diff --git a/src/basic/calendarspec.c b/src/basic/calendarspec.c
index db11e55390c..316db5c5567 100644
--- a/src/basic/calendarspec.c
+++ b/src/basic/calendarspec.c
@@ -779,9 +779,6 @@ int calendar_spec_from_string(const char *p, CalendarSpec **spec) {
         assert(p);
         assert(spec);
 
-        if (isempty(p))
-                return -EINVAL;
-
         c = new0(CalendarSpec, 1);
         if (!c)
                 return -ENOMEM;
@@ -820,6 +817,11 @@ int calendar_spec_from_string(const char *p, CalendarSpec **spec) {
                 }
         }
 
+        if (isempty(p)) {
+                r = -EINVAL;
+                goto fail;
+        }
+
         if (strcaseeq(p, "minutely")) {
                 r = const_chain(0, &c->microsecond);
                 if (r < 0)
diff --git a/src/test/test-calendarspec.c b/src/test/test-calendarspec.c
index 7357c522e0b..c539d168670 100644
--- a/src/test/test-calendarspec.c
+++ b/src/test/test-calendarspec.c
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
         test_next("Mon 2017-05~07/1 UTC", "", 12345, 1496016000000000);
 
         assert_se(calendar_spec_from_string("test", &c) < 0);
+        assert_se(calendar_spec_from_string(" utc", &c) < 0);
         assert_se(calendar_spec_from_string("    ", &c) < 0);
         assert_se(calendar_spec_from_string("", &c) < 0);
         assert_se(calendar_spec_from_string("7", &c) < 0);