diff --git a/include/kernel.h b/include/kernel.h
index 6f497ae46de..ba6c20f935b 100644
--- a/include/kernel.h
+++ b/include/kernel.h
@@ -1483,6 +1483,8 @@ __syscall u32_t k_timer_status_get(struct k_timer *timer);
  */
 __syscall u32_t k_timer_status_sync(struct k_timer *timer);
 
+extern s32_t z_timeout_remaining(struct _timeout *timeout);
+
 /**
  * @brief Get time remaining before a timer next expires.
  *
@@ -1497,7 +1499,7 @@ __syscall s32_t k_timer_remaining_get(struct k_timer *timer);
 
 static inline s32_t _impl_k_timer_remaining_get(struct k_timer *timer)
 {
-	return _timeout_remaining_get(&timer->timeout);
+	return __ticks_to_ms(z_timeout_remaining(&timer->timeout));
 }
 
 /**
@@ -2730,7 +2732,7 @@ static inline int k_delayed_work_submit(struct k_delayed_work *work,
  */
 static inline s32_t k_delayed_work_remaining_get(struct k_delayed_work *work)
 {
-	return _timeout_remaining_get(&work->timeout);
+	return __ticks_to_ms(z_timeout_remaining(&work->timeout));
 }
 
 /** @} */
diff --git a/include/sys_clock.h b/include/sys_clock.h
index b9a5049362a..869d1e95cfb 100644
--- a/include/sys_clock.h
+++ b/include/sys_clock.h
@@ -220,8 +220,6 @@ struct _timeout {
 	_timeout_func_t func;
 };
 
-extern s32_t _timeout_remaining_get(struct _timeout *timeout);
-
 /*
  * Number of ticks for x seconds. NOTE: With MSEC() or USEC(),
  * since it does an integer division, x must be greater or equal to
diff --git a/kernel/include/timeout_q.h b/kernel/include/timeout_q.h
index 73a31606ea8..82adc3e9019 100644
--- a/kernel/include/timeout_q.h
+++ b/kernel/include/timeout_q.h
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ extern "C" {
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SYS_CLOCK_EXISTS
 
+struct _thread_base;
+
 extern u64_t z_last_tick_announced;
 
 void _init_timeout(struct _timeout *t, _timeout_func_t fn);
@@ -37,6 +39,8 @@ int _abort_thread_timeout(struct k_thread *thread);
 
 s32_t _get_next_timeout_expiry(void);
 
+s32_t z_timeout_remaining(struct _timeout *timeout);
+
 #else
 
 /* Stubs when !CONFIG_SYS_CLOCK_EXISTS */
diff --git a/kernel/sys_clock.c b/kernel/sys_clock.c
index 5c7e5f3b76d..07d6e582682 100644
--- a/kernel/sys_clock.c
+++ b/kernel/sys_clock.c
@@ -574,4 +574,31 @@ void _add_thread_timeout(struct k_thread *thread, s32_t timeout_in_ticks)
 	_add_timeout(&thread->base.timeout, NULL, timeout_in_ticks);
 }
 
+s32_t z_timeout_remaining(struct _timeout *timeout)
+{
+	unsigned int key = irq_lock();
+	s32_t remaining_ticks;
+
+	if (timeout->delta_ticks_from_prev == _INACTIVE) {
+		remaining_ticks = 0;
+	} else {
+		/*
+		 * compute remaining ticks by walking the timeout list
+		 * and summing up the various tick deltas involved
+		 */
+		struct _timeout *t =
+			(struct _timeout *)sys_dlist_peek_head(&_timeout_q);
+
+		remaining_ticks = t->delta_ticks_from_prev;
+		while (t != timeout) {
+			t = (struct _timeout *)sys_dlist_peek_next(&_timeout_q,
+								   &t->node);
+			remaining_ticks += t->delta_ticks_from_prev;
+		}
+	}
+
+	irq_unlock(key);
+	return remaining_ticks;
+}
+
 #endif /* CONFIG_SYS_CLOCK_EXISTS */
diff --git a/kernel/timer.c b/kernel/timer.c
index 423f55ae372..1a0d7a5e4d0 100644
--- a/kernel/timer.c
+++ b/kernel/timer.c
@@ -226,33 +226,6 @@ u32_t _impl_k_timer_status_sync(struct k_timer *timer)
 Z_SYSCALL_HANDLER1_SIMPLE(k_timer_status_sync, K_OBJ_TIMER, struct k_timer *);
 #endif
 
-s32_t _timeout_remaining_get(struct _timeout *timeout)
-{
-	unsigned int key = irq_lock();
-	s32_t remaining_ticks;
-
-	if (timeout->delta_ticks_from_prev == _INACTIVE) {
-		remaining_ticks = 0;
-	} else {
-		/*
-		 * compute remaining ticks by walking the timeout list
-		 * and summing up the various tick deltas involved
-		 */
-		struct _timeout *t =
-			(struct _timeout *)sys_dlist_peek_head(&_timeout_q);
-
-		remaining_ticks = t->delta_ticks_from_prev;
-		while (t != timeout) {
-			t = (struct _timeout *)sys_dlist_peek_next(&_timeout_q,
-								   &t->node);
-			remaining_ticks += t->delta_ticks_from_prev;
-		}
-	}
-
-	irq_unlock(key);
-	return __ticks_to_ms(remaining_ticks);
-}
-
 #ifdef CONFIG_USERSPACE
 Z_SYSCALL_HANDLER1_SIMPLE(k_timer_remaining_get, K_OBJ_TIMER, struct k_timer *);
 Z_SYSCALL_HANDLER1_SIMPLE(k_timer_user_data_get, K_OBJ_TIMER, struct k_timer *);