diff --git a/include/package-defaults.mk b/include/package-defaults.mk
index af2db4712c..5bb6d1d2f4 100644
--- a/include/package-defaults.mk
+++ b/include/package-defaults.mk
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ ifneq ($(strip $(PKG_UNPACK)),)
   define Build/Prepare/Default
 	$(PKG_UNPACK)
 	[ ! -d ./src/ ] || $(CP) ./src/. $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)
+	-find $(PKG_BUILD_DIR) -mindepth 1 -type f -printf '%T@\n' 2>/dev/null | head -n1 | cut -d. -f1 > $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/version.date
 	$(Build/Patch)
   endef
 endif
diff --git a/include/package-pack.mk b/include/package-pack.mk
index 96ec8fe8ba..493619f7aa 100644
--- a/include/package-pack.mk
+++ b/include/package-pack.mk
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ $$(call addfield,Depends,$$(Package/$(1)/DEPENDS)
 )$$(call addfield,LicenseFiles,$(LICENSE_FILES)
 )$$(call addfield,Section,$(SECTION)
 )$$(call addfield,Require-User,$(USERID)
-)$$(call addfield,SourceDateEpoch,$(PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
+)$$(call addfield,SourceDateEpoch,$$(PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
 )$$(call addfield,URL,$(URL)
 )$$(if $$(ABIV_$(1)),ABIVersion: $$(ABIV_$(1))
 )$(if $(PKG_CPE_ID),CPE-ID: $(PKG_CPE_ID)
@@ -453,8 +453,7 @@ $(_endef)
     $$(PACK_$(1)) : export CONTROL=$$(Package/$(1)/CONTROL)
     $$(PACK_$(1)) : $(call shexport,Package/$(1)/description)
     $$(PACK_$(1)) : export PATH=$$(TARGET_PATH_PKG)
-    $$(PACK_$(1)) : export PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH:=$(PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
-    $$(PACK_$(1)) : export SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH:=$(PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
+    $$(PACK_$(1)) : export SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$$(PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
     $(PKG_INFO_DIR)/$(1).provides $$(PACK_$(1)): $(STAMP_BUILT) $(INCLUDE_DIR)/package-pack.mk
 	rm -rf $$(IDIR_$(1))
 ifeq ($$(CONFIG_USE_APK),)
diff --git a/include/package.mk b/include/package.mk
index f3c4373249..cad8dc922f 100644
--- a/include/package.mk
+++ b/include/package.mk
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ PKG_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=$(USE_SOURCE_DIR)$(USE_GIT_TREE)$(USE_GIT_SRC_CHECKOUT)
 
 MAKE_J:=$(if $(MAKE_JOBSERVER),$(MAKE_JOBSERVER) $(if $(filter 3.% 4.0 4.1,$(MAKE_VERSION)),-j))
 
-PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH:=$(if $(DUMP),,$(shell $(TOPDIR)/scripts/get_source_date_epoch.sh $(CURDIR)))
+PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH = $(if $(DUMP),,$(shell $(TOPDIR)/scripts/get_source_date_epoch.sh \
+	$(if $(wildcard $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/version.date),$(PKG_BUILD_DIR),$(CURDIR))))
 
 ifeq ($(strip $(PKG_BUILD_PARALLEL)),0)
 PKG_JOBS?=-j1
@@ -324,7 +325,7 @@ define Build/CoreTargets
   ifneq ($(CONFIG_AUTOREMOVE),)
     compile:
 		-touch -r $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/.built $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/.autoremove 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
-		$(FIND) $(PKG_BUILD_DIR) -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -not '(' -type f -and -name '.*' -and -size 0 ')' -and -not -name '.pkgdir'  -print0 | \
+		$(FIND) $(PKG_BUILD_DIR) -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -not '(' -type f -and -name '.*' -and -size 0 ')' -and -not -name '.pkgdir' -and -not -name 'version.date'  -print0 | \
 			$(XARGS) -0 rm -rf
   endif
 endef
diff --git a/scripts/ipkg-build b/scripts/ipkg-build
index d2beb41844..2e18194abd 100755
--- a/scripts/ipkg-build
+++ b/scripts/ipkg-build
@@ -15,9 +15,7 @@ FIND="${FIND:-$(command -v gfind)}"
 TAR="${TAR:-$(command -v tar)}"
 
 # try to use fixed source epoch
-if [ -n "$PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH" ]; then
-	TIMESTAMP=$(date --date="@$PKG_SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH")
-elif [ -n "$SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH" ]; then
+if [ -n "$SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH" ]; then
 	TIMESTAMP=$(date --date="@$SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH")
 else
 	TIMESTAMP=$(date)