diff --git a/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass b/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass
index 56fd01fd53..9955ffad85 100644
--- a/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass
@@ -163,6 +163,23 @@ SPDX_GIT_PURL_MAPPINGS[doc] = "A space separated list of domain:purl_type \
     on gitlab.example.com to the pkg:gitlab PURL type. \
     github.com is always mapped to pkg:github by default."
 
+SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE ??= "1"
+SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE[doc] = "If set to '1', record the release date of \
+    each recipe in the software_Package releaseTime property, derived from \
+    SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH. Set to '0' to omit the property entirely."
+
+SPDX_RELEASE_DATE_INCLUDE_PATCHES ??= "0"
+SPDX_RELEASE_DATE_INCLUDE_PATCHES[doc] = "If set to '1', also consider the \
+    Date: header of applied patches in SRC_URI when determining the release \
+    date recorded in releaseTime, using the newest of SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH and \
+    all patch dates found. Has no effect if SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE is '0'."
+
+SPDX_COMPONENT_RELEASE_DATE ??= ""
+SPDX_COMPONENT_RELEASE_DATE[doc] = "Overrides the release date recorded in the \
+    releaseTime property for this component. Expected format is full ISO 8601 \
+    UTC (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ). Takes precedence over SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE \
+    and SPDX_RELEASE_DATE_INCLUDE_PATCHES."
+
 IMAGE_CLASSES:append = " create-spdx-image-3.0"
 SDK_CLASSES += "create-spdx-sdk-3.0"
 
@@ -192,7 +209,7 @@ python do_create_recipe_spdx() {
     import oe.spdx30_tasks
     oe.spdx30_tasks.create_recipe_spdx(d)
 }
-addtask do_create_recipe_spdx
+addtask do_create_recipe_spdx after do_deploy_source_date_epoch
 
 SSTATETASKS += "do_create_recipe_spdx"
 do_create_recipe_spdx[sstate-inputdirs] = "${SPDXRECIPEDEPLOY}"
@@ -201,6 +218,7 @@ do_create_recipe_spdx[file-checksums] += "${SPDX3_DEP_FILES}"
 do_create_recipe_spdx[cleandirs] = "${SPDXRECIPEDEPLOY}"
 do_create_recipe_spdx[deptask] += "do_create_recipe_spdx"
 do_create_recipe_spdx[vardeps] += "${SPDX3_VAR_DEPS}"
+do_create_recipe_spdx[vardeps] += "SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE SPDX_RELEASE_DATE_INCLUDE_PATCHES SPDX_COMPONENT_RELEASE_DATE"
 do_create_recipe_spdx[file-checksums] = "${@bb.fetch.get_checksum_file_list(d)}"
 
 python do_create_recipe_spdx_setscene () {
diff --git a/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py b/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py
index 9978ae731c..e6340c3678 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py
@@ -36,6 +36,65 @@ def set_timestamp_now(d, o, prop):
         delattr(o, prop)
 
 
+def get_release_date(d):
+    """Resolve the release date to record in a recipe's releaseTime property.
+
+    Returns a datetime, or None if no release date should be recorded.
+    """
+    override = d.getVar("SPDX_COMPONENT_RELEASE_DATE")
+    if override:
+        try:
+            return datetime.strptime(override, "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ").replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        except ValueError:
+            bb.fatal(
+                "SPDX_COMPONENT_RELEASE_DATE value '%s' is not valid. "
+                "Expected format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ (e.g. 2024-03-15T12:00:00Z)" % override
+            )
+
+    if d.getVar("SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE") != "1":
+        return None
+
+    source_date_epoch = d.getVar("SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH")
+    if not source_date_epoch:
+        return None
+
+    release_date = datetime.fromtimestamp(int(source_date_epoch), tz=timezone.utc)
+
+    if d.getVar("SPDX_RELEASE_DATE_INCLUDE_PATCHES") == "1":
+        # Only the static Date: header is used, never "git log" on the
+        # layer's repo, since that varies with clone depth/history.
+        for url in oe.patch.src_patches(d):
+            patch_path = bb.fetch.decodeurl(url)[2]
+            patch_date = _get_patch_date_header(patch_path)
+            if patch_date and patch_date > release_date:
+                release_date = patch_date
+
+    return release_date
+
+
+def _get_patch_date_header(patch_path):
+    """Parse the 'Date:' header from a git-format-patch style file, if
+    present, and return it as a timezone-aware datetime, or None."""
+    from email.utils import parsedate_to_datetime
+
+    try:
+        with open(patch_path, errors="replace") as f:
+            for line in f:
+                if line.startswith("Date:"):
+                    try:
+                        parsed = parsedate_to_datetime(line[len("Date:"):].strip())
+                    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+                        return None
+                    if parsed.tzinfo is None:
+                        return None
+                    return parsed.astimezone(timezone.utc)
+                if line.startswith("---") or line.startswith("diff --git"):
+                    break
+    except OSError:
+        return None
+    return None
+
+
 def add_license_expression(
     d, objset, license_expression, license_data, search_objsets=[]
 ):
@@ -631,6 +690,12 @@ def create_recipe_spdx(d):
     if val := d.getVar("DESCRIPTION"):
         recipe.description = val
 
+    release_date = get_release_date(d)
+    if release_date is not None:
+        recipe.releaseTime = release_date
+    else:
+        delattr(recipe, "releaseTime")
+
     for cpe_id in oe.cve_check.get_cpe_ids(
         d.getVar("CVE_PRODUCT"), d.getVar("CVE_VERSION")
     ):
diff --git a/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/spdx.py b/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/spdx.py
index 8285189382..3b6d02d38c 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/spdx.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/spdx.py
@@ -6,8 +6,11 @@
 
 import textwrap
 import hashlib
+import os
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from oeqa.selftest.case import OESelftestTestCase
 from oeqa.utils.commands import bitbake, get_bb_var, get_bb_vars
+import oeqa.utils.ftools as ftools
 import oe.spdx30
 
