diff --git a/app/models/concerns/time_trackable.rb b/app/models/concerns/time_trackable.rb
index 5911b56c34c..73fc5048dcf 100644
--- a/app/models/concerns/time_trackable.rb
+++ b/app/models/concerns/time_trackable.rb
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ module TimeTrackable
 
     return if @time_spent == 0
 
+    touch if touchable?
+
     if @time_spent == :reset
       reset_spent_time
     else
@@ -53,6 +55,10 @@ module TimeTrackable
 
   private
 
+  def touchable?
+    valid? && persisted?
+  end
+
   def reset_spent_time
     timelogs.new(time_spent: total_time_spent * -1, user: @time_spent_user) # rubocop:disable Gitlab/ModuleWithInstanceVariables
   end
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/45442-updates-updated-at-to-issue-on-time-spent.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/45442-updates-updated-at-to-issue-on-time-spent.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0694206d4fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/45442-updates-updated-at-to-issue-on-time-spent.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Updates updated_at on issuable when setting time spent
+merge_request: 18757
+author: Jacopo Beschi @jacopo-beschi
+type: added
diff --git a/spec/models/concerns/issuable_spec.rb b/spec/models/concerns/issuable_spec.rb
index 05693f067e1..3d3092b8ac9 100644
--- a/spec/models/concerns/issuable_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/concerns/issuable_spec.rb
@@ -495,6 +495,14 @@ describe Issuable do
 
         expect(issue.total_time_spent).to eq(1800)
       end
+
+      it 'updates issues updated_at' do
+        issue
+
+        Timecop.travel(1.minute.from_now) do
+          expect { spend_time(1800) }.to change { issue.updated_at }
+        end
+      end
     end
 
     context 'substracting time' do
@@ -510,9 +518,13 @@ describe Issuable do
 
       context 'when time to substract exceeds the total time spent' do
         it 'raise a validation error' do
-          expect do
-            spend_time(-3600)
-          end.to raise_error(ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid)
+          Timecop.travel(1.minute.from_now) do
+            expect do
+              expect do
+                spend_time(-3600)
+              end.to raise_error(ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid)
+            end.not_to change { issue.updated_at }
+          end
         end
       end
     end
diff --git a/spec/support/api/time_tracking_shared_examples.rb b/spec/support/api/time_tracking_shared_examples.rb
index dd3089d22e5..52e1bc55191 100644
--- a/spec/support/api/time_tracking_shared_examples.rb
+++ b/spec/support/api/time_tracking_shared_examples.rb
@@ -70,8 +70,12 @@ shared_examples 'time tracking endpoints' do |issuable_name|
     end
 
     it "add spent time for #{issuable_name}" do
-      post api("/projects/#{project.id}/#{issuable_collection_name}/#{issuable.iid}/add_spent_time", user),
-           duration: '2h'
+      Timecop.travel(1.minute.from_now) do
+        expect do
+          post api("/projects/#{project.id}/#{issuable_collection_name}/#{issuable.iid}/add_spent_time", user),
+            duration: '2h'
+        end.to change { issuable.reload.updated_at }
+      end
 
       expect(response).to have_gitlab_http_status(201)
       expect(json_response['human_total_time_spent']).to eq('2h')
@@ -79,7 +83,11 @@ shared_examples 'time tracking endpoints' do |issuable_name|
 
     context 'when subtracting time' do
       it 'subtracts time of the total spent time' do
-        issuable.update_attributes!(spend_time: { duration: 7200, user_id: user.id })
+        Timecop.travel(1.minute.from_now) do
+          expect do
+            issuable.update_attributes!(spend_time: { duration: 7200, user_id: user.id })
+          end.to change { issuable.reload.updated_at }
+        end
 
         post api("/projects/#{project.id}/#{issuable_collection_name}/#{issuable.iid}/add_spent_time", user),
              duration: '-1h'
@@ -93,8 +101,12 @@ shared_examples 'time tracking endpoints' do |issuable_name|
       it 'does not modify the total time spent' do
         issuable.update_attributes!(spend_time: { duration: 7200, user_id: user.id })
 
-        post api("/projects/#{project.id}/#{issuable_collection_name}/#{issuable.iid}/add_spent_time", user),
-             duration: '-1w'
+        Timecop.travel(1.minute.from_now) do
+          expect do
+            post api("/projects/#{project.id}/#{issuable_collection_name}/#{issuable.iid}/add_spent_time", user),
+              duration: '-1w'
+          end.not_to change { issuable.reload.updated_at }
+        end
 
         expect(response).to have_gitlab_http_status(400)
         expect(json_response['message']['time_spent'].first).to match(/exceeds the total time spent/)
@@ -110,7 +122,11 @@ shared_examples 'time tracking endpoints' do |issuable_name|
     end
 
     it "resets spent time for #{issuable_name}" do
-      post api("/projects/#{project.id}/#{issuable_collection_name}/#{issuable.iid}/reset_spent_time", user)
+      Timecop.travel(1.minute.from_now) do
+        expect do
+          post api("/projects/#{project.id}/#{issuable_collection_name}/#{issuable.iid}/reset_spent_time", user)
+        end.to change { issuable.reload.updated_at }
+      end
 
       expect(response).to have_gitlab_http_status(200)
       expect(json_response['total_time_spent']).to eq(0)