diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/vreplication/vreplication_test.go b/go/test/endtoend/vreplication/vreplication_test.go
index 32ef7a95374..64075cfbf93 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/vreplication/vreplication_test.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/vreplication/vreplication_test.go
@@ -905,6 +905,8 @@ func shardCustomer(t *testing.T, testReverse bool, cells []*Cell, sourceCellOrAl
 			require.Regexp(t, fmt.Sprintf(".*cannot switch traffic for workflow %s at this time: replication lag [0-9]+s is higher than allowed lag %s.*",
 				workflow, lagDuration.String()), out)
 			require.NotContains(t, out, "cancel migration failed")
+			// Confirm that queries still work fine.
+			execVtgateQuery(t, vtgateConn, sourceKs, "select * from customer limit 1")
 			cleanupTestData()
 			waitForTargetToCatchup()
 
@@ -923,6 +925,8 @@ func shardCustomer(t *testing.T, testReverse bool, cells []*Cell, sourceCellOrAl
 			require.Error(t, err)
 			require.Contains(t, out, "failed to sync up replication between the source and target")
 			require.NotContains(t, out, "cancel migration failed")
+			// Confirm that queries still work fine.
+			execVtgateQuery(t, vtgateConn, sourceKs, "select * from customer limit 1")
 			unlockTargetTable()
 			deleteTestRows()
 			waitForTargetToCatchup()
diff --git a/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/workflows.go b/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/workflows.go
index 7e800bb28c7..2ee66b8756b 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/workflows.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/workflows.go
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ func (wf *workflowFetcher) scanWorkflow(
 
 		// MaxVReplicationTransactionLag estimates the max statement processing lag
 		// between the source and the target across all of the workflow streams.
-		transactionReplicationLag := getVReplicationTrxLag(rstream.TransactionTimestamp, rstream.TimeUpdated, rstream.State)
+		transactionReplicationLag := getVReplicationTrxLag(rstream.TransactionTimestamp, rstream.TimeUpdated, rstream.TimeHeartbeat, rstream.State)
 		if transactionReplicationLag > meta.maxVReplicationTransactionLag {
 			meta.maxVReplicationTransactionLag = transactionReplicationLag
 		}
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ func getStreamState(stream *vtctldatapb.Workflow_Stream, rstream *tabletmanagerd
 // heartbeat, but which has not yet been processed on the target. We don't allow
 // switching during the copy phase, so in that case we just return a large lag.
 // All timestamps are in seconds since epoch.
-func getVReplicationTrxLag(trxTs, updatedTs *vttimepb.Time, state binlogdatapb.VReplicationWorkflowState) float64 {
+func getVReplicationTrxLag(trxTs, updatedTs, heartbeatTs *vttimepb.Time, state binlogdatapb.VReplicationWorkflowState) float64 {
 	if trxTs == nil {
 		trxTs = &vttimepb.Time{}
 	}
@@ -663,14 +663,23 @@ func getVReplicationTrxLag(trxTs, updatedTs *vttimepb.Time, state binlogdatapb.V
 	if updatedTs == nil {
 		updatedTs = &vttimepb.Time{}
 	}
-	lastUpdateTime := updatedTs.Seconds
+	lastUpdatedTime := updatedTs.Seconds
+	if heartbeatTs == nil {
+		heartbeatTs = &vttimepb.Time{}
+	}
+	lastHeartbeatTime := heartbeatTs.Seconds
 	if state == binlogdatapb.VReplicationWorkflowState_Copying {
 		return math.MaxInt64
 	}
-	if state == binlogdatapb.VReplicationWorkflowState_Running && // We could be in the ERROR state
-		(lastTransactionTime == 0 /* No new events after copy */ ||
-			lastUpdateTime > lastTransactionTime /* No recent transactions, so all caught up */) {
-		lastTransactionTime = lastUpdateTime
+	// We do NOT update the heartbeat timestamp when we are regularly updating the
+	// position as we replication transactions (GTIDs).
+	// When we DO record a heartbeat, we set the updated time to the same value.
+	// When recording that we are throttled, we update the updated time but NOT
+	// the heartbeat time.
+	if lastTransactionTime == 0 /* No replicated events after copy */ ||
+		(lastUpdatedTime == lastHeartbeatTime && /* The last update was from a heartbeat */
+			lastUpdatedTime > lastTransactionTime /* No recent transactions, only heartbeats, so all caught up */) {
+		lastTransactionTime = lastUpdatedTime
 	}
 	now := time.Now().Unix() // Seconds since epoch
 	return float64(now - lastTransactionTime)