diff --git a/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig.go b/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig.go
index b2440203..faa14695 100644
--- a/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig.go
+++ b/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig.go
@@ -42,7 +42,9 @@ func mergeStrategy(configToUpdate *v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStatus, strategy v1a
 		}
 	}
 	if existing != nil {
-		strategy.DeepCopyInto(existing)
+		if !equalExceptLastUpdated(existing, &strategy) {
+			strategy.DeepCopyInto(existing)
+		}
 	} else {
 		configToUpdate.Strategies = append(configToUpdate.Strategies, strategy)
 	}
@@ -75,3 +77,11 @@ func (s sortableStrategies) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	return s[i].Type < s[j].Type
 }
 func (s sortableStrategies) Swap(i, j int) { s[i], s[j] = s[j], s[i] }
+
+func equalExceptLastUpdated(s1, s2 *v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStrategy) bool {
+	s1 = s1.DeepCopy()
+	s2 = s2.DeepCopy()
+	s1.LastUpdateTime = metav1.Time{}
+	s2.LastUpdateTime = metav1.Time{}
+	return apiequality.Semantic.DeepEqual(s1, s2)
+}
diff --git a/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig_test.go b/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig_test.go
index 16302499..1ef1600d 100644
--- a/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/issuerconfig/issuerconfig_test.go
@@ -125,6 +125,38 @@ func TestMergeStrategy(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "existing entry matches except for LastUpdated time",
+			configToUpdate: v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStatus{
+				Strategies: []v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStrategy{
+					{
+						Type:           "Type1",
+						Status:         v1alpha1.ErrorStrategyStatus,
+						Reason:         "some starting reason",
+						Message:        "some starting message",
+						LastUpdateTime: t1,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			strategy: v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStrategy{
+				Type:           "Type1",
+				Status:         v1alpha1.ErrorStrategyStatus,
+				Reason:         "some starting reason",
+				Message:        "some starting message",
+				LastUpdateTime: t2,
+			},
+			expected: v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStatus{
+				Strategies: []v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStrategy{
+					{
+						Type:           "Type1",
+						Status:         v1alpha1.ErrorStrategyStatus,
+						Reason:         "some starting reason",
+						Message:        "some starting message",
+						LastUpdateTime: t1,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			name: "new entry among others",
 			configToUpdate: v1alpha1.CredentialIssuerStatus{