diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/71257-strftime-float.yml b/changelogs/fragments/71257-strftime-float.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d5e3bf46faf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/71257-strftime-float.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+bugfixes:
+- strftime filter - Input epoch is allowed to be a float
+  (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/71257)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py
index 59a5df79122..99e9e0e3f59 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ def strftime(string_format, second=None):
     ''' return a date string using string. See https://docs.python.org/2/library/time.html#time.strftime for format '''
     if second is not None:
         try:
-            second = int(second)
+            second = float(second)
         except Exception:
             raise AnsibleFilterError('Invalid value for epoch value (%s)' % second)
     return time.strftime(string_format, time.localtime(second))
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/filter_core/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/filter_core/tasks/main.yml
index 791542816e2..2197febde91 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/filter_core/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/filter_core/tasks/main.yml
@@ -298,6 +298,7 @@
   assert:
     that:
       - '"%Y-%m-%d"|strftime(1585247522) == "2020-03-26"'
+      - '"%Y-%m-%d"|strftime("1585247522.0") == "2020-03-26"'
       - '("%Y"|strftime(None)).startswith("20")' # Current date, can't check much there.
       - strftime_fail is failed
       - '"Invalid value for epoch value" in strftime_fail.msg'