diff --git a/Common/include/CConfig.hpp b/Common/include/CConfig.hpp
index e2fdd39f0f1..15abd8c237e 100644
--- a/Common/include/CConfig.hpp
+++ b/Common/include/CConfig.hpp
@@ -1140,7 +1140,8 @@ class CConfig {
   Restart_Iter;                  /*!< \brief Determines the restart iteration in the multizone problem */
   su2double Time_Step;           /*!< \brief Determines the time step for the multizone problem */
   su2double Max_Time;            /*!< \brief Determines the maximum time for the time-domain problems */
-
+  su2double Start_Time;          /*!< \brief Determines the starting time for the time-domain problems */
+  
   unsigned long HistoryWrtFreq[3],    /*!< \brief Array containing history writing frequencies for timer iter, outer iter, inner iter */
                 ScreenWrtFreq[3];     /*!< \brief Array containing screen writing frequencies for timer iter, outer iter, inner iter */
   OUTPUT_TYPE* VolumeOutputFiles;     /*!< \brief File formats to output */
@@ -5737,6 +5738,13 @@ class CConfig {
    */
   su2double GetDelta_UnstTime(void) const { return Delta_UnstTime; }
 
+  /*!
+   * \brief Set Delta_UnstTime (dimensional timestep)
+   * \param[in] val_delta_unsttime - Value of the unsteady dimensional timestep
+   */
+  void SetDelta_UnstTime(su2double val_delta_unsttime) { Delta_UnstTime = val_delta_unsttime; }
+
+  
   /*!
    * \brief Set the value of the unsteadty time step using the CFL number.
    * \param[in] val_delta_unsttimend - Value of the unsteady time step using CFL number.
@@ -9372,6 +9380,13 @@ class CConfig {
    */
   su2double GetMax_Time(void) const { return Max_Time; }
 
+  /*!
+   * \brief Get the start simulation time for time-domain problems
+   * \return Simulation start time for multizone problems, it is set on all the zones
+   */
+  su2double GetStart_Time(void) const { return Start_Time; }
+
+
   /*!
    * \brief Get the level of MPI communications to be performed.
    * \return Level of MPI communications.
diff --git a/Common/src/CConfig.cpp b/Common/src/CConfig.cpp
index 59584271ac5..7ff5696002f 100644
--- a/Common/src/CConfig.cpp
+++ b/Common/src/CConfig.cpp
@@ -2548,6 +2548,8 @@ void CConfig::SetConfig_Options() {
   addDoubleOption("TIME_STEP", Time_Step, 0.0);
   /* DESCRIPTION: Total Physical Time for time-domain problems (s) */
   addDoubleOption("MAX_TIME", Max_Time, 1.0);
+  /* DESCRIPTION: Start Physical Time for time-domain problems (s) */
+  addDoubleOption("START_TIME", Start_Time, -1.0);
   /* DESCRIPTION: Determines if the special output is written out */
   addBoolOption("SPECIAL_OUTPUT", SpecialOutput, false);
 
@@ -3722,6 +3724,10 @@ void CConfig::SetPostprocessing(SU2_COMPONENT val_software, unsigned short val_i
       if(nTimeIter <= Restart_Iter) SU2_MPI::Error("TIME_ITER must be larger than RESTART_ITER.", CURRENT_FUNCTION);
     }
 
+    /*--- Set default start time for simulations if given time < 0 ---*/
+    if (Start_Time < 0)
+        Start_Time = Restart_Iter*Time_Step;
+
     /*--- WINDOW_START_ITER must be larger than or equal to: RESTART_ITER. Otherwise, the running average is wrong. ---*/
     if (OptionIsSet("WINDOW_START_ITER")) {
       if (StartWindowIteration < Restart_Iter) {
diff --git a/SU2_CFD/include/drivers/CDriver.hpp b/SU2_CFD/include/drivers/CDriver.hpp
index 72de6af4c89..13851484b9b 100644
--- a/SU2_CFD/include/drivers/CDriver.hpp
+++ b/SU2_CFD/include/drivers/CDriver.hpp
@@ -486,6 +486,13 @@ class CDriver : public CDriverBase {
    */
   passivedouble GetUnsteadyTimeStep() const;
 
