_device *rtc_allocate_device(void)
 
 	device_initialize(&rtc->dev);
 
+	/* Drivers can revise this default after allocating the device. It
+	 * should be the value of wallclock tv_nsec that the driver needs in
+	 * order to synchronize the second tick over during set.
+	 */
+	rtc->set_offset_nsec =  NSEC_PER_SEC / 2;
+
 	rtc->irq_freq = 1;
 	rtc->max_user_freq = 64;
 	rtc->dev.class = rtc_class;
diff --git a/drivers/rtc/systohc.c b/drivers/rtc/systohc.c
index b4a68ffcd06bb8..0c177647ea6c71 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/systohc.c
+++ b/drivers/rtc/systohc.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 /**
  * rtc_set_ntp_time - Save NTP synchronized time to the RTC
  * @now: Current time of day
+ * @target_nsec: pointer for desired now->tv_nsec value
  *
  * Replacement for the NTP platform function update_persistent_clock64
  * that stores time for later retrieval by rtc_hctosys.
@@ -18,30 +19,52 @@
  * possible at all, and various other -errno for specific temporary failure
  * cases.
  *
+ * -EPROTO is returned if now.tv_nsec is not close enough to *target_nsec.
+ (
  * If temporary failure is indicated the caller should try again 'soon'
  */
-int rtc_set_ntp_time(struct timespec64 now)
+int rtc_set_ntp_time(struct timespec64 now, unsigned long *target_nsec)
 {
 	struct rtc_device *rtc;
 	struct rtc_time tm;
+	struct timespec64 to_set;
 	int err = -ENODEV;
-
-	if (now.tv_nsec < (NSEC_PER_SEC >> 1))
-		rtc_time64_to_tm(now.tv_sec, &tm);
-	else
-		rtc_time64_to_tm(now.tv_sec + 1, &tm);
+	bool ok;
 
 	rtc = rtc_class_open(CONFIG_RTC_SYSTOHC_DEVICE);
-	if (rtc) {
-		/* rtc_hctosys exclusively uses UTC, so we call set_time here,
-		 * not set_mmss. */
-		if (rtc->ops &&
-		    (rtc->ops->set_time ||
-		     rtc->ops->set_mmss64 ||
-		     rtc->ops->set_mmss))
-			err = rtc_set_time(rtc, &tm);
-		rtc_class_close(rtc);
+	if (!rtc)
+		goto out_err;
+
+	if (!rtc->ops || (!rtc->ops->set_time && !rtc->ops->set_mmss64 &&
+			  !rtc->ops->set_mmss))
+		goto out_close;
+
+	/* Compute the value of tv_nsec we require the caller to supply in
+	 * now.tv_nsec.  This is the value such that (now +
+	 * set_offset_nsec).tv_nsec == 0.
+	 */
+	set_normalized_timespec64(&to_set, 0, -rtc->set_offset_nsec);
+	*target_nsec = to_set.tv_nsec;
+
+	/* The ntp code must call this with the correct value in tv_nsec, if
+	 * it does not we update target_nsec and return EPROTO to make the ntp
+	 * code try again later.
+	 */
+	ok = rtc_tv_nsec_ok(rtc->set_offset_nsec, &to_set, &now);
+	if (!ok) {
+		err = -EPROTO;
+		goto out_close;
 	}
 
+	rtc_time64_to_tm(to_set.tv_sec, &tm);
+
+	/* rtc_hctosys exclusively uses UTC, so we call set_time here, not
+	 * set_mmss.
+	 */
+	err = rtc_set_time(rtc, &tm);
+
+out_close:
+	rtc_class_close(rtc);
+out_err:
 	return err;
 }
diff --git a/include/linux/rtc.h b/include/linux/rtc.h
index 0a0f0d14a5fba5..eb767f0bfc13fa 100644
--- a/include/linux/rtc.h
+++ b/include/linux/rtc.h
@@ -137,6 +137,14 @@ struct rtc_device {
 	/* Some hardware can't support UIE mode */
 	int uie_unsupported;
 
