diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_252.4.bb b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_252.4.bb
index eb6f5ecc17..e63b2bb681 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_252.4.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_252.4.bb
@@ -191,10 +191,7 @@ PACKAGECONFIG[sysusers] = "-Dsysusers=true,-Dsysusers=false"
 PACKAGECONFIG[sysvinit] = "-Dsysvinit-path=${sysconfdir}/init.d -Dsysvrcnd-path=${sysconfdir},-Dsysvinit-path= -Dsysvrcnd-path=,,systemd-compat-units update-rc.d"
 # When enabled use reproducble build timestamp if set as time epoch,
 # or build time if not. When disabled, time epoch is unset.
-def build_epoch(d):
-    epoch = d.getVar('SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH') or "-1"
-    return '-Dtime-epoch=%d' % int(epoch)
-PACKAGECONFIG[set-time-epoch] = "${@build_epoch(d)},-Dtime-epoch=0"
+PACKAGECONFIG[set-time-epoch] = "${@get_source_date_epoch_value(d)},-Dtime-epoch=0"
 PACKAGECONFIG[timedated] = "-Dtimedated=true,-Dtimedated=false"
 PACKAGECONFIG[timesyncd] = "-Dtimesyncd=true,-Dtimesyncd=false"
 PACKAGECONFIG[usrmerge] = "-Dsplit-usr=false,-Dsplit-usr=true"