We study the scalar one-component two-dimensional (2D) φ 4 -model by computer simulations, with local Metropolis moves. The equilibrium exponents of this model are well-established, e.g. for the 2D φ 4 -model γ = 1.75 and ν = 1. The model has also been conjectured to belong to the Ising universality class. However, the value of the critical dynamical exponent z c is not settled. In this paper, we obtain z c for the 2D φ 4 -model using two independent methods: (a) by calculating the relative terminal exponential decay time τ for the correlation function Φ(t)Φ(0) , and thereafter fitting the data as τ ∼ L zc , where L is the system size, and (b) by measuring the anomalous diffusion exponent for the order parameter, viz., the mean-square displacement (MSD) ∆Φ 2 (t) ∼ t c as c = γ/(νz c ), and from the numerically obtained value c ≈ 0.80, we calculate z c . For different values of the coupling constant λ, we report that z c = 2.17 ± 0.03 and z c = 2.19 ± 0.03 for the two methods respectively. Our results indicate that z c is independent of λ, and is likely identical to that for the 2D Ising model. Additionally, we demonstrate that the Generalized Langevin Equation (GLE) formulation with a memory kernel, identical to those applicable for the Ising model and polymeric systems, consistently captures the observed anomalous diffusion behaviour.