diff --git a/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt b/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt
index e69042c037..f5e2a924c1 100644
--- a/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt
+++ b/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt
@@ -274,22 +274,6 @@ Example:
      "data": { "node-name": "1.raw", "sector-num": 345435, "sector-count": 5 },
      "timestamp": { "seconds": 1344522075, "microseconds": 745528 } }
 
-RTC_CHANGE
-----------
-
-Emitted when the guest changes the RTC time.
-
-Data:
-
-- "offset": Offset between base RTC clock (as specified by -rtc base), and
-new RTC clock value (json-number)
-
-Example:
-
-{ "event": "RTC_CHANGE",
-    "data": { "offset": 78 },
-    "timestamp": { "seconds": 1267020223, "microseconds": 435656 } }
-
 SPICE_CONNECTED, SPICE_DISCONNECTED
 -----------------------------------
 
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_rtas.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_rtas.c
index ea4a2b2698..8d08539baa 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_rtas.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_rtas.c
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 
 #include "hw/ppc/spapr.h"
 #include "hw/ppc/spapr_vio.h"
+#include "qapi-event.h"
 
 #include <libfdt.h>
 
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ static void rtas_set_time_of_day(PowerPCCPU *cpu, sPAPREnvironment *spapr,
     tm.tm_sec = rtas_ld(args, 5);
 
     /* Just generate a monitor event for the change */
-    rtc_change_mon_event(&tm);
+    qapi_event_send_rtc_change(qemu_timedate_diff(&tm), &error_abort);
     spapr->rtc_offset = qemu_timedate_diff(&tm);
 
     rtas_st(rets, 0, RTAS_OUT_SUCCESS);
diff --git a/hw/timer/mc146818rtc.c b/hw/timer/mc146818rtc.c
index 1201f90db5..05002bf9d6 100644
--- a/hw/timer/mc146818rtc.c
+++ b/hw/timer/mc146818rtc.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "sysemu/sysemu.h"
 #include "hw/timer/mc146818rtc.h"
 #include "qapi/visitor.h"
+#include "qapi-event.h"
 
 #ifdef TARGET_I386
 #include "hw/i386/apic.h"
@@ -530,7 +531,7 @@ static void rtc_set_time(RTCState *s)
     s->base_rtc = mktimegm(&tm);
     s->last_update = qemu_clock_get_ns(rtc_clock);
 
-    rtc_change_mon_event(&tm);
+    qapi_event_send_rtc_change(qemu_timedate_diff(&tm), &error_abort);
 }
 
 static void rtc_set_cmos(RTCState *s, const struct tm *tm)
diff --git a/include/sysemu/sysemu.h b/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
index 6b4cc133c5..285c45baf2 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
@@ -202,8 +202,6 @@ void do_usb_add(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict);
 void do_usb_del(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict);
 void usb_info(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict);
 
-void rtc_change_mon_event(struct tm *tm);
-
 void add_boot_device_path(int32_t bootindex, DeviceState *dev,
                           const char *suffix);
 char *get_boot_devices_list(size_t *size, bool ignore_suffixes);
diff --git a/monitor.c b/monitor.c
index 2c0b747fe8..41ef40ef18 100644
--- a/monitor.c
+++ b/monitor.c
@@ -614,6 +614,9 @@ monitor_qapi_event_throttle(QAPIEvent event, int64_t rate)
 
 static void monitor_qapi_event_init(void)
 {
+    /* Limit guest-triggerable events to 1 per second */
+    monitor_qapi_event_throttle(QAPI_EVENT_RTC_CHANGE, 1000);
+
     qmp_event_set_func_emit(monitor_qapi_event_queue);
 }
 
@@ -740,7 +743,6 @@ monitor_protocol_event_throttle(MonitorEvent event,
 static void monitor_protocol_event_init(void)
 {
     /* Limit RTC & BALLOON events to 1 per second */
-    monitor_protocol_event_throttle(QEVENT_RTC_CHANGE, 1000);
     monitor_protocol_event_throttle(QEVENT_BALLOON_CHANGE, 1000);
     monitor_protocol_event_throttle(QEVENT_WATCHDOG, 1000);
     /* limit the rate of quorum events to avoid hammering the management */
diff --git a/qapi-event.json b/qapi-event.json
index 807a6f5d8f..e6cfafae78 100644
--- a/qapi-event.json
+++ b/qapi-event.json
@@ -78,3 +78,16 @@
 # Since: 1.1
 ##
 { 'event': 'WAKEUP' }
+
+##
+# @RTC_CHANGE
+#
+# Emitted when the guest changes the RTC time.
+#
+# @offset: offset between base RTC clock (as specified by -rtc base), and
+#          new RTC clock value
+#
+# Since: 0.13.0
+##
+{ 'event': 'RTC_CHANGE',
+  'data': { 'offset': 'int' } }
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 4a14681f7c..68380d7ff1 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -788,15 +788,6 @@ int qemu_timedate_diff(struct tm *tm)
     return seconds - time(NULL);
 }
 
-void rtc_change_mon_event(struct tm *tm)
-{
-    QObject *data;
-
-    data = qobject_from_jsonf("{ 'offset': %d }", qemu_timedate_diff(tm));
-    monitor_protocol_event(QEVENT_RTC_CHANGE, data);
-    qobject_decref(data);
-}
-
 static void configure_rtc_date_offset(const char *startdate, int legacy)
 {
     time_t rtc_start_date;