diff --git a/.changeset/wet-dryers-dance.md b/.changeset/wet-dryers-dance.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..97be3c516d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/wet-dryers-dance.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"@clerk/backend": patch
+---
+
+Extend `buildRedirectToHandshake` to accept search params
+and track delta between `session.iat` and `client.uat` in case `iat < uat`
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/handshake.test.ts b/packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/handshake.test.ts
index 51c26f45ba1..c8caa372a4c 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/handshake.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/handshake.test.ts
@@ -179,6 +179,14 @@ describe('HandshakeService', () => {
       );
     });
 
+    it('should include additional search params when provided', () => {
+      const headers = handshakeService.buildRedirectToHandshake('test-reason', { iat_uat_delta: '100' });
+      const location = headers.get(constants.Headers.Location) ?? '';
+      const url = new URL(location);
+
+      expect(url.searchParams.get('iat_uat_delta')).toBe('100');
+    });
+
     it('should use proxy URL when available', () => {
       mockAuthenticateContext.proxyUrl = 'https://my-proxy.example.com';
       // Simulate what parsePublishableKey does when proxy URL is provided
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/tokens/handshake.ts b/packages/backend/src/tokens/handshake.ts
index 18ba6dc6080..c9e0562ec56 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/tokens/handshake.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/tokens/handshake.ts
@@ -125,10 +125,11 @@ export class HandshakeService {
   /**
    * Builds the redirect headers for a handshake request
    * @param reason - The reason for the handshake (e.g. 'session-token-expired')
+   * @param additionalSearchParams - Additional search params to append to the handshake URL (e.g. to help with observability)
    * @returns Headers object containing the Location header for redirect
    * @throws Error if clerkUrl is missing in authenticateContext
    */
-  buildRedirectToHandshake(reason: string): Headers {
+  buildRedirectToHandshake(reason: string, additionalSearchParams?: Record<string, string | undefined>): Headers {
     if (!this.authenticateContext?.clerkUrl) {
       throw new Error('Missing clerkUrl in authenticateContext');
     }
@@ -163,6 +164,14 @@ export class HandshakeService {
       });
     }
 
+    if (additionalSearchParams) {
+      Object.entries(additionalSearchParams).forEach(([key, value]) => {
+        if (typeof value !== 'undefined') {
+          url.searchParams.append(key, value);
+        }
+      });
+    }
+
     return new Headers({ [constants.Headers.Location]: url.href });
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/tokens/request.ts b/packages/backend/src/tokens/request.ts
index a8064934a8e..40f5c31c853 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/tokens/request.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/tokens/request.ts
@@ -294,6 +294,7 @@ export const authenticateRequest: AuthenticateRequest = (async (
     reason: string,
     message: string,
     headers?: Headers,
+    handshakeSearchParams?: Record<string, string | undefined>,
   ): SignedInState | SignedOutState | HandshakeState {
     if (!handshakeService.isRequestEligibleForHandshake()) {
       return signedOut({
@@ -306,7 +307,7 @@ export const authenticateRequest: AuthenticateRequest = (async (
 
     // Right now the only usage of passing in different headers is for multi-domain sync, which redirects somewhere else.
     // In the future if we want to decorate the handshake redirect with additional headers per call we need to tweak this logic.
-    const handshakeHeaders = headers ?? handshakeService.buildRedirectToHandshake(reason);
+    const handshakeHeaders = headers ?? handshakeService.buildRedirectToHandshake(reason, handshakeSearchParams);
 
     // Chrome aggressively caches inactive tabs. If we don't set the header here,
     // all 307 redirects will be cached and the handshake will end up in an infinite loop.
@@ -534,7 +535,15 @@ export const authenticateRequest: AuthenticateRequest = (async (
     }
 
     if (decodeResult.payload.iat < authenticateContext.clientUat) {
-      return handleMaybeHandshakeStatus(authenticateContext, AuthErrorReason.SessionTokenIATBeforeClientUAT, '');
+      // Track delta for observability
+      const delta = authenticateContext.clientUat - decodeResult.payload.iat;
+      return handleMaybeHandshakeStatus(
+        authenticateContext,
+        AuthErrorReason.SessionTokenIATBeforeClientUAT,
+        '',
+        undefined,
+        { iat_uat_delta: delta.toString() },
+      );
     }
 
     try {