diff --git a/js/ui/calendar.js b/js/ui/calendar.js
index 2ed812613..70252e2ec 100644
--- a/js/ui/calendar.js
+++ b/js/ui/calendar.js
@@ -946,8 +946,8 @@ const NotificationSection = new Lang.Class({
                !Main.sessionMode.isGreeter;
     },
 
-    _createTimeLabel: function() {
-        let label = Util.createTimeLabel(new Date());
+    _createTimeLabel: function(datetime) {
+        let label = Util.createTimeLabel(datetime);
         label.style_class = 'event-time',
         label.x_align = Clutter.ActorAlign.END;
         return label;
@@ -970,13 +970,13 @@ const NotificationSection = new Lang.Class({
 
     _onNotificationAdded: function(source, notification) {
         let message = new NotificationMessage(notification);
-        message.setSecondaryActor(this._createTimeLabel());
+        message.setSecondaryActor(this._createTimeLabel(notification.datetime));
 
         let isUrgent = notification.urgency == MessageTray.Urgency.CRITICAL;
 
         let updatedId = notification.connect('updated', Lang.bind(this,
             function() {
-                message.setSecondaryActor(this._createTimeLabel());
+                message.setSecondaryActor(this._createTimeLabel(notification.datetime));
                 this.moveMessage(message, isUrgent ? 0 : this._nUrgent, this.actor.mapped);
             }));
         let destroyId = notification.connect('destroy', Lang.bind(this,
diff --git a/js/ui/messageTray.js b/js/ui/messageTray.js
index 4f1ab7fea..fe1b4d8e7 100644
--- a/js/ui/messageTray.js
+++ b/js/ui/messageTray.js
@@ -368,6 +368,7 @@ const Notification = new Lang.Class({
                                         secondaryGIcon: null,
                                         bannerMarkup: false,
                                         clear: false,
+                                        datetime: null,
                                         soundName: null,
                                         soundFile: null });
 
@@ -375,6 +376,11 @@ const Notification = new Lang.Class({
         this.bannerBodyText = banner;
         this.bannerBodyMarkup = params.bannerMarkup;
 
+        if (params.datetime)
+            this.datetime = params.datetime;
+        else
+            this.datetime = GLib.DateTime.new_now_local();
+
         if (params.gicon || params.clear)
             this.gicon = params.gicon;