diff --git a/pgtype/date.go b/pgtype/date.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..840414b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pgtype/date.go
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+package pgtype
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/pgio"
+)
+
+type Date struct {
+	// time.Time is embedded to hide internal implementation. Possibly do date
+	// implementation at some point rather than simply delegating to time.Time.
+	t time.Time
+}
+
+func (d *Date) DecodeText(r io.Reader) error {
+	size, err := pgio.ReadInt32(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if size == -1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("invalid length for int8: %v", size)
+	}
+
+	buf := make([]byte, int(size))
+	_, err = r.Read(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	d.t, err = time.Parse("2006-01-02", string(buf))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (d *Date) DecodeBinary(r io.Reader) error {
+	size, err := pgio.ReadInt32(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if size != 4 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("invalid length for date: %v", size)
+	}
+
+	dayOffset, err := pgio.ReadInt32(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	d.t = time.Date(2000, 1, int(1+dayOffset), 0, 0, 0, 0, time.Local)
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (d Date) EncodeText(w io.Writer) error {
+	_, err := pgio.WriteInt32(w, 10)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	_, err = w.Write([]byte(d.t.Format("2006-01-02")))
+	return err
+}
+
+func (d Date) EncodeBinary(w io.Writer) error {
+	_, err := pgio.WriteInt32(w, 4)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	tUnix := time.Date(d.t.Year(), d.t.Month(), d.t.Day(), 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC).Unix()
+	dateEpoch := time.Date(2000, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC).Unix()
+
+	secSinceDateEpoch := tUnix - dateEpoch
+	daysSinceDateEpoch := secSinceDateEpoch / 86400
+
+	_, err = pgio.WriteInt32(w, int32(daysSinceDateEpoch))
+	return err
+}
+
+func (d Date) Time() time.Time {
+	return d.t
+}
+
+func DateFromTime(t time.Time) Date {
+	return Date{t: t}
+}
diff --git a/values.go b/values.go
index 3614febb..4fc2a500 100644
--- a/values.go
+++ b/values.go
@@ -2228,43 +2228,42 @@ func encodeJSONB(w *WriteBuf, oid OID, value interface{}) error {
 }
 
 func decodeDate(vr *ValueReader) time.Time {
-	var zeroTime time.Time
-
 	if vr.Len() == -1 {
 		vr.Fatal(ProtocolError("Cannot decode null into time.Time"))
-		return zeroTime
+		return time.Time{}
 	}
 
 	if vr.Type().DataType != DateOID {
 		vr.Fatal(ProtocolError(fmt.Sprintf("Cannot decode oid %v into time.Time", vr.Type().DataType)))
-		return zeroTime
+		return time.Time{}
 	}
 
-	if vr.Type().FormatCode != BinaryFormatCode {
+	vr.err = errRewoundLen
+
+	var d pgtype.Date
+	var err error
+	switch vr.Type().FormatCode {
+	case TextFormatCode:
+		err = d.DecodeText(&valueReader2{vr})
+	case BinaryFormatCode:
+		err = d.DecodeBinary(&valueReader2{vr})
+	default:
 		vr.Fatal(ProtocolError(fmt.Sprintf("Unknown field description format code: %v", vr.Type().FormatCode)))
-		return zeroTime
+		return time.Time{}
 	}
 
-	if vr.Len() != 4 {
-		vr.Fatal(ProtocolError(fmt.Sprintf("Received an invalid size for an date: %d", vr.Len())))
+	if err != nil {
+		vr.Fatal(err)
+		return time.Time{}
 	}
-	dayOffset := vr.ReadInt32()
-	return time.Date(2000, 1, int(1+dayOffset), 0, 0, 0, 0, time.Local)
+
+	return d.Time()
 }
 
 func encodeTime(w *WriteBuf, oid OID, value time.Time) error {
 	switch oid {
 	case DateOID:
-		tUnix := time.Date(value.Year(), value.Month(), value.Day(), 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC).Unix()
-		dateEpoch := time.Date(2000, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC).Unix()
-
-		secSinceDateEpoch := tUnix - dateEpoch
-		daysSinceDateEpoch := secSinceDateEpoch / 86400
-
-		w.WriteInt32(4)
-		w.WriteInt32(int32(daysSinceDateEpoch))
-
-		return nil
+		return pgtype.DateFromTime(value).EncodeBinary(w)
 	case TimestampTzOID, TimestampOID:
 		microsecSinceUnixEpoch := value.Unix()*1000000 + int64(value.Nanosecond())/1000
 		microsecSinceY2K := microsecSinceUnixEpoch - microsecFromUnixEpochToY2K