diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 143b797..10be4ec 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ Flags:
 
 var (
 	skipExtensionFlags skipExtensionFlag
+	spdx               spdxFlag
 
 	holder    = flag.String("c", "Google LLC", "copyright holder")
 	license   = flag.String("l", "apache", "license type: apache, bsd, mit, mpl")
@@ -64,6 +65,7 @@ func init() {
 		flag.PrintDefaults()
 	}
 	flag.Var(&skipExtensionFlags, "skip", "To skip files to check/add the header file, for example: -skip rb -skip go")
+	flag.Var(&spdx, "s", "Include SPDX identifier in license header. Set -s=only to only include SPDX identifier.")
 }
 
 type skipExtensionFlag []string
@@ -77,6 +79,29 @@ func (i *skipExtensionFlag) Set(value string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// spdxFlag defines the line flag behavior for specifying SPDX support.
+type spdxFlag string
+
+const (
+	spdxOff  spdxFlag = ""
+	spdxOn   spdxFlag = "true" // value set by flag package on bool flag
+	spdxOnly spdxFlag = "only"
+)
+
+// IsBoolFlag causes a bare '-s' flag to be set as the string 'true'.  This
+// allows the use of the bare '-s' or setting a string '-s=only'.
+func (i *spdxFlag) IsBoolFlag() bool { return true }
+func (i *spdxFlag) String() string   { return string(*i) }
+
+func (i *spdxFlag) Set(value string) error {
+	v := spdxFlag(value)
+	if v != spdxOn && v != spdxOnly {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error: flag 's' expects '%v' or '%v'", spdxOn, spdxOnly)
+	}
+	*i = v
+	return nil
+}
+
 func main() {
 	flag.Parse()
 	if flag.NArg() == 0 {
@@ -84,12 +109,18 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	// map legacy license values
+	if t, ok := legacyLicenseTypes[*license]; ok {
+		*license = t
+	}
+
 	data := licenseData{
 		Year:   *year,
 		Holder: *holder,
+		SPDXID: *license,
 	}
 
-	tpl, err := fetchTemplate(*license, *licensef)
+	tpl, err := fetchTemplate(*license, *licensef, spdx)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -300,5 +331,6 @@ func hasLicense(b []byte) bool {
 		n = len(b)
 	}
 	return bytes.Contains(bytes.ToLower(b[:n]), []byte("copyright")) ||
-		bytes.Contains(bytes.ToLower(b[:n]), []byte("mozilla public"))
+		bytes.Contains(bytes.ToLower(b[:n]), []byte("mozilla public")) ||
+		bytes.Contains(bytes.ToLower(b[:n]), []byte("SPDX-License-Identifier"))
 }
diff --git a/tmpl.go b/tmpl.go
index 47dda73..e12bcc8 100644
--- a/tmpl.go
+++ b/tmpl.go
@@ -25,25 +25,36 @@ import (
 )
 
 var licenseTemplate = map[string]string{
-	"apache": tmplApache,
-	"mit":    tmplMIT,
-	"bsd":    tmplBSD,
-	"mpl":    tmplMPL,
+	"Apache-2.0": tmplApache,
+	"MIT":        tmplMIT,
+	"bsd":        tmplBSD,
+	"MPL-2.0":    tmplMPL,
+}
+
+// maintain backwards compatibility by mapping legacy license types to their
+// SPDX equivalents.
+var legacyLicenseTypes = map[string]string{
+	"apache": "Apache-2.0",
+	"mit":    "MIT",
+	"mpl":    "MPL-2.0",
 }
 
 // licenseData specifies the data used to fill out a license template.
 type licenseData struct {
 	Year   string // Copyright year(s).
 	Holder string // Name of the copyright holder.
+	SPDXID string // SPDX Identifier
 }
 
