diff --git a/resource/traversers/dfu_impl.hpp b/resource/traversers/dfu_impl.hpp
index 23048c01a..098fcd41c 100644
--- a/resource/traversers/dfu_impl.hpp
+++ b/resource/traversers/dfu_impl.hpp
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ struct jobmeta_t {
         jobid = id;
         alloc_type = alloc;
         int64_t g_duration = std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::seconds>
-            (graph_duration.graph_end - graph_duration.graph_start).count ();
+            (graph_duration.graph_end -
+             std::chrono::system_clock::now()).count ();
 
         if (g_duration <= 0) {
             errno = EINVAL;
diff --git a/t/t4011-match-duration.t b/t/t4011-match-duration.t
index 7ab888a75..278efce1f 100755
--- a/t/t4011-match-duration.t
+++ b/t/t4011-match-duration.t
@@ -9,17 +9,27 @@ test_description='Test that parent duration is inherited according to RFC14'
 #
 test_under_flux 1
 
-test_expect_success HAVE_JQ 'parent duration is inherited when duration=0' '
+export FLUX_URI_RESOLVE_LOCAL=t
+
+test_expect_success HAVE_JQ 'parent expiration is inherited when duration=0' '
 	cat >get_R.sh <<-EOT &&
 	#!/bin/sh
-
 	flux job info \$FLUX_JOB_ID R
 	EOT
 	chmod +x get_R.sh &&
-	out=$(flux run -t20s -n1 flux start flux run -n1 ./get_R.sh) &&
-	echo "$out" | jq -e ".execution.expiration - .execution.starttime <= 20" &&
-	out=$(flux run -t30s -n1 flux start flux run -n1 ./get_R.sh) &&
-	echo "$out" | jq -e ".execution.expiration - .execution.starttime <= 30"
+	jobid=$(flux alloc -n1 -t5m --bg) &&
+	expiration=$(flux job info $jobid R | jq .execution.expiration) &&
+	test_debug "echo expiration of alloc job is $expiration" &&
+	R1=$(flux proxy $jobid flux run -n1 ./get_R.sh) &&
+	exp1=$(echo "$R1" | jq .execution.expiration) &&
+	test_debug "echo expiration of job is $exp1" &&
+	echo $exp1 | jq ". == $expiration" &&
+	sleep 1 &&
+	R1=$(flux proxy $jobid flux run -n1 ./get_R.sh) &&
+	exp1=$(echo "$R1" | jq .execution.expiration) &&
+	test_debug "echo expiration of second job is $exp1" &&
+	echo $exp1 | jq ". == $expiration" &&
+	flux shutdown --quiet $jobid
 '
 
 test_done