diff --git a/lib/buffer.js b/lib/buffer.js
index cd4144d886..3fb24bef64 100644
--- a/lib/buffer.js
+++ b/lib/buffer.js
@@ -456,10 +456,14 @@ function slowIndexOf(buffer, val, byteOffset, encoding) {
 }
 
 Buffer.prototype.indexOf = function indexOf(val, byteOffset, encoding) {
-  if (byteOffset > 0x7fffffff)
+  if (typeof byteOffset === 'string') {
+    encoding = byteOffset;
+    byteOffset = 0;
+  } else if (byteOffset > 0x7fffffff) {
     byteOffset = 0x7fffffff;
-  else if (byteOffset < -0x80000000)
+  } else if (byteOffset < -0x80000000) {
     byteOffset = -0x80000000;
+  }
   byteOffset >>= 0;
 
   if (typeof val === 'string') {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-buffer-indexof.js b/test/parallel/test-buffer-indexof.js
index 8ed384aea5..999d6590a9 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-buffer-indexof.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-buffer-indexof.js
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ assert.equal(
 assert.equal(
     Buffer(b.toString('binary'), 'binary')
     .indexOf(Buffer('d', 'binary'), 0, 'binary'), 3);
+
 assert.equal(
     Buffer('aa\u00e8aa', 'binary')
     .indexOf('\u00e8', 'binary'), 2);
@@ -131,6 +132,21 @@ assert.equal(
   assert.equal(-1, twoByteString.indexOf('\u03a3', -2, 'ucs2'));
 }
 
+// test optional offset with passed encoding
+assert.equal(new Buffer('aaaa0').indexOf('30', 'hex'), 4);
+assert.equal(new Buffer('aaaa00a').indexOf('3030', 'hex'), 4);
+
+
+// test usc2 encoding
+var twoByteString = new Buffer('\u039a\u0391\u03a3\u03a3\u0395', 'ucs2');
+
+assert.equal(8, twoByteString.indexOf('\u0395', 4, 'ucs2'));
+assert.equal(6, twoByteString.indexOf('\u03a3', -4, 'ucs2'));
+assert.equal(4, twoByteString.indexOf('\u03a3', -6, 'ucs2'));
+assert.equal(4, twoByteString.indexOf(
+  new Buffer('\u03a3', 'ucs2'), -6, 'ucs2'));
+assert.equal(-1, twoByteString.indexOf('\u03a3', -2, 'ucs2'));
+
 var mixedByteStringUcs2 =
     new Buffer('\u039a\u0391abc\u03a3\u03a3\u0395', 'ucs2');
 assert.equal(6, mixedByteStringUcs2.indexOf('bc', 0, 'ucs2'));