diff --git a/esphome/components/template/time/__init__.py b/esphome/components/template/time/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..614daabd41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/esphome/components/template/time/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import esphome.config_validation as cv
+import esphome.codegen as cg
+from esphome import automation
+from esphome.components import time
+from esphome.const import CONF_ID
+from .. import template_ns
+
+CODEOWNERS = ["@RFDarter"]
+
+TemplateRealTimeClock = template_ns.class_("TemplateRealTimeClock", time.RealTimeClock)
+WriteAction = template_ns.class_("SystemTimeSetAction", automation.Action)
+
+
+CONFIG_SCHEMA = time.TIME_SCHEMA.extend(
+    {
+        cv.GenerateID(): cv.declare_id(TemplateRealTimeClock),
+    }
+)
+
+
+async def to_code(config):
+    var = cg.new_Pvariable(config[CONF_ID])
+
+    await cg.register_component(var, config)
+    await time.register_time(var, config)
diff --git a/esphome/components/template/time/template_time.cpp b/esphome/components/template/time/template_time.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bd9154cb78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/esphome/components/template/time/template_time.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#include "template_time.h"
+#include "esphome/core/log.h"
+
+namespace esphome {
+namespace template_ {
+
+static const char *const TAG = "template.time";
+
+void TemplateRealTimeClock::setup() {}
+
+void TemplateRealTimeClock::update() {}
+
+void TemplateRealTimeClock::dump_config() {
+  ESP_LOGCONFIG(TAG, "template.time");
+
+  ESP_LOGCONFIG(TAG, "  Timezone: '%s'", this->timezone_.c_str());
+}
+
+float TemplateRealTimeClock::get_setup_priority() const { return setup_priority::DATA; }
+}  // namespace template_
+}  // namespace esphome
diff --git a/esphome/components/template/time/template_time.h b/esphome/components/template/time/template_time.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8d61772601
--- /dev/null
+++ b/esphome/components/template/time/template_time.h
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "esphome/core/component.h"
+#include "esphome/components/i2c/i2c.h"
+#include "esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.h"
+
+namespace esphome {
+namespace template_ {
+
+class TemplateRealTimeClock : public time::RealTimeClock {
+ public:
+  void setup() override;
+  void update() override;
+  void dump_config() override;
+  float get_setup_priority() const override;
+};
+
+}  // namespace template_
+}  // namespace esphome
diff --git a/esphome/components/time/__init__.py b/esphome/components/time/__init__.py
index 6a3368ca73..597ae1da0c 100644
--- a/esphome/components/time/__init__.py
+++ b/esphome/components/time/__init__.py
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import esphome.config_validation as cv
 from esphome.const import (
     CONF_AT,
     CONF_CRON,
+    CONF_DATETIME,
+    CONF_DAY,
     CONF_DAYS_OF_MONTH,
     CONF_DAYS_OF_WEEK,
     CONF_HOUR,
@@ -18,6 +20,7 @@ from esphome.const import (
     CONF_ID,
     CONF_MINUTE,
     CONF_MINUTES,
+    CONF_MONTH,
     CONF_MONTHS,
     CONF_ON_TIME,
     CONF_ON_TIME_SYNC,
@@ -25,6 +28,7 @@ from esphome.const import (
     CONF_SECONDS,
     CONF_TIMEZONE,
     CONF_TRIGGER_ID,
+    CONF_YEAR,
 )
 from esphome.core import coroutine_with_priority
 
@@ -33,11 +37,14 @@ _LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 CODEOWNERS = ["@OttoWinter"]
 IS_PLATFORM_COMPONENT = True
 
+CONF_UTC = "utc"
+
 time_ns = cg.esphome_ns.namespace("time")
 RealTimeClock = time_ns.class_("RealTimeClock", cg.PollingComponent)
 CronTrigger = time_ns.class_("CronTrigger", automation.Trigger.template(), cg.Component)
 SyncTrigger = time_ns.class_("SyncTrigger", automation.Trigger.template(), cg.Component)
 TimeHasTimeCondition = time_ns.class_("TimeHasTimeCondition", Condition)
+SystemTimeSetAction = time_ns.class_("SystemTimeSetAction", automation.Action)
 