 // fetchTemplate returns the license template for the specified license and
 // optional templateFile. If templateFile is provided, the license is read
 // from the specified file. Otherwise, a template is loaded for the specified
 // license, if recognized.
-func fetchTemplate(license string, templateFile string) (string, error) {
+func fetchTemplate(license string, templateFile string, spdx spdxFlag) (string, error) {
 	var t string
-	if templateFile != "" {
+	if spdx == spdxOnly {
+		t = tmplSPDX
+	} else if templateFile != "" {
 		d, err := ioutil.ReadFile(templateFile)
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", fmt.Errorf("license file: %w", err)
@@ -53,7 +64,15 @@ func fetchTemplate(license string, templateFile string) (string, error) {
 	} else {
 		t = licenseTemplate[license]
 		if t == "" {
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("unknown license: %q", license)
+			if spdx == spdxOn {
+				// unknown license, but SPDX headers requested
+				t = tmplSPDX
+			} else {
+				return "", fmt.Errorf("unknown license: %q. Include the '-s' flag to request SPDX style headers using this license.", license)
+			}
+		} else if spdx == spdxOn {
+			// append spdx headers to recognized license
+			t = t + spdxSuffix
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -122,3 +141,8 @@ CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.`
 const tmplMPL = `This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
 License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 file, You can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.`
+
+const tmplSPDX = `{{ if and .Year .Holder }}Copyright {{.Year}} {{.Holder}}
+{{ end }}SPDX-License-Identifier: {{.SPDXID}}`
+
+const spdxSuffix = "\n\nSPDX-License-Identifier: {{.SPDXID}}"
diff --git a/tmpl_test.go b/tmpl_test.go
index be156fd..4ed972c 100644
--- a/tmpl_test.go
+++ b/tmpl_test.go
@@ -31,16 +31,19 @@ func init() {
 
 func TestFetchTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		description  string // test case description
-		license      string // license passed to fetchTemplate
-		templateFile string // templatefile passed to fetchTemplate
-		wantTemplate string // expected returned template
-		wantErr      error  // expected returned error
+		description  string   // test case description
+		license      string   // license passed to fetchTemplate
+		templateFile string   // templatefile passed to fetchTemplate
+		spdx         spdxFlag // spdx value passed to fetchTemplate
+		wantTemplate string   // expected returned template
+		wantErr      error    // expected returned error
 	}{
+		// custom template files
 		{
 			"non-existant template file",
 			"",
 			"/does/not/exist",
+			spdxOff,
 			"",
 			os.ErrNotExist,
 		},
@@ -48,27 +51,34 @@ func TestFetchTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 			"custom template file",
 			"",
 			"testdata/custom.tpl",
+			spdxOff,
 			"Copyright {{.Year}} {{.Holder}}\n\nCustom License Template\n",
 			nil,
 		},
+
 		{
 			"unknown license",
 			"unknown",
 			"",
+			spdxOff,
 			"",
-			errors.New(`unknown license: "unknown"`),
+			errors.New(`unknown license: "unknown". Include the '-s' flag to request SPDX style headers using this license.`),
 		},
+
+		// pre-defined license templates, no SPDX
 		{
 			"apache license template",
-			"apache",
+			"Apache-2.0",
 			"",
+			spdxOff,
 			tmplApache,
 			nil,
 		},
 		{
 			"mit license template",
-			"mit",
+			"MIT",
 			"",
+			spdxOff,
 			tmplMIT,
 			nil,
 		},
@@ -76,21 +86,49 @@ func TestFetchTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 			"bsd license template",
 			"bsd",
 			"",
+			spdxOff,
 			tmplBSD,
 			nil,
 		},
 		{
 			"mpl license template",
-			"mpl",
+			"MPL-2.0",
 			"",
+			spdxOff,
 			tmplMPL,
 			nil,
 		},
+
+		// SPDX variants
+		{
+			"apache license template with SPDX added",
+			"Apache-2.0",
+			"",
+			spdxOn,
+			tmplApache + spdxSuffix,
+			nil,
+		},
+		{
+			"apache license template with SPDX only",
+			"Apache-2.0",
+			"",
+			spdxOnly,
+			tmplSPDX,
+			nil,
+		},
+		{
+			"unknown license with SPDX only",
+			"unknown",
+			"",
+			spdxOnly,
+			tmplSPDX,
+			nil,
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.description, func(t *testing.T) {
-			tpl, err := fetchTemplate(tt.license, tt.templateFile)
+			tpl, err := fetchTemplate(tt.license, tt.templateFile, tt.spdx)
 			if tt.wantErr != nil && (err == nil || (!errors.Is(err, tt.wantErr) && err.Error() != tt.wantErr.Error())) {
 				t.Fatalf("fetchTemplate(%q, %q) returned error: %#v, want %#v", tt.license, tt.templateFile, err, tt.wantErr)
 			}