diff --git a/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.spec.ts b/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.spec.ts
index 88043c3a0d6b0..69e261901f171 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.spec.ts
@@ -62,4 +62,17 @@ describe("deserializerMiddleware", () => {
     expect(mockDeserializer).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(mockDeserializer).toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockNextResponse.response, mockOptions);
   });
+
+  it("injects $response reference to deserializing exceptions", async () => {
+    const exception = Object.assign(new Error("MockException"), mockNextResponse.response);
+    mockDeserializer.mockReset();
+    mockDeserializer.mockRejectedValueOnce(exception);
+    try {
+      await deserializerMiddleware(mockOptions, mockDeserializer)(mockNext, {})(mockArgs);
+      fail("DeserializerMiddleware should throw");
+    } catch (e) {
+      expect(e).toMatchObject(exception);
+      expect(e.$response).toEqual(mockNextResponse.response);
+    }
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.ts b/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.ts
index 4e7a52728b7e2..34661d0bf6063 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-serde/src/deserializerMiddleware.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,13 @@ export const deserializerMiddleware =
   (next: DeserializeHandler<Input, Output>, context: HandlerExecutionContext): DeserializeHandler<Input, Output> =>
   async (args: DeserializeHandlerArguments<Input>): Promise<DeserializeHandlerOutput<Output>> => {
     const { response } = await next(args);
-    const parsed = await deserializer(response, options);
-    return {
-      response,
-      output: parsed as Output,
-    };
+    try {
+      const parsed = await deserializer(response, options);
+      return {
+        response,
+        output: parsed as Output,
+      };
+    } catch (error) {
+      throw Object.assign(error, { $response: response });
+    }
   };
diff --git a/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.spec.ts b/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.spec.ts
index af8a689cb170e..e9b8ae8b1d677 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.spec.ts
@@ -73,12 +73,12 @@ describe(awsAuthMiddleware.name, () => {
   });
 
   describe("should update systemClockOffset if date header is present", () => {
-    it.each(["date", "Date"])("header[%s]", async (headerName) => {
+    it.each(["date", "Date"])("header '%s'", async (headerName) => {
       const dateHeader = new Date().toString();
       const options = { ...mockOptions };
       const signingHandler = awsAuthMiddleware(options)(mockNext, {});
 
-      const mockResponseWithDateHeader = { response: { headers: { [headerName]: dateHeader } } };
+      const mockResponseWithDateHeader = { response: { headers: { [headerName]: dateHeader }, statusCode: 200 } };
       mockNext.mockResolvedValue(mockResponseWithDateHeader);
 
       const output = await signingHandler(mockSigningHandlerArgs);
@@ -88,6 +88,28 @@ describe(awsAuthMiddleware.name, () => {
       expect(getUpdatedSystemClockOffset).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
       expect(getUpdatedSystemClockOffset).toHaveBeenCalledWith(dateHeader, mockSystemClockOffset);
     });
+
+    it.each(["date", "Date"])("error response with header '%s'", async (headerName) => {
+      const serverTime = new Date().toString();
+      const options = { ...mockOptions };
+      const signingHandler = awsAuthMiddleware(options)(mockNext, {});
+
+      const mockError = Object.assign(new Error("error"), {
+        $response: { statusCode: 400, headers: { [headerName]: serverTime } },
+      });
+      mockNext.mockRejectedValue(mockError);
+
+      try {
+        await signingHandler(mockSigningHandlerArgs);
+        fail(`should throw ${mockError}`);
+      } catch (error) {
+        expect(error).toStrictEqual(mockError);
+      }
+
+      expect(options.systemClockOffset).toBe(mockUpdatedSystemClockOffset);
+      expect(getUpdatedSystemClockOffset).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(getUpdatedSystemClockOffset).toHaveBeenCalledWith(serverTime, mockSystemClockOffset);
+    });
   });
 
   it("should update systemClockOffset if error contains ServerTime", async () => {
diff --git a/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.ts b/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.ts
index 75ee4bf74fe8b..8f007b19215aa 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-signing/src/middleware.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { HttpRequest } from "@aws-sdk/protocol-http";
+import { HttpRequest, HttpResponse } from "@aws-sdk/protocol-http";
 import {
   FinalizeHandler,
   FinalizeHandlerArguments,
@@ -29,14 +29,14 @@ export const awsAuthMiddleware =
           signingService: context["signing_service"],
         }),
       }).catch((error) => {
-        if (error.ServerTime) {
-          options.systemClockOffset = getUpdatedSystemClockOffset(error.ServerTime, options.systemClockOffset);
+        const serverTime: string | undefined = error.ServerTime ?? getDateHeader(error.$response);
+        if (serverTime) {
+          options.systemClockOffset = getUpdatedSystemClockOffset(serverTime, options.systemClockOffset);
         }
         throw error;
       });
 
-      const { headers } = output.response as any;
-      const dateHeader = headers && (headers.date || headers.Date);
+      const dateHeader = getDateHeader(output.response);
       if (dateHeader) {
         options.systemClockOffset = getUpdatedSystemClockOffset(dateHeader, options.systemClockOffset);
       }
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ export const awsAuthMiddleware =
       return output;
     };
 
+const getDateHeader = (response: unknown): string | undefined =>
+  HttpResponse.isInstance(response) ? response.headers?.date ?? response.headers?.Date : undefined;
+
 export const awsAuthMiddlewareOptions: RelativeMiddlewareOptions = {
   name: "awsAuthMiddleware",
   tags: ["SIGNATURE", "AWSAUTH"],
diff --git a/packages/types/src/shapes.ts b/packages/types/src/shapes.ts
index 7f5c537781e81..81334e87c8e06 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/shapes.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/shapes.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { HttpResponse } from "./http";
 import { MetadataBearer } from "./response";
 
 /**
@@ -45,6 +46,11 @@ export interface SmithyException {
    * Indicates that an error MAY be retried by the client.
    */
   readonly $retryable?: RetryableTrait;
+
+  /**
+   * Reference to low-level HTTP response object.
+   */
+  readonly $response?: HttpResponse;
 }
 
 export type SdkError = Error & Partial<SmithyException> & Partial<MetadataBearer>;