diff --git a/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass b/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass
index 56fd01fd53..da413d19a3 100644
--- a/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/create-spdx-3.0.bbclass
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ 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}"
diff --git a/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py b/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py
index b6456a214a..46cc0c5711 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oe/spdx30_tasks.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import oe.cve_check
 import oe.license
 import oe.packagedata
 import oe.patch
+import oe.reproducible
 import oe.sbom30
 import oe.sdk
 import oe.spdx30
@@ -36,6 +37,28 @@ 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.
+
+    Uses the SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH already determined for reproducible builds
+    (SDE_FILE), without falling back to SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH_FALLBACK, since a
+    fixed fallback timestamp is not a meaningful release date.
+
+    Returns a datetime, or None if no release date should be recorded.
+    """
+    sde_file = d.getVar("SDE_FILE")
+    if not sde_file or not os.path.isfile(sde_file):
+        return None
+
+    source_date_epoch = oe.reproducible.epochfile_read(sde_file, d)
+    if source_date_epoch == d.getVar("SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH_FALLBACK"):
+        # SDE_FILE exists but its value is only the fallback (e.g. no git
+        # checkout and no fetched source to derive a date from).
+        return None
+
+    return datetime.fromtimestamp(int(source_date_epoch), tz=timezone.utc)
+
+
 def add_license_expression(
     d, objset, license_expression, license_data, search_objsets=[]
 ):
@@ -633,6 +656,10 @@ 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
+
     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..fe23824ba6 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/spdx.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/spdx.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 import textwrap
 import hashlib
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from oeqa.selftest.case import OESelftestTestCase
 from oeqa.utils.commands import bitbake, get_bb_var, get_bb_vars
 import oe.spdx30
@@ -443,3 +444,54 @@ 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 the recipe's SDE_FILE."""
+        objset = self.check_recipe_spdx(
+            "base-files",
+            "{DEPLOY_DIR_SPDX}/{MACHINE_ARCH}/static/static-base-files.spdx.json",
+            task="create_recipe_spdx",
+        )
+
+        sde_file = get_bb_var("SDE_FILE", "base-files")
+        self.assertExists(sde_file)
+        with open(sde_file) as f:
+            source_date_epoch = int(f.read())
+
+        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_omitted_for_fallback_value(self):
+        """releaseTime must be omitted when SDE_FILE only has the fallback."""
+        objset = self.check_recipe_spdx(
+            "packagegroup-base",
+            "{DEPLOY_DIR_SPDX}/{MACHINE_ARCH}/static/static-packagegroup-base.spdx.json",
+            task="create_recipe_spdx",
+        )
+
+        sde_file = get_bb_var("SDE_FILE", "packagegroup-base")
+        fallback = get_bb_var("SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH_FALLBACK", "packagegroup-base")
+        self.assertExists(sde_file)
+        with open(sde_file) as f:
+            self.assertEqual(
+                f.read().strip(), fallback,
+                "packagegroup-base has no SRC_URI; SDE_FILE is expected to "
+                "only contain SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH_FALLBACK",
+            )
+
+        recipe = None
+        for pkg in objset.foreach_type(oe.spdx30.software_Package):
+            if pkg.name == "packagegroup-base":
+                recipe = pkg
+                break
+
+        self.assertIsNotNone(recipe, "Unable to find packagegroup-base software_Package")
+        self.assertIsNone(recipe.releaseTime)