diff --git a/.changeset/modern-boxes-peel.md b/.changeset/modern-boxes-peel.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ee264083e0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/modern-boxes-peel.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+'@clerk/clerk-sdk-node': patch
+'@clerk/backend': patch
+---
+
+Inherit verifyToken options from clerkClient.
+The below code now works as expected: (requires CLERK_SECRET_KEY env var to have been set)
+```ts
+import { clerkClient } from "@clerk/clerk-sdk-node";
+
+// Use the default settings from the already instanciated clerkClient
+clerkClient.verifyToken(token)
+// or provide overrides the options 
+clerkClient.verifyToken(token, {
+  secretKey: 'xxxx'
+})
+```
diff --git a/packages/sdk-node/src/__tests__/authenticateRequest.test.ts b/packages/sdk-node/src/__tests__/authenticateRequest.test.ts
index 1d1751d43e3..27753a593cb 100644
--- a/packages/sdk-node/src/__tests__/authenticateRequest.test.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk-node/src/__tests__/authenticateRequest.test.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,6 @@ import { Request } from 'express';
 
 import { authenticateRequest } from '../authenticateRequest';
 
-const mockNext = jest.fn();
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  mockNext.mockReset();
-});
-
 const mockClerkClient = () => ({
   authenticateRequest: jest.fn(),
 });
diff --git a/packages/sdk-node/src/__tests__/verifyToken.test.ts b/packages/sdk-node/src/__tests__/verifyToken.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..39d5db1044e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/sdk-node/src/__tests__/verifyToken.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+const verifyTokenMock = jest.fn();
+
+jest.mock('@clerk/backend', () => ({
+  ...jest.requireActual('@clerk/backend'),
+  verifyToken: verifyTokenMock,
+}));
+
+import { createClerkClient } from '../clerkClient';
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  verifyTokenMock.mockReset();
+});
+
+describe('verifyToken', () => {
+  it('correctly use the predefined options of clerkClient', async () => {
+    const clerkClient = createClerkClient({
+      secretKey: '123',
+      jwtKey: '456',
+    });
+
+    await clerkClient.verifyToken('token');
+    expect(verifyTokenMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'token',
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        secretKey: '123',
+        jwtKey: '456',
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('correctly use the passed options in verifyToken', async () => {
+    const clerkClient = createClerkClient({
+      secretKey: '123',
+      jwtKey: '456',
+    });
+
+    await clerkClient.verifyToken('token', {
+      secretKey: '987',
+    });
+    expect(verifyTokenMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'token',
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        secretKey: '987',
+        jwtKey: '456',
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/sdk-node/src/clerkClient.ts b/packages/sdk-node/src/clerkClient.ts
index fe58cb9dd3c..b9f26da14cf 100644
--- a/packages/sdk-node/src/clerkClient.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk-node/src/clerkClient.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,25 @@
-import type { ClerkOptions } from '@clerk/backend';
-import { createClerkClient as _createClerkClient, verifyToken } from '@clerk/backend';
+import type { ClerkOptions, VerifyTokenOptions } from '@clerk/backend';
+import { createClerkClient as _createClerkClient, verifyToken as _verifyToken } from '@clerk/backend';
 
 import { createClerkExpressRequireAuth } from './clerkExpressRequireAuth';
 import { createClerkExpressWithAuth } from './clerkExpressWithAuth';
 import { loadApiEnv, loadClientEnv } from './utils';
 
+type MakeOptionalSecondArgument<T> = T extends (a: string, b: infer U) => infer R ? (a: string, b?: U) => R : never;
+type VerifyTokenWithOptionalSecondArgument = MakeOptionalSecondArgument<typeof _verifyToken>;
+
 type ClerkClient = ReturnType<typeof _createClerkClient> & {
   expressWithAuth: ReturnType<typeof createClerkExpressWithAuth>;
   expressRequireAuth: ReturnType<typeof createClerkExpressRequireAuth>;
-  verifyToken: typeof verifyToken;
+  verifyToken: VerifyTokenWithOptionalSecondArgument;
+};
+
+const buildVerifyToken = (params: VerifyTokenOptions) => {
+  return (...args: Parameters<VerifyTokenWithOptionalSecondArgument>) =>
+    _verifyToken(args[0], {
+      ...params,
+      ...args[1],
+    });
 };
 
 /**
@@ -24,7 +35,7 @@ export function createClerkClient(options: ClerkOptions): ClerkClient {
   return Object.assign(clerkClient, {
     expressWithAuth,
     expressRequireAuth,
-    verifyToken,
+    verifyToken: buildVerifyToken(options),
   });
 }