diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs
index e18d9e6e9..c0b4db3a5 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ module Hledger.Data.Posting (
   -- * date operations
   postingDate,
   postingDate2,
+  postingDateOrDate2,
   isPostingInDateSpan,
   isPostingInDateSpan',
   -- * account name operations
@@ -220,6 +221,11 @@ postingDate2 p = fromMaybe nulldate $ asum dates
                 , tdate <$> ptransaction p
                 ]
 
+-- | Get a posting's primary or secondary date, as specified.
+postingDateOrDate2 :: WhichDate -> Posting -> Day
+postingDateOrDate2 PrimaryDate   = postingDate
+postingDateOrDate2 SecondaryDate = postingDate2
+
 -- | Get a posting's status. This is cleared or pending if those are
 -- explicitly set on the posting, otherwise the status of its parent
 -- transaction, or unmarked if there is no parent transaction. (Note
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Transaction.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Transaction.hs
index 5bfbcdf8e..ba25e78a6 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Transaction.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Transaction.hs
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ module Hledger.Data.Transaction
   -- nonzerobalanceerror
   -- * date operations
 , transactionDate2
+, transactionDateOrDate2
   -- * transaction description parts
 , transactionPayee
 , transactionNote
@@ -320,10 +321,15 @@ balancedVirtualPostings = filter isBalancedVirtual . tpostings
 transactionsPostings :: [Transaction] -> [Posting]
 transactionsPostings = concatMap tpostings
 
--- Get a transaction's secondary date, defaulting to the primary date.
+-- Get a transaction's secondary date, or the primary date if there is none.
 transactionDate2 :: Transaction -> Day
 transactionDate2 t = fromMaybe (tdate t) $ tdate2 t
 
+-- Get a transaction's primary or secondary date, as specified.
+transactionDateOrDate2 :: WhichDate -> Transaction -> Day
+transactionDateOrDate2 PrimaryDate   = tdate
+transactionDateOrDate2 SecondaryDate = transactionDate2
+
 -- | Ensure a transaction's postings refer back to it, so that eg
 -- relatedPostings works right.
 txnTieKnot :: Transaction -> Transaction
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs
index 9595dcdf3..199b658b7 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/MultiBalanceReport.hs
@@ -244,9 +244,7 @@ getPostingsByColumn rspec j priceoracle reportspan =
     ps = dbg5 "getPostingsByColumn" $ getPostings rspec j priceoracle
     -- The date spans to be included as report columns.
     colspans = dbg3 "colspans" $ splitSpan (interval_ $ _rsReportOpts rspec) reportspan
-    getDate = case whichDateFromOpts (_rsReportOpts rspec) of
-        PrimaryDate   -> postingDate
-        SecondaryDate -> postingDate2
+    getDate = postingDateOrDate2 (whichDate (_rsReportOpts rspec))
 
 -- | Gather postings matching the query within the report period.
 getPostings :: ReportSpec -> Journal -> PriceOracle -> [Posting]
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs
index c72951218..832e17c19 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/PostingsReport.hs
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ postingsReport :: ReportSpec -> Journal -> PostingsReport
 postingsReport rspec@ReportSpec{_rsReportOpts=ropts@ReportOpts{..}} j = items
     where
       reportspan  = reportSpanBothDates j rspec
-      whichdate   = whichDateFromOpts ropts
+      whichdate   = whichDate ropts
       mdepth      = queryDepth $ _rsQuery rspec
       multiperiod = interval_ /= NoInterval
 
@@ -116,9 +116,11 @@ matchedPostingsBeforeAndDuring rspec@ReportSpec{_rsReportOpts=ropts,_rsQuery=q}
     dbg5 "beforeps, duringps" $ span (beforestartq `matchesPosting`) beforeandduringps
   where
     beforestartq = dbg3 "beforestartq" $ dateqtype $ DateSpan Nothing $ spanStart reportspan
-    beforeandduringps = sortOn (if date2_ ropts then postingDate2 else postingDate)  -- sort postings by date or date2
-      . (if invert_ ropts then map negatePostingAmount else id)                      -- with --invert, invert amounts
-      . journalPostings $ journalValueAndFilterPostings rspec{_rsQuery=beforeandduringq} j
+    beforeandduringps = 
+        sortOn (postingDateOrDate2 (whichDate ropts))            -- sort postings by date or date2
+      . (if invert_ ropts then map negatePostingAmount else id)  -- with --invert, invert amounts
+      . journalPostings
+      $ journalValueAndFilterPostings rspec{_rsQuery=beforeandduringq} j
 
     -- filter postings by the query, with no start date or depth limit
     beforeandduringq = dbg4 "beforeandduringq" $ And [depthless $ dateless q, beforeendq]
@@ -152,15 +154,12 @@ postingsReportItems ((p,mperiod):ps) (pprev,mperiodprev) wd d b runningcalcfn it
 -- the transaction description.
 mkpostingsReportItem :: Bool -> Bool -> WhichDate -> Maybe Period -> Posting -> MixedAmount -> PostingsReportItem
 mkpostingsReportItem showdate showdesc wd mperiod p b =
-  (if showdate then Just date else Nothing
+  (if showdate then Just $ postingDateOrDate2 wd p else Nothing
   ,mperiod
   ,if showdesc then tdescription <$> ptransaction p else Nothing
   ,p
   ,b
   )
-  where
-    date = case wd of PrimaryDate   -> postingDate p
-                      SecondaryDate -> postingDate2 p
 
 -- | Convert a list of postings into summary postings, one per interval,
 -- aggregated to the specified depth if any.
@@ -170,13 +169,10 @@ summarisePostingsByInterval interval wd mdepth showempty reportspan =
     concatMap (\(s,ps) -> summarisePostingsInDateSpan s wd mdepth showempty ps)
     -- Group postings into their columns. We try to be efficient, since
     -- there can possibly be a very large number of intervals (cf #1683)
-    . groupByDateSpan showempty getDate colspans
+    . groupByDateSpan showempty (postingDateOrDate2 wd) colspans
   where
     -- The date spans to be included as report columns.
     colspans = splitSpan interval reportspan
-    getDate = case wd of
-        PrimaryDate   -> postingDate
-        SecondaryDate -> postingDate2
 
 -- | Given a date span (representing a report interval) and a list of
 -- postings within it, aggregate the postings into one summary posting per
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/ReportOptions.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/ReportOptions.hs
index 3be6878ea..e4af17044 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/ReportOptions.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Reports/ReportOptions.hs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ module Hledger.Reports.ReportOptions (
   tree_,
   reportOptsToggleStatus,
   simplifyStatuses,
-  whichDateFromOpts,
+  whichDate,
   journalValueAndFilterPostings,
   journalValueAndFilterPostingsWith,
   journalApplyValuationFromOpts,
@@ -486,8 +486,8 @@ postingDateFn :: ReportOpts -> (Posting -> Day)
 postingDateFn ReportOpts{..} = if date2_ then postingDate2 else postingDate
 
 -- | Report which date we will report on based on --date2.
-whichDateFromOpts :: ReportOpts -> WhichDate
-whichDateFromOpts ReportOpts{..} = if date2_ then SecondaryDate else PrimaryDate
+whichDate :: ReportOpts -> WhichDate
+whichDate ReportOpts{..} = if date2_ then SecondaryDate else PrimaryDate
 
 -- | Legacy-compatible convenience aliases for accountlistmode_.
 tree_ :: ReportOpts -> Bool