diff --git a/src/util/date.js b/src/util/date.js
index bcec7d9..102a64d 100644
--- a/src/util/date.js
+++ b/src/util/date.js
@@ -2,8 +2,15 @@
 
 import { dayOfYear, weekNumber } from 'weeknumber';
 
+const MINUTE = 60000;
+const WEEK = 604800000;
+
 const weekday = date => (date.getDay() + 6) % 7 + 1;
 
+const weekEpoch = new Date(1970, 0, -2); // monday before unix epoch in local timezone
+const weekOfEpoch = date =>
+  Math.abs(Math.floor((date - weekEpoch + (weekEpoch.getTimezoneOffset() - date.getTimezoneOffset()) * MINUTE) / WEEK));
+
 function modify (date, unit, value) {
   switch (unit) {
     case 'Y':
@@ -48,6 +55,7 @@ const util = {
       Y: date => date.getMonth() + 1
     },
     W: {
+      E: weekOfEpoch,
       Y: weekNumber
     },
     D: {
diff --git a/test/util.js b/test/util.js
index 0bf2254..3f6f6ac 100644
--- a/test/util.js
+++ b/test/util.js
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ describe('util', function () {
         assert.strictEqual(util.date.get.D.W(new Date(2014, 1, 9)), 7);
         assert.strictEqual(util.date.get.W.Y(new Date(2018, 6, 1)), 26);
         assert.strictEqual(util.date.get.W.Y(new Date(2021, 0, 1)), 53);
+        assert.strictEqual(util.date.get.W.E(new Date(1970, 0, 1)), 0);
       });
     });
   });