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 e0695e9c3d..fc020f73f0 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
@@ -3116,7 +3116,8 @@ public long checkAndGetApplicationLifetime(String queueName,
       // 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 934fc1b728..781f0d605f 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
@@ -259,7 +259,8 @@ protected void setupQueueConfigs(Resource clusterResource,
           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 855c793edc..8036a21998 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
@@ -5171,7 +5171,8 @@ public void testcheckAndGetApplicationLifetime() throws Exception {
     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"));
 
@@ -5191,8 +5192,10 @@ public void testcheckAndGetApplicationLifetime() throws Exception {
     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;
@@ -5213,6 +5216,16 @@ public void testcheckAndGetApplicationLifetime() throws Exception {
       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,