diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/fence.c b/drivers/dma-buf/fence.c
index 0f67d5294cd6e..c7a0eefb93ab7 100644
--- a/drivers/dma-buf/fence.c
+++ b/drivers/dma-buf/fence.c
@@ -280,6 +280,31 @@ int fence_add_callback(struct fence *fence, struct fence_cb *cb,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(fence_add_callback);
 
+/**
+ * fence_get_status - returns the status upon completion
+ * @fence: [in]	the fence to query
+ *
+ * This wraps fence_get_status_locked() to return the error status
+ * condition on a signaled fence. See fence_get_status_locked() for more
+ * details.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 if the fence has not yet been signaled, 1 if the fence has
+ * been signaled without an error condition, or a negative error code
+ * if the fence has been completed in err.
+ */
+int fence_get_status(struct fence *fence)
+{
+	unsigned long flags;
+	int status;
+
+	spin_lock_irqsave(fence->lock, flags);
+	status = fence_get_status_locked(fence);
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(fence->lock, flags);
+
+	return status;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(fence_get_status);
+
 /**
  * fence_remove_callback - remove a callback from the signaling list
  * @fence:	[in]	the fence to wait on
diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/sync_debug.c b/drivers/dma-buf/sync_debug.c
index 39386517175b3..858263dbecd4c 100644
--- a/drivers/dma-buf/sync_debug.c
+++ b/drivers/dma-buf/sync_debug.c
@@ -62,29 +62,29 @@ void sync_file_debug_remove(struct sync_file *sync_file)
 
 static const char *sync_status_str(int status)
 {
-	if (status == 0)
-		return "signaled";
+	if (status < 0)
+		return "error";
 
 	if (status > 0)
-		return "active";
+		return "signaled";
 
-	return "error";
+	return "active";
 }
 
-static void sync_print_fence(struct seq_file *s, struct fence *fence, bool show)
+static void sync_print_fence(struct seq_file *s,
+			     struct fence *fence, bool show)
 {
-	int status = 1;
 	struct sync_timeline *parent = fence_parent(fence);
+	int status;
 
-	if (fence_is_signaled_locked(fence))
-		status = fence->status;
+	status = fence_get_status_locked(fence);
 
 	seq_printf(s, "  %s%sfence %s",
 		   show ? parent->name : "",
 		   show ? "_" : "",
 		   sync_status_str(status));
 
-	if (status <= 0) {
+	if (status) {
 		struct timespec64 ts64 =
 			ktime_to_timespec64(fence->timestamp);
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static void sync_print_sync_file(struct seq_file *s,
 	int i;
 
 	seq_printf(s, "[%p] %s: %s\n", sync_file, sync_file->name,
-		   sync_status_str(!fence_is_signaled(sync_file->fence)));
+		   sync_status_str(fence_get_status(sync_file->fence)));
 
 	if (fence_is_array(sync_file->fence)) {
 		struct fence_array *array = to_fence_array(sync_file->fence);
diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/sync_file.c b/drivers/dma-buf/sync_file.c
index b29a9e817320a..eb3922031c3bf 100644
--- a/drivers/dma-buf/sync_file.c
+++ b/drivers/dma-buf/sync_file.c
@@ -377,10 +377,8 @@ static void sync_fill_fence_info(struct fence *fence,
 		sizeof(info->obj_name));
 	strlcpy(info->driver_name, fence->ops->get_driver_name(fence),
 		sizeof(info->driver_name));
-	if (fence_is_signaled(fence))
-		info->status = fence->status >= 0 ? 1 : fence->status;
-	else
-		info->status = 0;
+
+	info->status = fence_get_status(fence);
 	info->timestamp_ns = ktime_to_ns(fence->timestamp);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/linux/fence.h b/include/linux/fence.h
index fcb69f99d7179..2dfed6957b61b 100644
--- a/include/linux/fence.h
+++ b/include/linux/fence.h
@@ -334,6 +334,30 @@ static inline struct fence *fence_later(struct fence *f1, struct fence *f2)
 		return fence_is_signaled(f2) ? NULL : f2;
 }
 
+/**
+ * fence_get_status_locked - returns the status upon completion
+ * @fence: [in]	the fence to query
+ *
+ * Drivers can supply an optional error status condition before they signal
+ * the fence (to indicate whether the fence was completed due to an error
+ * rather than success). The value of the status condition is only valid
+ * if the fence has been signaled, fence_get_status_locked() first checks
+ * the signal state before reporting the error status.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 if the fence has not yet been signaled, 1 if the fence has
+ * been signaled without an error condition, or a negative error code
+ * if the fence has been completed in err.
+ */
+static inline int fence_get_status_locked(struct fence *fence)
+{
+	if (fence_is_signaled_locked(fence))
+		return fence->status < 0 ? fence->status : 1;
+	else
+		return 0;
+}
+
+int fence_get_status(struct fence *fence);
+
 signed long fence_wait_timeout(struct fence *, bool intr, signed long timeout);
 signed long fence_wait_any_timeout(struct fence **fences, uint32_t count,
 				   bool intr, signed long timeout);