diff --git a/tests/commands.sh b/tests/commands.sh
index 985064446..1be2d25b4 100644
--- a/tests/commands.sh
+++ b/tests/commands.sh
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ TS_HELPER_TIOCSTI="$top_builddir/test_tiocsti"
 TS_HELPER_UUID_PARSER="$top_builddir/test_uuid_parser"
 TS_HELPER_UUID_NAMESPACE="$top_builddir/test_uuid_namespace"
 TS_HELPER_MBSENCODE="$top_builddir/test_mbsencode"
+TS_HELPER_CAL="$top_builddir/test_cal"
 
 # paths to commands
 TS_CMD_ADDPART=${TS_CMD_ADDPART:-"$top_builddir/addpart"}
diff --git a/tests/ts/cal/month b/tests/ts/cal/month
index ba4e07af0..9794e90c0 100755
--- a/tests/ts/cal/month
+++ b/tests/ts/cal/month
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ export TERM=linux
 USETERM=$( ts_has_option "useterm" "$*" )
 MYTIME="27 09 2006"
 
+CAL_TEST_TIME=1516562739  # 21st January 2018
+export CAL_TEST_TIME
+
 function call_cal {
 	local testname=$(echo "$2" | sed 's/-//g')
 
@@ -36,9 +39,9 @@ function call_cal {
 	ts_log "$1"
 	shift
 	if [ "$USETERM" == "yes" ]; then
-		$TS_CMD_CAL "$@"
+		$TS_HELPER_CAL "$@"
 	fi
-	$TS_CMD_CAL "$@" >> $TS_OUTPUT
+	$TS_HELPER_CAL "$@" >> $TS_OUTPUT
 
 	ts_finalize_subtest
 }
diff --git a/tests/ts/cal/sep1752 b/tests/ts/cal/sep1752
index 986f01a60..3128261cd 100755
--- a/tests/ts/cal/sep1752
+++ b/tests/ts/cal/sep1752
@@ -26,13 +26,16 @@ USETERM=$( ts_has_option "useterm" "$*" )
 MYMONTH="09 1752"
 MYYEAR="1752"
 
+CAL_TEST_TIME=1516562739  # 21st January 2018
+export CAL_TEST_TIME
+
 function call_cal_simple {
 	ts_log "$1"
 	shift
 	if [ "$USETERM" == "yes" ]; then
-		$TS_CMD_CAL "$@"
+		$TS_HELPER_CAL "$@"
 	fi
-	$TS_CMD_CAL "$@" >> $TS_OUTPUT
+	$TS_HELPER_CAL "$@" >> $TS_OUTPUT
 }
 
 function call_cal {