diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
index ac3bacae6c..a5e7440243 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
@@ -1208,7 +1208,13 @@ void APIConnection::on_get_time_response(const GetTimeResponse &value) {
     // and newer); field presence distinguishes a genuine all-zero UTC timezone from an
     // absent field. Older clients send only the deprecated timezone string, which is no
     // longer decoded; for them the device keeps its codegen-configured timezone.
-    if (value.has_parsed_timezone) {
+    if (!value.has_parsed_timezone) {
+      static bool warned = false;
+      if (!warned) {
+        warned = true;
+        ESP_LOGW(TAG, "Time source sent no parsed timezone; keeping configured timezone. Update Home Assistant");
+      }
+    } else {
       const auto &pt = value.parsed_timezone;
       time::ParsedTimezone tz{};
       tz.std_offset_seconds = pt.std_offset_seconds;
diff --git a/script/api_protobuf/api_protobuf.py b/script/api_protobuf/api_protobuf.py
index 2f8c64e072..c3037caa4e 100755
--- a/script/api_protobuf/api_protobuf.py
+++ b/script/api_protobuf/api_protobuf.py
@@ -946,9 +946,10 @@ class MessageType(TypeInfo):
 
     @property
     def _track_presence(self) -> bool:
-        # Use getattr to handle older versions of api_options_pb2
-        opt = getattr(pb, "track_presence", None)
-        return opt is not None and get_field_opt(self._field, opt, False)
+        # Presence is only observable on the decode side
+        return self._needs_decode and get_field_opt(
+            self._field, pb.track_presence, False
+        )
 
     @property
     def decode_length_content(self) -> str:
diff --git a/tests/integration/fixtures/api_get_time_response_timezone.yaml b/tests/integration/fixtures/api_get_time_response_timezone.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bece0c5684
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/fixtures/api_get_time_response_timezone.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+esphome:
+  name: get-time-tz-test
+host:
+api:
+logger:
+
+time:
+  - platform: homeassistant
+    id: ha_time
+
+sensor:
+  # Exposes the standard offset of the effective timezone so the test can
+  # observe which GetTimeResponse messages changed it
+  - platform: template
+    name: "TZ Offset"
+    id: tz_offset
+    accuracy_decimals: 0
+    update_interval: 100ms
+    lambda: |-
+      return time::get_global_tz().std_offset_seconds;
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_api_get_time_response_timezone.py b/tests/integration/test_api_get_time_response_timezone.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3aa5c374af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/test_api_get_time_response_timezone.py
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+"""Integration test for GetTimeResponse parsed_timezone presence handling."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from aioesphomeapi import connection as api_connection
+from aioesphomeapi.api_pb2 import GetTimeResponse
+import pytest
+
+from .state_utils import SensorTracker, build_key_to_entity_mapping
+from .types import APIClientConnectedFactory, RunCompiledFunction
+
+# 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
+EPOCH = 1704067200
+# POSIX offsets are positive west of UTC, so UTC+7 is -25200 and UTC-5 is 18000
+UTC_PLUS_7 = -25200
+UTC_MINUS_5 = 18000
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_api_get_time_response_timezone(
+    yaml_config: str,
+    run_compiled: RunCompiledFunction,
+    api_client_connected: APIClientConnectedFactory,
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """A present parsed_timezone is applied even when all zero; an absent one is ignored."""
+    # The client answers the device's own GetTimeRequest with the host timezone;
+    # strip the parsed field from that reply so only the messages sent below
+    # can change the device timezone.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(api_connection, "_build_parsed_tz_proto", lambda tz: None)
+
+    async with run_compiled(yaml_config), api_client_connected() as client:
+        entities, _ = await client.list_entities_services()
+        tracker = SensorTracker(["tz_offset"])
+        tracker.key_to_sensor = build_key_to_entity_mapping(entities, ["tz_offset"])
+        client.subscribe_states(tracker.on_state)
+
+        await tracker.await_change(tracker.expect_any("tz_offset"), "tz_offset")
+        initial = tracker.sensor_states["tz_offset"][-1]
+        # Pick a zone that differs from the codegen default so the change is visible
+        target = UTC_PLUS_7 if initial != UTC_PLUS_7 else UTC_MINUS_5
+
+        # Present, non-zero: applied
+        future = tracker.expect("tz_offset", target)
+        resp = GetTimeResponse(epoch_seconds=EPOCH)
+        resp.parsed_timezone.std_offset_seconds = target
+        resp.parsed_timezone.dst_offset_seconds = target
+        client._connection.send_messages((resp,))
+        await tracker.await_change(future, "tz_offset")
+
+        # Absent (legacy client with only the deprecated string): ignored, and in
+        # particular not mistaken for an all-zero UTC zone
+        future = tracker.expect("tz_offset", 0)
+        resp = GetTimeResponse(epoch_seconds=EPOCH, timezone="UTC0")
+        client._connection.send_messages((resp,))
+        await tracker.await_must_not_change(future, "tz_offset", timeout=1.0)
+        assert tracker.sensor_states["tz_offset"][-1] == target
+
+        # Present but all zero (genuine UTC): applied
+        future = tracker.expect("tz_offset", 0)
+        resp = GetTimeResponse(epoch_seconds=EPOCH)
+        resp.parsed_timezone.SetInParent()
+        client._connection.send_messages((resp,))
+        await tracker.await_change(future, "tz_offset")