diff --git a/parso/python/prefix.py b/parso/python/prefix.py
index 9cf5712..b7f1e1b 100644
--- a/parso/python/prefix.py
+++ b/parso/python/prefix.py
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ from codecs import BOM_UTF8
 
 from parso.python.tokenize import group
 
+unicode_bom = BOM_UTF8.decode('utf-8')
+
 
 class PrefixPart(object):
     def __init__(self, leaf, typ, value, spacing='', start_pos=None):
@@ -17,6 +19,9 @@ class PrefixPart(object):
     def end_pos(self):
         if self.value.endswith('\n'):
             return self.start_pos[0] + 1, 0
+        if self.value == unicode_bom:
+            # The bom doesn't have a length at the start of a Python file.
+            return self.start_pos
         return self.start_pos[0], self.start_pos[1] + len(self.value)
 
     def create_spacing_part(self):
@@ -35,8 +40,6 @@ class PrefixPart(object):
         )
 
 
-unicode_bom = BOM_UTF8.decode('utf-8')
-
 _comment = r'#[^\n\r\f]*'
 _backslash = r'\\\r?\n'
 _newline = r'\r?\n'
@@ -66,6 +69,7 @@ def split_prefix(leaf, start_pos):
     line, column = start_pos
     start = 0
     value = spacing = ''
+    bom = False
     while start != len(leaf.prefix):
         match =_regex.match(leaf.prefix, start)
         spacing = match.group(1)
@@ -75,8 +79,10 @@ def split_prefix(leaf, start_pos):
         type_ = _types[value[0]]
         yield PrefixPart(
             leaf, type_, value, spacing,
-            start_pos=(line, column + start + len(spacing))
+            start_pos=(line, column + start - int(bom) + len(spacing))
         )
+        if type_ == 'bom':
+            bom = True
 
         start = match.end(0)
         if value.endswith('\n'):
diff --git a/test/test_prefix.py b/test/test_prefix.py
index a628b9f..369e6c8 100644
--- a/test/test_prefix.py
+++ b/test/test_prefix.py
@@ -59,3 +59,16 @@ def test_prefix_splitting_types(string, types):
     assert leaf.type == 'endmarker'
     parsed_tokens = list(leaf._split_prefix())
     assert [t.type for t in parsed_tokens] == types
+
+
+def test_utf8_bom():
+    tree = parso.parse(unicode_bom + 'a = 1')
+    expr_stmt = tree.children[0]
+    assert expr_stmt.start_pos == (1, 0)
+
+    tree = parso.parse(unicode_bom + '\n')
+    endmarker = tree.children[0]
+    parts = list(endmarker._split_prefix())
+    assert [p.type for p in parts] == ['bom', 'newline', 'spacing']
+    assert [p.start_pos for p in parts] == [(1, 0), (1, 0), (2, 0)]
+    assert [p.end_pos for p in parts] == [(1, 0), (2, 0), (2, 0)]