diff --git a/django_celery_results/backends/database.py b/django_celery_results/backends/database.py
index a4e364a6..45eebc3a 100644
--- a/django_celery_results/backends/database.py
+++ b/django_celery_results/backends/database.py
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@
 from celery.utils.log import get_logger
 from celery.utils.serialization import b64decode, b64encode
 from django.db import connection, router, transaction
-from django.db.models.functions import Now
 from django.db.utils import InterfaceError
 from kombu.exceptions import DecodeError
 
 from ..models import ChordCounter
 from ..models import GroupResult as GroupResultModel
 from ..models import TaskResult
+from ..utils import now
 
 EXCEPTIONS_TO_CATCH = (InterfaceError,)
 
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ def _store_result(
         )
 
         if status == states.STARTED:
-            task_props['date_started'] = Now()
+            task_props['date_started'] = now()
 
         self.TaskModel._default_manager.store_result(**task_props)
         return result
diff --git a/t/unit/backends/test_database.py b/t/unit/backends/test_database.py
index 8baa6cc0..2eb08a2b 100644
--- a/t/unit/backends/test_database.py
+++ b/t/unit/backends/test_database.py
@@ -968,6 +968,26 @@ def test_custom_state(self):
         assert self.b.get_status(tid) == states.SUCCESS
         assert self.b.get_result(tid) == 42
 
+    def test_date_started_is_timezone_aware(self):
+        """Test that date_started is timezone-aware when task is started"""
+        tid = uuid()
+
+        # Create a task in PENDING state
+        self.b.store_result(tid, None, states.PENDING)
+        tr = TaskResult.objects.get(task_id=tid)
+        assert tr.date_started is None
+
+        # Mark as started
+        self.b.mark_as_started(tid)
+
+        # Verify date_started is set and timezone-aware
+        tr = TaskResult.objects.get(task_id=tid)
+        assert tr.date_started is not None
+        assert isinstance(tr.date_started, datetime.datetime)
+        # Check if datetime is timezone-aware (has tzinfo set)
+        assert tr.date_started.tzinfo is not None
+        assert tr.date_started.tzinfo.utcoffset(tr.date_started) is not None
+
 
 class DjangoCeleryResultRouter:
     route_app_labels = {"django_celery_results"}