 
@@ -443,3 +446,142 @@ class SPDX30Check(SPDX3CheckBase, OESelftestTestCase):
                 r'\d',
                 f"Version '{version}' for package '{name}' should contain digits"
             )
+
+    def test_release_date_source_date_epoch(self):
+        """releaseTime should be derived from SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH by default."""
+        objset = self.check_recipe_spdx(
+            "base-files",
+            "{DEPLOY_DIR_SPDX}/{MACHINE_ARCH}/static/static-base-files.spdx.json",
+            task="create_recipe_spdx",
+        )
+
+        # Query after the build so the do_unpack stamp file exists.
+        source_date_epoch = get_bb_var("SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH", "base-files")
+        expected = datetime.fromtimestamp(int(source_date_epoch), tz=timezone.utc)
+
+        recipe = None
+        for pkg in objset.foreach_type(oe.spdx30.software_Package):
+            if pkg.name == "base-files":
+                recipe = pkg
+                break
+
+        self.assertIsNotNone(recipe, "Unable to find base-files software_Package")
+        self.assertEqual(recipe.releaseTime, expected)
+
+    def test_release_date_disabled(self):
+        """SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE = "0" should omit releaseTime entirely."""
+        objset = self.check_recipe_spdx(
+            "base-files",
+            "{DEPLOY_DIR_SPDX}/{MACHINE_ARCH}/static/static-base-files.spdx.json",
+            task="create_recipe_spdx",
+            extraconf="""\
+                SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE = "0"
+                """,
+        )
+
+        recipe = None
+        for pkg in objset.foreach_type(oe.spdx30.software_Package):
+            if pkg.name == "base-files":
+                recipe = pkg
+                break
+
+        self.assertIsNotNone(recipe, "Unable to find base-files software_Package")
+        self.assertIsNone(
+            recipe.releaseTime,
+            "releaseTime should not be set when SPDX_INCLUDE_RELEASE_DATE is '0'",
+        )
+
+    def test_release_date_override(self):
+        """SPDX_COMPONENT_RELEASE_DATE overrides the resolved date."""
+        override_date = "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"
+
+        objset = self.check_recipe_spdx(
+            "base-files",
+            "{DEPLOY_DIR_SPDX}/{MACHINE_ARCH}/static/static-base-files.spdx.json",
+            task="create_recipe_spdx",
+            extraconf=f"""\
+                SPDX_COMPONENT_RELEASE_DATE = "{override_date}"
+                """,
+        )
+
+        recipe = None
+        for pkg in objset.foreach_type(oe.spdx30.software_Package):
+            if pkg.name == "base-files":
+                recipe = pkg
+                break
+
+        self.assertIsNotNone(recipe, "Unable to find base-files software_Package")
+        self.assertEqual(
+            recipe.releaseTime,
+            datetime(2020, 1, 1, tzinfo=timezone.utc),
+        )
+
+    def _write_test_patch(self, recipe, date_header):
+        """Write a no-op patch against a fixture file (not part of the
+        recipe's real source, so it isn't coupled to its content) with the
+        given Date: header, and point FILESEXTRAPATHS at it."""
+        inc_file = self.write_recipeinc(
+            recipe,
+            textwrap.dedent(
+                """\
+                FILESEXTRAPATHS:prepend := "${THISDIR}/files:"
+                SRC_URI += "file://release-date-test-file"
+                SRC_URI += "file://release-date-test.patch"
+                """
+            ),
+        )
+        patch_dir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(inc_file), "files")
+        os.makedirs(patch_dir, exist_ok=True)
+        ftools.write_file(
+            os.path.join(patch_dir, "release-date-test-file"),
+            "original content\n",
+        )
+        patch_path = os.path.join(patch_dir, "release-date-test.patch")
+        ftools.write_file(
+            patch_path,
+            textwrap.dedent(
+                f"""\
+                From: Test Author <test@example.com>
+                Date: {date_header}
+                Subject: [PATCH] modify release-date-test-file
+
+                Upstream-Status: Inappropriate [test patch, not intended for upstream]
+
+                ---
+                --- a/release-date-test-file
+                +++ b/release-date-test-file
+                @@ -1 +1 @@
+                -original content
+                +patched content
+                """
+            ),
+        )
+        self.track_for_cleanup(patch_dir)
+        return patch_path
+
+    def test_release_date_include_patches(self):
+        """SPDX_RELEASE_DATE_INCLUDE_PATCHES = "1" makes a newer patch
+        Date: header win over SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH."""
+        newer_patch_date = "Mon, 15 Jun 2099 00:00:00 +0000"
+
+        self._write_test_patch("base-files", newer_patch_date)
+        self.add_command_to_tearDown("bitbake -c clean base-files")
+
+        objset = self.check_recipe_spdx(
+            "base-files",
+            "{DEPLOY_DIR_SPDX}/{MACHINE_ARCH}/static/static-base-files.spdx.json",
+            task="create_recipe_spdx",
+            extraconf="""\
+                SPDX_RELEASE_DATE_INCLUDE_PATCHES = "1"
+                """,
+        )
+        recipe = None
+        for pkg in objset.foreach_type(oe.spdx30.software_Package):
+            if pkg.name == "base-files":
+                recipe = pkg
+                break
+        self.assertIsNotNone(recipe, "Unable to find base-files software_Package")
+        self.assertEqual(
+            recipe.releaseTime,
+            datetime(2099, 6, 15, tzinfo=timezone.utc),
+        )
