diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f64b645c..3a2882c8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -151,6 +151,13 @@ time.sleep(32)
 jwt.decode(jwt_payload, 'secret', leeway=10)
 ```
 
+Instead of specifying the leeway as a number of seconds, a `datetime.timedelta` instance can be used. The last line in the example above is equivalent to:
+
+```python
+jwt.decode(jwt_payload, 'secret', leeway=datetime.timedelta(seconds=10))
+```
+
+
 ### Not Before Time Claim
 
 > The nbf (not before) claim identifies the time before which the JWT MUST NOT be accepted for processing. The processing of the nbf claim requires that the current date/time MUST be after or equal to the not-before date/time listed in the nbf claim. Implementers MAY provide for some small leeway, usually no more than a few minutes, to account for clock skew. Its value MUST be a number containing a NumericDate value. Use of this claim is OPTIONAL.
diff --git a/jwt/__init__.py b/jwt/__init__.py
index ad581885..b8244dc7 100644
--- a/jwt/__init__.py
+++ b/jwt/__init__.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 import hmac
 import sys
 
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from calendar import timegm
 from collections import Mapping
 
@@ -359,6 +359,17 @@ def load(jwt):
 
 def verify_signature(payload, signing_input, header, signature, key='',
                      verify_expiration=True, leeway=0, **kwargs):
+
+    if isinstance(leeway, timedelta):
+        try:
+            leeway.total_seconds
+        except AttributeError:
+            # On Python 2.6, timedelta instances do not have
+            # a .total_seconds() method.
+            leeway = leeway.days * 24 * 60 * 60 + leeway.seconds
+        else:
+            leeway = leeway.total_seconds()
+
     try:
         algorithm = header['alg'].upper()
         key = prepare_key_methods[algorithm](key)
diff --git a/tests/test_jwt.py b/tests/test_jwt.py
index 04146a24..76ae8383 100644
--- a/tests/test_jwt.py
+++ b/tests/test_jwt.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 import time
 
 from calendar import timegm
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from decimal import Decimal
 
 import jwt
@@ -411,20 +411,23 @@ def test_decode_with_expiration_with_leeway(self):
         decoded_payload, signing, header, signature = jwt.load(jwt_message)
 
         # With 3 seconds leeway, should be ok
-        jwt.decode(jwt_message, secret, leeway=3)
+        for leeway in (3, timedelta(seconds=3)):
+            jwt.decode(jwt_message, secret, leeway=leeway)
 
-        jwt.verify_signature(decoded_payload, signing, header,
-                             signature, secret, leeway=3)
+            jwt.verify_signature(decoded_payload, signing, header,
+                                 signature, secret, leeway=leeway)
 
         # With 1 seconds, should fail
-        self.assertRaises(
-            jwt.ExpiredSignature,
-            lambda: jwt.decode(jwt_message, secret, leeway=1))
-
-        self.assertRaises(
-            jwt.ExpiredSignature,
-            lambda: jwt.verify_signature(decoded_payload, signing,
-                                         header, signature, secret, leeway=1))
+        for leeway in (1, timedelta(seconds=1)):
+            self.assertRaises(
+                jwt.ExpiredSignature,
+                lambda: jwt.decode(jwt_message, secret, leeway=leeway))
+
+            self.assertRaises(
+                jwt.ExpiredSignature,
+                lambda: jwt.verify_signature(decoded_payload, signing,
+                                             header, signature, secret,
+                                             leeway=leeway))
 
     def test_decode_with_notbefore_with_leeway(self):
         self.payload['nbf'] = utc_timestamp() + 10