diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/CapacityScheduler.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/CapacityScheduler.java
index 90175153fc4..75342176168 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/CapacityScheduler.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/CapacityScheduler.java
@@ -3188,7 +3188,8 @@ public class CapacityScheduler extends
       // check only for maximum, that's enough because default can't
       // exceed maximum
       if (maximumApplicationLifetime <= 0) {
-        return lifetimeRequestedByApp;
+        return (lifetimeRequestedByApp <= 0) ? defaultApplicationLifetime :
+            lifetimeRequestedByApp;
       }
 
       if (lifetimeRequestedByApp <= 0) {
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/LeafQueue.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/LeafQueue.java
index a6c78e5accd..fdf04ebc1cb 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/LeafQueue.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/LeafQueue.java
@@ -263,7 +263,8 @@ public class LeafQueue extends AbstractCSQueue {
           conf.getMaximumLifetimePerQueue((getQueuePath()));
       defaultApplicationLifetime =
           conf.getDefaultLifetimePerQueue((getQueuePath()));
-      if (defaultApplicationLifetime > maxApplicationLifetime) {
+      if (maxApplicationLifetime > 0 &&
+          defaultApplicationLifetime > maxApplicationLifetime) {
         throw new YarnRuntimeException(
             "Default lifetime" + defaultApplicationLifetime
                 + " can't exceed maximum lifetime " + maxApplicationLifetime);
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/TestCapacityScheduler.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/TestCapacityScheduler.java
index 5572960be95..6c5ecc5453a 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/TestCapacityScheduler.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/scheduler/capacity/TestCapacityScheduler.java
@@ -4891,7 +4891,8 @@ public class TestCapacityScheduler extends CapacitySchedulerTestBase {
     Assert.assertEquals(100, cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 100));
     Assert.assertEquals(defaultLifetime,
         cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", -1));
-    Assert.assertEquals(0, cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 0));
+    Assert.assertEquals(defaultLifetime,
+        cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 0));
     Assert.assertEquals(maxLifetime,
         cs.getMaximumApplicationLifetime("default"));
 
@@ -4911,8 +4912,10 @@ public class TestCapacityScheduler extends CapacitySchedulerTestBase {
     defaultLifetime = 0;
     cs = setUpCSQueue(maxLifetime, defaultLifetime);
     Assert.assertEquals(100, cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 100));
-    Assert.assertEquals(-1, cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", -1));
-    Assert.assertEquals(0, cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 0));
+    Assert.assertEquals(defaultLifetime,
+        cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", -1));
+    Assert.assertEquals(defaultLifetime,
+        cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 0));
 
     maxLifetime = 10;
     defaultLifetime = -1;
@@ -4933,6 +4936,16 @@ public class TestCapacityScheduler extends CapacitySchedulerTestBase {
       Assert.assertTrue(
           ye.getMessage().contains("can't exceed maximum lifetime"));
     }
+
+    maxLifetime = -1;
+    defaultLifetime = 10;
+    cs = setUpCSQueue(maxLifetime, defaultLifetime);
+    Assert.assertEquals(100,
+        cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 100));
+    Assert.assertEquals(defaultLifetime,
+        cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", -1));
+    Assert.assertEquals(defaultLifetime,
+        cs.checkAndGetApplicationLifetime("default", 0));
   }
 
   private CapacityScheduler setUpCSQueue(long maxLifetime,