+  /*!
+   * \brief Set the unsteady time step.
+   * \param[in] unst_dt - Dimensional unsteady time step.
+   */
+  void SetUnsteadyTimeStep(passivedouble unst_dt);
+
+
   /*!
    * \brief Get the name of the output file for the surface.
    * \return File name for the surface output.
diff --git a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDiscAdjMultizoneDriver.cpp b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDiscAdjMultizoneDriver.cpp
index e1ffb15fdaa..faee0b320a8 100644
--- a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDiscAdjMultizoneDriver.cpp
+++ b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDiscAdjMultizoneDriver.cpp
@@ -133,8 +133,13 @@ void CDiscAdjMultizoneDriver::Preprocess(unsigned long TimeIter) {
     config_container[iZone]->SetTimeIter(TimeIter);
 
     if (time_domain)
-      config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(static_cast<su2double>(TimeIter)*config_container[iZone]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
-    else
+    {
+      /*--- If first iteration, use start time. Otherwise, add dt ---*/
+      if (TimeIter == config_container[iZone]->GetRestart_Iter())
+        config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[iZone]->GetStart_Time()/config_container[iZone]->GetTime_Ref());
+      else 
+        config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[iZone]->GetPhysicalTime() + config_container[iZone]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
+    } else
       config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(0.0);
 
     /*--- Preprocess the iteration of each zone. ---*/
diff --git a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDriver.cpp b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDriver.cpp
index d8ba985fafa..c4e0eb7bd4f 100644
--- a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDriver.cpp
+++ b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CDriver.cpp
@@ -3022,9 +3022,13 @@ void CFluidDriver::Preprocess(unsigned long Iter) {
 
   for (iZone = 0; iZone < nZone; iZone++) {
     config_container[iZone]->SetInnerIter(Iter);
-    if (config_container[iZone]->GetTime_Marching() != TIME_MARCHING::STEADY)
-      config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(static_cast<su2double>(Iter)*config_container[iZone]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
-    else
+    if (config_container[iZone]->GetTime_Marching() != TIME_MARCHING::STEADY) {
+      /*--- If first iteration, use start time. Otherwise, add dt ---*/
+      if (Iter == config_container[iZone]->GetRestart_Iter())
+        config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[iZone]->GetStart_Time()/config_container[iZone]->GetTime_Ref());
+      else 
+        config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[iZone]->GetPhysicalTime() + config_container[iZone]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
+    } else
       config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(0.0);
   }
 
diff --git a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CMultizoneDriver.cpp b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CMultizoneDriver.cpp
index 49a9c58e724..3607e42c87d 100644
--- a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CMultizoneDriver.cpp
+++ b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CMultizoneDriver.cpp
@@ -223,7 +223,11 @@ void CMultizoneDriver::Preprocess(unsigned long TimeIter) {
      general once the drivers are more stable. ---*/
 
     if (driver_config->GetTime_Domain()) {
-      config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(static_cast<su2double>(TimeIter)*config_container[iZone]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
+        /*--- If first iteration, use start time. Otherwise, add dt ---*/
+      if (TimeIter == config_container[iZone]->GetRestart_Iter())
+        config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[iZone]->GetStart_Time()/config_container[iZone]->GetTime_Ref());
+      else 
+        config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[iZone]->GetPhysicalTime() + config_container[iZone]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
     }
     else {
       config_container[iZone]->SetPhysicalTime(0.0);
diff --git a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CSinglezoneDriver.cpp b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CSinglezoneDriver.cpp
index c35d6b8eac5..b407638f94b 100644
--- a/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CSinglezoneDriver.cpp
+++ b/SU2_CFD/src/drivers/CSinglezoneDriver.cpp
@@ -114,9 +114,13 @@ void CSinglezoneDriver::Preprocess(unsigned long TimeIter) {
    this can be used for verification / MMS. This should also be more
    general once the drivers are more stable. ---*/
 
