diff --git a/src/pynwb/epoch.py b/src/pynwb/epoch.py
index 9cccc5db5..b14729c2c 100644
--- a/src/pynwb/epoch.py
+++ b/src/pynwb/epoch.py
@@ -33,8 +33,10 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
 
     @docval({'name': 'start_time', 'type': float, 'doc': 'Start time of epoch, in seconds'},
             {'name': 'stop_time', 'type': float, 'doc': 'Stop time of epoch, in seconds'},
-            {'name': 'tags', 'type': (str, list, tuple), 'doc': 'user-defined tags used throughout time intervals',
-             'default': None},
+            {'name': 'tags', 'type': (str, list, tuple),
+             'doc': ('User-defined tags used throughout time intervals. If list or tuple each element is treated as '
+                     'a separate tag. If str, can be a single tag, or comma-separated entries that will be parsed '
+                     'into individual tags.'), 'default': None},
             {'name': 'timeseries', 'type': (list, tuple, TimeSeries), 'doc': 'the TimeSeries this epoch applies to',
              'default': None},
             allow_extra=True)
diff --git a/src/pynwb/file.py b/src/pynwb/file.py
index e8f422c57..69aa31f70 100644
--- a/src/pynwb/file.py
+++ b/src/pynwb/file.py
@@ -591,7 +591,12 @@ def add_epoch(self, **kwargs):
         """
         self.__check_epochs()
         if kwargs['tags'] is not None:
-            self.epoch_tags.update(kwargs['tags'])
+            # If a str is passed into epoch_tags directly, it gets split into characters
+            #   This processing needs to match tags parsing in `epoch.TimeIntervals.add_interval`
+            tmp = kwargs['tags']
+            if isinstance(kwargs['tags'], str):
+                tmp = [s.strip() for s in kwargs['tags'].split(",") if not s.isspace()]
+            self.epoch_tags.update(tmp)
         self.epochs.add_interval(**kwargs)
 
     def __check_electrodes(self):