diff --git a/docs/changelog/132570.yaml b/docs/changelog/132570.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..76c6033ae00b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/changelog/132570.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+pr: 132570
+summary: Always stop the timer when profiling the fetch phase
+area: Search
+type: bug
+issues: []
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/FetchPhase.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/FetchPhase.java
index fba268b5bd809..86c9eae285847 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/FetchPhase.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/fetch/FetchPhase.java
@@ -165,17 +165,21 @@ private SearchHits buildSearchHits(SearchContext context, int[] docIdsToLoad, Pr
             @Override
             protected void setNextReader(LeafReaderContext ctx, int[] docsInLeaf) throws IOException {
                 Timer timer = profiler.startNextReader();
-                this.ctx = ctx;
-                this.leafNestedDocuments = nestedDocuments.getLeafNestedDocuments(ctx);
-                this.leafStoredFieldLoader = storedFieldLoader.getLoader(ctx, docsInLeaf);
-                this.leafSourceLoader = sourceLoader.leaf(ctx.reader(), docsInLeaf);
-                this.leafIdLoader = idLoader.leaf(leafStoredFieldLoader, ctx.reader(), docsInLeaf);
-                fieldLookupProvider.setNextReader(ctx);
-                for (FetchSubPhaseProcessor processor : processors) {
-                    processor.setNextReader(ctx);
-                }
-                if (timer != null) {
-                    timer.stop();
+                try {
+                    this.ctx = ctx;
+                    this.leafNestedDocuments = nestedDocuments.getLeafNestedDocuments(ctx);
+                    this.leafStoredFieldLoader = storedFieldLoader.getLoader(ctx, docsInLeaf);
+                    this.leafSourceLoader = sourceLoader.leaf(ctx.reader(), docsInLeaf);
+                    this.leafIdLoader = idLoader.leaf(leafStoredFieldLoader, ctx.reader(), docsInLeaf);
+
+                    fieldLookupProvider.setNextReader(ctx);
+                    for (FetchSubPhaseProcessor processor : processors) {
+                        processor.setNextReader(ctx);
+                    }
+                } finally {
+                    if (timer != null) {
+                        timer.stop();
+                    }
                 }
             }
 
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/FetchSearchPhaseTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/FetchSearchPhaseTests.java
index 1978189c9dde4..b6ca12368f762 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/FetchSearchPhaseTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/FetchSearchPhaseTests.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.search.SearchPhaseResult;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.SearchShardTarget;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.fetch.FetchPhase;
+import org.elasticsearch.search.fetch.FetchPhaseExecutionException;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.fetch.FetchSearchResult;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.fetch.FetchSubPhase;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.fetch.FetchSubPhaseProcessor;
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.search.internal.ShardSearchRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.lookup.Source;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.profile.ProfileResult;
+import org.elasticsearch.search.profile.Profilers;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.profile.SearchProfileQueryPhaseResult;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.profile.SearchProfileShardResult;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.query.QuerySearchResult;
@@ -873,6 +875,63 @@ public StoredFieldsSpec storedFieldsSpec() {
         }
     }
 
+    public void testTimerStoppedAndSubPhasesExceptionsPropagate() throws IOException {
+        // if the timer is not stopped properly whilst profiling the fetch phase the exceptions
+        // in sub phases#setNextReader will not propagate as the cause that failed the fetch phase (instead a timer illegal state exception
+        // will propagate)
+        // this tests ensures that exceptions in sub phases are propagated correctly as the cause of the fetch phase failure (which in turn
+        // implies the timer was handled correctly)
+        Directory dir = newDirectory();
+        RandomIndexWriter w = new RandomIndexWriter(random(), dir);
+
+        String body = "{ \"thefield\": \" " + randomAlphaOfLength(48_000) + "\" }";
+        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+            Document document = new Document();
+            document.add(new StringField("id", Integer.toString(i), Field.Store.YES));
+            w.addDocument(document);
+        }
+        if (randomBoolean()) {
+            w.forceMerge(1);
+        }
+        IndexReader r = w.getReader();
+        w.close();
+        ContextIndexSearcher contextIndexSearcher = createSearcher(r);
+        try (
+            SearchContext searchContext = createSearchContext(
+                contextIndexSearcher,
+                true,
+                new NoopCircuitBreaker(CircuitBreaker.REQUEST),
+                true
+            )
+        ) {
+            FetchPhase fetchPhase = new FetchPhase(List.of(fetchContext -> new FetchSubPhaseProcessor() {
+                @Override
+                public void setNextReader(LeafReaderContext readerContext) throws IOException {
+                    throw new IOException("bad things");
+                }
+
+                @Override
+                public void process(FetchSubPhase.HitContext hitContext) throws IOException {
+                    Source source = hitContext.source();
+                    hitContext.hit().sourceRef(source.internalSourceRef());
+                }
+
+                @Override
+                public StoredFieldsSpec storedFieldsSpec() {
+                    return StoredFieldsSpec.NEEDS_SOURCE;
+                }
+            }));
+            FetchPhaseExecutionException fetchPhaseExecutionException = assertThrows(
+                FetchPhaseExecutionException.class,
+                () -> fetchPhase.execute(searchContext, IntStream.range(0, 100).toArray(), null)
+            );
+            assertThat(fetchPhaseExecutionException.getCause().getMessage(), is("bad things"));
+        } finally {
+            r.close();
+            dir.close();
+        }
+    }
+
     private static ContextIndexSearcher createSearcher(IndexReader reader) throws IOException {
         return new ContextIndexSearcher(reader, null, null, new QueryCachingPolicy() {
             @Override
@@ -910,13 +969,22 @@ public StoredFieldsSpec storedFieldsSpec() {
     }
 
     private static SearchContext createSearchContext(ContextIndexSearcher contextIndexSearcher, boolean allowPartialResults) {
-        return createSearchContext(contextIndexSearcher, allowPartialResults, null);
+        return createSearchContext(contextIndexSearcher, allowPartialResults, null, false);
     }
 
     private static SearchContext createSearchContext(
         ContextIndexSearcher contextIndexSearcher,
         boolean allowPartialResults,
         @Nullable CircuitBreaker circuitBreaker
+    ) {
+        return createSearchContext(contextIndexSearcher, allowPartialResults, circuitBreaker, false);
+    }
+
+    private static SearchContext createSearchContext(
+        ContextIndexSearcher contextIndexSearcher,
+        boolean allowPartialResults,
+        @Nullable CircuitBreaker circuitBreaker,
+        boolean profileEnabled
     ) {
         IndexSettings indexSettings = new IndexSettings(
             IndexMetadata.builder("index")
@@ -999,6 +1067,11 @@ public CircuitBreaker circuitBreaker() {
                     return super.circuitBreaker();
                 }
             }
+
+            @Override
+            public Profilers getProfilers() {
+                return profileEnabled ? new Profilers(contextIndexSearcher) : null;
+            }
         };
         searchContext.addReleasable(searchContext.fetchResult()::decRef);
         searchContext.setTask(new SearchShardTask(-1, "type", "action", "description", null, Collections.emptyMap()));