Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. In some systems, a user equipment (UE) may account for propagation delay when initiating a random access (RACH) procedure. For example, the UE may determine transmission timing for a RACH preamble based on an estimated propagation delay, such that the RACH preamble is received at a base station approximately at the beginning of a slot. To support reliable communication of the RACH preamble, the UE may implement a timing offset. In some examples, the base station may configure the UE with the timing offset using system information. Alternatively, the UE may be pre-configured with the timing offset. By determining the transmission timing for the RACH preamble further based on the timing offset, the UE may ensure that the RACH preamble is received at the base station after a slot boundary (e.g., avoiding causing interference to communications in a previous slot).