diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index bb8417f87..1d0f8209d 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ files in Windows (#2882, @Bisaloo).
 * `T_and_F_symbol_linter()` ignores `T` and `F` used as symbols in formulas (`y ~ T + F`), which can represent variables in data not controlled by the author (#2637, @MichaelChirico).
 * `T_and_F_symbol_linter()` ignores `T` and `F` if followed by `[` or `[[` (#2944, @mcol).
 * `implicit_assignment_linter()` with `allow_scoped=TRUE` doesn't lint for `if (a <- 1) print(a)` (#2913, @MichaelChirico).
+* `paste_linter()` doesn't lint `expression(paste(., sep = ""))` (#2945, @mcol).
 
 ### Lint accuracy fixes: removing false negatives
 
diff --git a/R/paste_linter.R b/R/paste_linter.R
index 89ecc8bfc..fb107bffa 100644
--- a/R/paste_linter.R
+++ b/R/paste_linter.R
@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@
 #' )
 #'
 #' lint(
+#'   text = 'expression(paste("a", "b", sep = ""))',
+#'   linters = paste_linter()
+#' )
+#'
+#' lint(
 #'   text = 'toString(c("a", "b"))',
 #'   linters = paste_linter()
 #' )
@@ -118,7 +123,8 @@ paste_linter <- function(allow_empty_sep = FALSE,
   check_file_paths <- allow_file_path %in% c("double_slash", "never")
 
   paste_sep_xpath <- "
-  following-sibling::SYMBOL_SUB[text() = 'sep' and following-sibling::expr[1][STR_CONST]]
+  following-sibling::SYMBOL_SUB[text() = 'sep' and following-sibling::expr[1][STR_CONST]
+    and not(parent::expr/preceding-sibling::expr/SYMBOL_FUNCTION_CALL[text() = 'expression'])]
     /parent::expr
   "
 
diff --git a/man/paste_linter.Rd b/man/paste_linter.Rd
index 8139cd605..53f4ec73b 100644
--- a/man/paste_linter.Rd
+++ b/man/paste_linter.Rd
@@ -86,6 +86,11 @@ lint(
   linters = paste_linter(allow_empty_sep = TRUE)
 )
 
+lint(
+  text = 'expression(paste("a", "b", sep = ""))',
+  linters = paste_linter()
+)
+
 lint(
   text = 'toString(c("a", "b"))',
   linters = paste_linter()
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-paste_linter.R b/tests/testthat/test-paste_linter.R
index b2409692f..6bebd6d76 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-paste_linter.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-paste_linter.R
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ test_that("paste_linter skips allowed usages for sep=''", {
   expect_no_lint("sep <- ''; paste('a', sep)", linter)
   expect_no_lint("paste(sep = ',', '', 'a')", linter)
   expect_no_lint("paste0('a', 'b', 'c')", linter)
+  expect_no_lint("expression(paste('a', b, sep = ''))", linter)
 })
 
 test_that("paste_linter blocks simple disallowed usages for sep=''", {
@@ -22,6 +23,18 @@ test_that("paste_linter blocks simple disallowed usages for sep=''", {
     rex::rex('paste0(...) is better than paste(..., sep = "").'),
     paste_linter()
   )
+
+  expect_lint(
+    "paste('a', 'b', expression(2), sep = '')",
+    rex::rex('paste0(...) is better than paste(..., sep = "").'),
+    paste_linter()
+  )
+
+  expect_lint(
+    "c(expression(2), paste('a', 'b', sep = ''))",
+    rex::rex('paste0(...) is better than paste(..., sep = "").'),
+    paste_linter()
+  )
 })
 
 test_that("paste_linter skips allowed usages for collapse=', '", {