diff --git a/kernel/time/posix-timers.c b/kernel/time/posix-timers.c
index ed7d260f51ef..6ac693331df9 100644
--- a/kernel/time/posix-timers.c
+++ b/kernel/time/posix-timers.c
@@ -466,20 +466,21 @@ static void k_itimer_rcu_free(struct rcu_head *head)
 	kmem_cache_free(posix_timers_cache, tmr);
 }
 
-#define IT_ID_SET	1
-#define IT_ID_NOT_SET	0
-static void release_posix_timer(struct k_itimer *tmr, int it_id_set)
+static void posix_timer_free(struct k_itimer *tmr)
 {
-	if (it_id_set) {
-		spin_lock(&hash_lock, flags);
-		hlist_del_rcu(&tmr->t_hash);
-		spin_unlock(&hash_lock, flags);
-	}
 	put_pid(tmr->it_pid);
 	sigqueue_free(tmr->sigq);
 	call_rcu(&tmr->rcu, k_itimer_rcu_free);
 }
 
+static void posix_timer_unhash_and_free(struct k_itimer *tmr)
+{
+	spin_lock(&hash_lock);
+	hlist_del_rcu(&tmr->t_hash);
+	spin_unlock(&hash_lock);
+	posix_timer_free(tmr);
+}
+
 static int common_timer_create(struct k_itimer *new_timer)
 {
 	hrtimer_init(&new_timer->it.real.timer, new_timer->it_clock, 0);
@@ -493,7 +494,6 @@ static int do_timer_create(clockid_t which_clock, struct sigevent *event,
 	const struct k_clock *kc = clockid_to_kclock(which_clock);
 	struct k_itimer *new_timer;
 	int error, new_timer_id;
-	int it_id_set = IT_ID_NOT_SET;
 
 	if (!kc)
 		return -EINVAL;
@@ -513,11 +513,10 @@ static int do_timer_create(clockid_t which_clock, struct sigevent *event,
 	 */
 	new_timer_id = posix_timer_add(new_timer);
 	if (new_timer_id < 0) {
-		error = new_timer_id;
-		goto out;
+		posix_timer_free(new_timer);
+		return new_timer_id;
 	}
 
-	it_id_set = IT_ID_SET;
 	new_timer->it_id = (timer_t) new_timer_id;
 	new_timer->it_clock = which_clock;
 	new_timer->kclock = kc;
@@ -569,7 +568,7 @@ static int do_timer_create(clockid_t which_clock, struct sigevent *event,
 	 * new_timer after the unlock call.
 	 */
 out:
-	release_posix_timer(new_timer, it_id_set);
+	posix_timer_unhash_and_free(new_timer);
 	return error;
 }
 
@@ -1057,7 +1056,7 @@ retry_delete:
 	WRITE_ONCE(timer->it_signal, NULL);
 
 	unlock_timer(timer, flags);
-	release_posix_timer(timer, IT_ID_SET);
+	posix_timer_unhash_and_free(timer);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1109,7 +1108,7 @@ retry_delete:
 	WRITE_ONCE(timer->it_signal, NULL);
 
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&timer->it_lock, flags);
-	release_posix_timer(timer, IT_ID_SET);
+	posix_timer_unhash_and_free(timer);
 }
 
 /*