diff --git a/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp b/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp
index 1d0695466b..de1ae21514 100644
--- a/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp
@@ -33,10 +33,12 @@ void RealTimeClock::synchronize_epoch_(uint32_t epoch) {
   ESP_LOGVV(TAG, "Got epoch %" PRIu32, epoch);
   // Skip if time is already synchronized to avoid unnecessary writes, log spam,
   // and prevent clock jumping backwards due to network latency
-  auto current = this->utcnow();
-  if (current.is_valid()) {
+  constexpr time_t MIN_VALID_EPOCH = 1546300800;  // January 1, 2019
+  time_t current_time = this->timestamp_now();
+  // Check if time is valid (year >= 2019) before comparing
+  if (current_time >= MIN_VALID_EPOCH) {
     // Unsigned subtraction handles wraparound correctly, then cast to signed
-    int32_t diff = static_cast<int32_t>(epoch - current.timestamp);
+    int32_t diff = static_cast<int32_t>(epoch - static_cast<uint32_t>(current_time));
     if (diff >= -1 && diff <= 1) {
       return;
     }