-  if (config_container[ZONE_0]->GetTime_Marching() != TIME_MARCHING::STEADY)
-    config_container[ZONE_0]->SetPhysicalTime(static_cast<su2double>(TimeIter)*config_container[ZONE_0]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
-  else
+  if (config_container[ZONE_0]->GetTime_Marching() != TIME_MARCHING::STEADY) {
+    /*--- If first iteration, use start time. Otherwise, add dt ---*/
+    if (TimeIter == config_container[ZONE_0]->GetRestart_Iter())
+        config_container[ZONE_0]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[ZONE_0]->GetStart_Time()/config_container[ZONE_0]->GetTime_Ref());
+    else 
+        config_container[ZONE_0]->SetPhysicalTime(config_container[ZONE_0]->GetPhysicalTime() + config_container[ZONE_0]->GetDelta_UnstTimeND());
+  } else
     config_container[ZONE_0]->SetPhysicalTime(0.0);
 
   /*--- Ramp turbo BCs for this time step. ---*/
diff --git a/SU2_CFD/src/output/COutput.cpp b/SU2_CFD/src/output/COutput.cpp
index 4dad97f8e34..6335307e03f 100644
--- a/SU2_CFD/src/output/COutput.cpp
+++ b/SU2_CFD/src/output/COutput.cpp
@@ -2191,13 +2191,12 @@ void COutput::ComputeSimpleCustomOutputs(const CConfig *config) {
 
 void COutput::LoadCommonHistoryData(const CConfig *config) {
 
-  SetHistoryOutputValue("TIME_STEP", config->GetDelta_UnstTimeND()*config->GetTime_Ref());
-
   /*--- Update the current time only if the time iteration has changed ---*/
-
   if (SU2_TYPE::Int(GetHistoryFieldValue("TIME_ITER")) != static_cast<int>(curTimeIter)) {
     SetHistoryOutputValue("CUR_TIME",  GetHistoryFieldValue("CUR_TIME") + GetHistoryFieldValue("TIME_STEP"));
   }
+  
+  SetHistoryOutputValue("TIME_STEP", config->GetDelta_UnstTimeND()*config->GetTime_Ref());
 
   SetHistoryOutputValue("TIME_ITER",  curTimeIter);
   SetHistoryOutputValue("INNER_ITER", curInnerIter);
diff --git a/SU2_CFD/src/python_wrapper_structure.cpp b/SU2_CFD/src/python_wrapper_structure.cpp
index cac6186e04c..ffabde0dc76 100644
--- a/SU2_CFD/src/python_wrapper_structure.cpp
+++ b/SU2_CFD/src/python_wrapper_structure.cpp
@@ -67,7 +67,15 @@ unsigned long CDriver::GetNumberTimeIter() const { return config_container[selec
 unsigned long CDriver::GetTimeIter() const { return TimeIter; }
 
 passivedouble CDriver::GetUnsteadyTimeStep() const {
-  return SU2_TYPE::GetValue(config_container[selected_zone]->GetTime_Step());
+  return SU2_TYPE::GetValue(config_container[selected_zone]->GetDelta_UnstTime());
+}
+
+void CDriver::SetUnsteadyTimeStep(passivedouble unst_dt) {
+  // Set across all zones
+  for (iZone = 0; iZone < nZone; iZone++) {
+    config_container[iZone]->SetDelta_UnstTime(unst_dt);
+    config_container[iZone]->SetDelta_UnstTimeND(unst_dt/config_container[iZone]->GetTime_Ref());
+  }
 }
 
 string CDriver::GetSurfaceFileName() const { return config_container[selected_zone]->GetSurfCoeff_FileName(); }
diff --git a/config_template.cfg b/config_template.cfg
index ea621b85e7e..5d8ef808028 100644
--- a/config_template.cfg
+++ b/config_template.cfg
@@ -143,6 +143,10 @@ TIME_STEP= 0.0
 % Total Physical Time for dual time stepping simulations (s)
 MAX_TIME= 50.0
 %
+% Start time for dual time stepping simulations
+% = -1 for default calculation (START_TIME=RESTART_ITER*TIME_STEP)
+START_TIME=-1
+%
 % Unsteady Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy number of the finest grid
 UNST_CFL_NUMBER= 0.0
 %