 
 def _load_tzdata(iana_key: str) -> Optional[bytes]:
@@ -344,3 +351,39 @@ async def to_code(config):
 async def time_has_time_to_code(config, condition_id, template_arg, args):
     paren = await cg.get_variable(config[CONF_ID])
     return cg.new_Pvariable(condition_id, template_arg, paren)
+
+
+@automation.register_action(
+    "system_time.set",
+    SystemTimeSetAction,
+    cv.Schema(
+        {
+            cv.Required(CONF_ID): cv.use_id(RealTimeClock),
+            cv.Required(CONF_DATETIME): cv.Any(
+                cv.returning_lambda, cv.date_time(date=True, time=True)
+            ),
+            cv.Optional(CONF_UTC, default=False): cv.boolean,
+        },
+    ),
+)
+async def system_time_set_to_code(config, action_id, template_arg, args):
+    action_var = cg.new_Pvariable(action_id, template_arg)
+    await cg.register_parented(action_var, config[CONF_ID])
+
+    datetime_config = config[CONF_DATETIME]
+    cg.add(action_var.set_utc(config[CONF_UTC]))
+    if cg.is_template(datetime_config):
+        template_ = await cg.templatable(datetime_config, args, cg.ESPTime)
+        cg.add(action_var.set_time(template_))
+    else:
+        datetime_struct = cg.StructInitializer(
+            cg.ESPTime,
+            ("second", datetime_config[CONF_SECOND]),
+            ("minute", datetime_config[CONF_MINUTE]),
+            ("hour", datetime_config[CONF_HOUR]),
+            ("day_of_month", datetime_config[CONF_DAY]),
+            ("month", datetime_config[CONF_MONTH]),
+            ("year", datetime_config[CONF_YEAR]),
+        )
+        cg.add(action_var.set_time(datetime_struct))
+    return action_var
diff --git a/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp b/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp
index 2b9a95c6bd..7c7462f954 100644
--- a/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.cpp
@@ -58,5 +58,52 @@ void RealTimeClock::apply_timezone_() {
   tzset();
 }
 
+void RealTimeClock::set_time(uint16_t year, uint8_t month, uint8_t day, uint8_t hour, uint8_t minute, uint8_t second,
+                             bool utc) {
+  ESPTime time{
+      .second = second,
+      .minute = minute,
+      .hour = hour,
+      .day_of_week = 1,  // not used
+      .day_of_month = day,
+      .day_of_year = 1,  // ignored by recalc_timestamp_utc(false)
+      .month = month,
+      .year = year,
+      .is_dst = false,  // not used
+      .timestamp = 0    // overwritten by recalc_timestamp_utc(false)
+  };
+
+  if (utc) {
+    time.recalc_timestamp_utc();
+  } else {
+    time.recalc_timestamp_local();
+  }
+
+  if (!time.is_valid()) {
+    ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Invalid time, not syncing to system clock.");
+    return;
+  }
+  time::RealTimeClock::synchronize_epoch_(time.timestamp);
+};
+
+void RealTimeClock::set_time(ESPTime datetime, bool utc) {
+  return this->set_time(datetime.year, datetime.month, datetime.day_of_month, datetime.hour, datetime.minute,
+                        datetime.second, utc);
+};
+
+void RealTimeClock::set_time(const std::string &datetime, bool utc) {
+  ESPTime val{};
+  if (!ESPTime::strptime(datetime, val)) {
+    ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Could not convert the time string to an ESPTime object");
+    return;
+  }
+  this->set_time(val, utc);
+}
+
+void RealTimeClock::set_time(time_t epoch_seconds, bool utc) {
+  ESPTime val = ESPTime::from_epoch_local(epoch_seconds);
+  this->set_time(val, utc);
+}
+
 }  // namespace time
 }  // namespace esphome
diff --git a/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.h b/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.h
index a17168ae6f..dd60d053c0 100644
--- a/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.h
+++ b/esphome/components/time/real_time_clock.h
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@ class RealTimeClock : public PollingComponent {
  public:
   explicit RealTimeClock();
 
+  void set_time(uint16_t year, uint8_t month, uint8_t day, uint8_t hour, uint8_t minute, uint8_t second,
+                bool utc = false);
+  void set_time(ESPTime datetime, bool utc = false);
+  void set_time(const std::string &datetime, bool utc = false);
+  void set_time(time_t epoch_seconds, bool utc = false);
+
   /// Set the time zone.
   void set_timezone(const std::string &tz) { this->timezone_ = tz; }
 
@@ -60,5 +66,17 @@ template<typename... Ts> class TimeHasTimeCondition : public Condition<Ts...> {
   RealTimeClock *parent_;
 };
 
+template<typename... Ts> class SystemTimeSetAction : public Action<Ts...>, public Parented<RealTimeClock> {
+ public:
+  TEMPLATABLE_VALUE(ESPTime, time)
+  TEMPLATABLE_VALUE(bool, utc)
+
+  void play(Ts... x) override {
+    if (this->time_.has_value() && this->utc_.has_value()) {
+      this->parent_->set_time(this->time_.value(x...), this->utc_.value(x...));
+    }
+  }
+};
+
 }  // namespace time
 }  // namespace esphome