diff --git a/src/fe-common/irc/notifylist/fe-notifylist.c b/src/fe-common/irc/notifylist/fe-notifylist.c
index e96cc6d9..c13e5c8a 100644
--- a/src/fe-common/irc/notifylist/fe-notifylist.c
+++ b/src/fe-common/irc/notifylist/fe-notifylist.c
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ static void notifylist_print(NOTIFYLIST_REC *rec)
 	if (rec->idle_check_time <= 0)
 		idle[0] = '\0';
 	else
-		g_snprintf(idle, sizeof(idle), "-idle %d", rec->idle_check_time);
+		g_snprintf(idle, sizeof(idle), "-idle %d", rec->idle_check_time/60);
 
 	ircnets = rec->ircnets == NULL ? NULL :
 		g_strjoinv(",", rec->ircnets);
diff --git a/src/irc/notifylist/module.h b/src/irc/notifylist/module.h
index ac0eadac..43110540 100644
--- a/src/irc/notifylist/module.h
+++ b/src/irc/notifylist/module.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 typedef struct {
 	char *nick;
 	char *user, *host, *realname, *awaymsg;
-	time_t idle_time;
+	int idle_time;
 
 	int host_ok:1; /* host matches the one in notifylist = this is the right person*/
 	int away_ok:1; /* not away, or we don't care about it */
diff --git a/src/irc/notifylist/notify-whois.c b/src/irc/notifylist/notify-whois.c
index c8191b57..5a9500cc 100644
--- a/src/irc/notifylist/notify-whois.c
+++ b/src/irc/notifylist/notify-whois.c
@@ -78,16 +78,15 @@ static void event_whois_idle(const char *data, IRC_SERVER_REC *server)
 	g_return_if_fail(data != NULL);
 
 	params = event_get_params(data, 3, NULL, &nick, &secstr);
-	secs = atoi(secstr);
+	secs = atol(secstr);
 
 	notify = notifylist_find(nick, server->connrec->ircnet);
 	nickrec = notify_nick_find(server, nick);
 	if (notify != NULL && nickrec != NULL) {
-                time_t now = time(NULL);
-		nickrec->idle_changed = secs < now-nickrec->idle_time &&
-			now-nickrec->idle_time > notify->idle_check_time;
+		nickrec->idle_changed = secs < nickrec->idle_time &&
+			nickrec->idle_time > notify->idle_check_time;
 
-		nickrec->idle_time = now-secs;
+		nickrec->idle_time = secs;
 	}
 
 	g_free(params);
@@ -120,9 +119,7 @@ static void event_whois_end(const char *data, IRC_SERVER_REC *server)
 	GSList *tmp;
 	const char *event;
 	int away_ok;
-	time_t now;
 
-	now = time(NULL);
 	mserver = MODULE_DATA(server);
 	for (tmp = mserver->notify_users; tmp != NULL; tmp = tmp->next) {
 		rec = tmp->data;
@@ -138,7 +135,7 @@ static void event_whois_end(const char *data, IRC_SERVER_REC *server)
 		event = NULL;
 		if (!rec->join_announced) {
 			rec->join_announced = TRUE;
-			rec->idle_time = now;
+			rec->idle_time = 0;
 			if (away_ok) event = "notifylist joined";
 		} else if (notify->away_check && rec->away_ok == rec->away)
 			event = "notifylist away changed";
@@ -151,7 +148,7 @@ static void event_whois_end(const char *data, IRC_SERVER_REC *server)
 				    rec->realname, rec->awaymsg);
 		}
 		rec->idle_ok = notify->idle_check_time <= 0 ||
-			now-rec->idle_time <= notify->idle_check_time;
+			rec->idle_time <= notify->idle_check_time;
 		rec->idle_changed = FALSE;
                 rec->away_ok = away_ok;
 	}
diff --git a/src/irc/notifylist/notifylist.c b/src/irc/notifylist/notifylist.c
index 6b46ff3d..de19ed0c 100644
--- a/src/irc/notifylist/notifylist.c
+++ b/src/irc/notifylist/notifylist.c
@@ -231,8 +231,8 @@ static void notifylist_idle_reset(IRC_SERVER_REC *server, const char *nick)
 	rec = notify_nick_find(server, nick);
 
 	if (notify != NULL && rec != NULL && notify->idle_check_time > 0 &&
-	    time(NULL)-rec->idle_time > notify->idle_check_time) {
-                rec->idle_time = time(NULL);
+	    rec->idle_time > notify->idle_check_time) {
+                rec->idle_time = 0;
 		signal_emit("notifylist unidle", 6,
 			    server, rec->nick,
 			    rec->user, rec->host,
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ static void notifylist_check_join(IRC_SERVER_REC *server, const char *nick,
 	if (away != -1) rec->away = away;
 	rec->host_ok = TRUE;
 	rec->join_announced = TRUE;
-	rec->idle_time = time(NULL);
+	rec->idle_time = 0;
 
 	signal_emit("notifylist joined", 6,
 		    server, rec->nick, rec->user, rec->host, realname, NULL);