+	/* Number of nsec it takes to set the RTC clock. This influences when
+	 * the set ops are called. An offset:
+	 *   - of 0.5 s will call RTC set for wall clock time 10.0 s at 9.5 s
+	 *   - of 1.5 s will call RTC set for wall clock time 10.0 s at 8.5 s
+	 *   - of -0.5 s will call RTC set for wall clock time 10.0 s at 10.5 s
+	 */
+	long set_offset_nsec;
+
 	bool registered;
 
 	struct nvmem_config *nvmem_config;
@@ -174,7 +182,7 @@ extern void devm_rtc_device_unregister(struct device *dev,
 
 extern int rtc_read_time(struct rtc_device *rtc, struct rtc_time *tm);
 extern int rtc_set_time(struct rtc_device *rtc, struct rtc_time *tm);
-extern int rtc_set_ntp_time(struct timespec64 now);
+extern int rtc_set_ntp_time(struct timespec64 now, unsigned long *target_nsec);
 int __rtc_read_alarm(struct rtc_device *rtc, struct rtc_wkalrm *alarm);
 extern int rtc_read_alarm(struct rtc_device *rtc,
 			struct rtc_wkalrm *alrm);
@@ -223,6 +231,39 @@ static inline bool is_leap_year(unsigned int year)
 	return (!(year % 4) && (year % 100)) || !(year % 400);
 }
 
+/* Determine if we can call to driver to set the time. Drivers can only be
+ * called to set a second aligned time value, and the field set_offset_nsec
+ * specifies how far away from the second aligned time to call the driver.
+ *
+ * This also computes 'to_set' which is the time we are trying to set, and has
+ * a zero in tv_nsecs, such that:
+ *    to_set - set_delay_nsec == now +/- FUZZ
+ *
+ */
+static inline bool rtc_tv_nsec_ok(s64 set_offset_nsec,
+				  struct timespec64 *to_set,
+				  const struct timespec64 *now)
+{
+	/* Allowed error in tv_nsec, arbitarily set to 5 jiffies in ns. */
+	const unsigned long TIME_SET_NSEC_FUZZ = TICK_NSEC * 5;
+	struct timespec64 delay = {.tv_sec = 0,
+				   .tv_nsec = set_offset_nsec};
+
+	*to_set = timespec64_add(*now, delay);
+
+	if (to_set->tv_nsec < TIME_SET_NSEC_FUZZ) {
+		to_set->tv_nsec = 0;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	if (to_set->tv_nsec > NSEC_PER_SEC - TIME_SET_NSEC_FUZZ) {
+		to_set->tv_sec++;
+		to_set->tv_nsec = 0;
+		return true;
+	}
+	return false;
+}
+
 #define rtc_register_device(device) \
 	__rtc_register_device(THIS_MODULE, device)
 
diff --git a/kernel/time/ntp.c b/kernel/time/ntp.c
index edf19cc5314043..c209fc1d455668 100644
--- a/kernel/time/ntp.c
+++ b/kernel/time/ntp.c
@@ -492,11 +492,70 @@ int second_overflow(time64_t secs)
 	return leap;
 }
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_GENERIC_CMOS_UPDATE
-int __weak update_persistent_clock(struct timespec now)
+static void sync_hw_clock(struct work_struct *work);
+static DECLARE_DELAYED_WORK(sync_work, sync_hw_clock);
+
+static void sched_sync_hw_clock(struct timespec64 now,
+				unsigned long target_nsec, bool fail)
+
+{
+	struct timespec64 next;
+
+	getnstimeofday64(&next);
+	if (!fail)
+		next.tv_sec = 659;
+	else {
+		/*
+		 * Try again as soon as possible. Delaying long periods
+		 * decreases the accuracy of the work queue timer. Due to this
+		 * the algorithm is very likely to require a short-sleep retry
+		 * after the above long sleep to synchronize ts_nsec.
+		 */
+		next.tv_sec = 0;
+	}
+
+	/* Compute the needed delay that will get to tv_nsec == target_nsec */
+	next.tv_nsec = target_nsec - next.tv_nsec;
+	if (next.tv_nsec <= 0)
+		next.tv_nsec += NSEC_PER_SEC;
+	if (next.tv_nsec >= NSEC_PER_SEC) {
+		next.tv_sec++;
+		next.tv_nsec -= NSEC_PER_SEC;
+	}
+
+	queue_delayed_work(system_power_efficient_wq, &sync_work,
+			   timespec64_to_jiffies(&next));
+}
+
+#if defined(CONFIG_RTC_SYSTOHC)
+static void sync_rtc_clock(void)
+{
+	unsigned long target_nsec;
+	struct timespec64 adjust, now;
+	int rc;
+
+	getnstimeofday64(&now);
+
+	now = adjust;
+	if (persistent_clock_is_local)
+		adjust.tv_sec -= (sys_tz.tz_minuteswest * 60);
+
+	/*
+	 * The current RTC in use will provide the target_nsec it wants to be
+	 * called at, and does rtc_tv_nsec_ok internally.
+	 */
+	rc = rtc_set_ntp_time(adjust, &target_nsec);
+
+	sched_sync_hw_clock(now, target_nsec, rc && rc != -ENODEV);
+}
+#else
+static void sync_rtc_clock(void)
 {
-	return -ENODEV;
 }
+#endif
+
+#if defined(CONFIG_GENERIC_CMOS_UPDATE)
+int __weak update_persistent_clock(struct timespec now) { return -ENODEV; }
 
 int __weak update_persistent_clock64(struct timespec64 now64)
 {
@@ -505,78 +564,71 @@ int __weak update_persistent_clock64(struct timespec64 now64)
 	now = timespec64_to_timespec(now64);
 	return update_persistent_clock(now);
 }
-#endif
-
-#if defined(CONFIG_GENERIC_CMOS_UPDATE) || defined(CONFIG_RTC_SYSTOHC)
-static void sync_cmos_clock(struct work_struct *work);
-
-static DECLARE_DELAYED_WORK(sync_cmos_work, sync_cmos_clock);
 
-static void sync_cmos_clock(struct work_struct *work)
+static bool sync_cmos_clock(void)
 {
+	static bool no_cmos;
 	struct timespec64 now;
-	struct timespec64 next;
-	int fail = 1;
+	struct timespec64 adjust;
+	int rc = -EPROTO;
+	long target_nsec = NSEC_PER_SEC / 2;
+
+	if (no_cmos)
+		return false;
 
 	/*
-	 * If we have an externally synchronized Linux clock, then update
-	 * CMOS clock accordingly every ~11 minutes. Set_rtc_mmss() has to be
-	 * called as close as possible to 500 ms before the new second starts.
-	 * This code is run on a timer.  If the clock is set, that timer
-	 * may not expire at the correct time.  Thus, we adjust...
-	 * We want the clock to be within a couple of ticks from the target.
+	 * Historically update_persistent_clock64() has followed x86
+	 * semantics, which match the MC146818A/etc RTC. This RTC will store
+	 * 'adjust' and then in .5s it will advance once second.
+	 *
+	 * Architectures are strongly encouraged to use rtclib and not
+	 * implement this legacy API.
 	 */
-	if (!ntp_synced()) {
-		/*
-		 * Not synced, exit, do not restart a timer (if one is
-		 * running, let it run out).
-		 */
-		return;
-	}
-
 	getnstimeofday64(&now);
-	if (abs(now.tv_nsec - (NSEC_PER_SEC / 2)) <= tick_nsec * 5) {
-		struct timespec64 adjust = now;
-
-		fail = -ENODEV;
+	if (rtc_tv_nsec_ok(-1 * target_nsec, &adjust, &now)) {
 		if (persistent_clock_is_local)
 			adjust.tv_sec -= (sys_tz.tz_minuteswest * 60);
-#ifdef CONFIG_GENERIC_CMOS_UPDATE
-		fail = update_persistent_clock64(adjust);
-#endif
+		rc = update_persistent_clock64(adjust);
+		/*
+		 * The machine does not support update_persistent_clock64 even
+		 * though it defines it.
+		 */
+		if (rc == -ENODEV) {
+			no_cmos = true;
+			return false;
+		}
+	}
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_RTC_SYSTOHC
-		if (fail == -ENODEV)
-			fail = rtc_set_ntp_time(adjust);
+	sched_sync_hw_clock(now, target_nsec, rc);
+	return true;
+}
+#else
+static bool sync_cmos_clock(void)
+{
+	return false;
+}
 #endif
-	}
 
-	next.tv_nsec = (NSEC_PER_SEC / 2) - now.tv_nsec - (TICK_NSEC / 2);
-	if (next.tv_nsec <= 0)
-		next.tv_nsec += NSEC_PER_SEC;
+static void sync_hw_clock(struct work_struct *work)
+{
+	if (!ntp_synced())
+		return;
 
-	if (!fail || fail == -ENODEV)
-		next.tv_sec = 659;
-	else
-		next.tv_sec = 0;
+	if (sync_cmos_clock())
+		return;
 
-	if (next.tv_nsec >= NSEC_PER_SEC) {
-		next.tv_sec++;
-		next.tv_nsec -= NSEC_PER_SEC;
-	}
-	queue_delayed_work(system_power_efficient_wq,
-			   &sync_cmos_work, timespec64_to_jiffies(&next));
+	sync_rtc_clock();
 }
 
 void ntp_notify_cmos_timer(void)
 {
-	queue_delayed_work(system_power_efficient_wq, &sync_cmos_work, 0);
-}
-
-#else
-void ntp_notify_cmos_timer(void) { }
-#endif
+	if (!ntp_synced())
+		return;
 
+	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_GENERIC_CMOS_UPDATE) ||
+	    IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_RTC_SYSTOHC))
+		queue_delayed_work(system_power_efficient_wq, &sync_work, 0);
+}
 
 /*
  * Propagate a new txc->status value into the NTP state:
