diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7966114fa05..6445fb9a59f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,12 +4,16 @@ FEATURES:
 
  * vault: Add initial support for Vault namespaces [[GH-5520](https://github.com/hashicorp/nomad/pull/5520)]
  * allocations: Add support for restarting allocations in-place [[GH-5502](https://github.com/hashicorp/nomad/pull/5502)]
- 
+
 IMPROVEMENTS:
 
  * core: Add node name to output of `nomad node status` command in verbose mode [[GH-5224](https://github.com/hashicorp/nomad/pull/5224)]
  * core: Add `-verbose` flag to `nomad status` wrapper command [[GH-5516](https://github.com/hashicorp/nomad/pull/5516)]
 
+BUG FIXES:
+
+ * vault: Fix renewal time to be 1/2 lease duration with jitter [[GH-5479](https://github.com/hashicorp/nomad/issues/5479)]
+
 ## 0.9.0 (April 9, 2019)
 
 __BACKWARDS INCOMPATIBILITIES:__
diff --git a/client/vaultclient/vaultclient.go b/client/vaultclient/vaultclient.go
index 5bebbd883e0..5e47358d3af 100644
--- a/client/vaultclient/vaultclient.go
+++ b/client/vaultclient/vaultclient.go
@@ -194,28 +194,36 @@ func (c *vaultClient) isTracked(id string) bool {
 	return ok
 }
 
+// isRunning returns true if the client is running.
+func (c *vaultClient) isRunning() bool {
+	c.lock.RLock()
+	defer c.lock.RUnlock()
+	return c.running
+}
+
 // Starts the renewal loop of vault client
 func (c *vaultClient) Start() {
+	c.lock.Lock()
+	defer c.lock.Unlock()
+
 	if !c.config.IsEnabled() || c.running {
 		return
 	}
 
-	c.lock.Lock()
 	c.running = true
-	c.lock.Unlock()
 
 	go c.run()
 }
 
 // Stops the renewal loop of vault client
 func (c *vaultClient) Stop() {
+	c.lock.Lock()
+	defer c.lock.Unlock()
+
 	if !c.config.IsEnabled() || !c.running {
 		return
 	}
 
-	c.lock.Lock()
-	defer c.lock.Unlock()
-
 	c.running = false
 	close(c.stopCh)
 }
@@ -235,7 +243,7 @@ func (c *vaultClient) DeriveToken(alloc *structs.Allocation, taskNames []string)
 	if !c.config.IsEnabled() {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("vault client not enabled")
 	}
-	if !c.running {
+	if !c.isRunning() {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("vault client is not running")
 	}
 
@@ -421,21 +429,9 @@ func (c *vaultClient) renew(req *vaultClientRenewalRequest) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	duration := leaseDuration / 2
-	switch {
-	case leaseDuration < 30:
-		// Don't bother about introducing randomness if the
-		// leaseDuration is too small.
-	default:
-		// Give a breathing space of 20 seconds
-		min := 10
-		max := leaseDuration - min
-		rand.Seed(time.Now().Unix())
-		duration = min + rand.Intn(max-min)
-	}
-
 	// Determine the next renewal time
-	next := time.Now().Add(time.Duration(duration) * time.Second)
+	renewalDuration := renewalTime(rand.Intn, leaseDuration)
+	next := time.Now().Add(renewalDuration)
 
 	fatal := false
 	if renewalErr != nil &&
@@ -445,7 +441,7 @@ func (c *vaultClient) renew(req *vaultClientRenewalRequest) error {
 			strings.Contains(renewalErr.Error(), "permission denied")) {
 		fatal = true
 	} else if renewalErr != nil {
-		c.logger.Debug("renewal error details", "req.increment", req.increment, "lease_duration", leaseDuration, "duration", duration)
+		c.logger.Debug("renewal error details", "req.increment", req.increment, "lease_duration", leaseDuration, "renewal_duration", renewalDuration)
 		c.logger.Error("error during renewal of lease or token failed due to a non-fatal error; retrying",
 			"error", renewalErr, "period", next)
 	}
@@ -517,7 +513,7 @@ func (c *vaultClient) run() {
 	}
 
 	var renewalCh <-chan time.Time
-	for c.config.IsEnabled() && c.running {
+	for c.config.IsEnabled() && c.isRunning() {
 		// Fetches the candidate for next renewal
 		renewalReq, renewalTime := c.nextRenewal()
 		if renewalTime.IsZero() {
@@ -728,3 +724,31 @@ func (h *vaultDataHeapImp) Pop() interface{} {
 	*h = old[0 : n-1]
 	return entry
 }
+
+// randIntn is the function in math/rand needed by renewalTime. A type is used
+// to ease deterministic testing.
+type randIntn func(int) int
+
+// renewalTime returns when a token should be renewed given its leaseDuration
+// and a randomizer to provide jitter.
+//
+// Leases < 1m will be not jitter.
+func renewalTime(dice randIntn, leaseDuration int) time.Duration {
+	// Start trying to renew at half the lease duration to allow ample time
+	// for latency and retries.
+	renew := leaseDuration / 2
+
+	// Don't bother about introducing randomness if the
+	// leaseDuration is too small.
+	const cutoff = 30
+	if renew < cutoff {
+		return time.Duration(renew) * time.Second
+	}
+
+	// jitter is the amount +/- to vary the renewal time
+	const jitter = 10
+	min := renew - jitter
+	renew = min + dice(jitter*2)
+
+	return time.Duration(renew) * time.Second
+}
diff --git a/client/vaultclient/vaultclient_test.go b/client/vaultclient/vaultclient_test.go
index f3f6a879c6d..c62400a61b3 100644
--- a/client/vaultclient/vaultclient_test.go
+++ b/client/vaultclient/vaultclient_test.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/testutil"
 	vaultapi "github.com/hashicorp/vault/api"
 	vaultconsts "github.com/hashicorp/vault/helper/consts"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
@@ -76,8 +77,11 @@ func TestVaultClient_TokenRenewals(t *testing.T) {
 		}(errCh)
 	}
 
-	if c.heap.Length() != num {
-		t.Fatalf("bad: heap length: expected: %d, actual: %d", num, c.heap.Length())
+	c.lock.Lock()
+	length := c.heap.Length()
+	c.lock.Unlock()
+	if length != num {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: heap length: expected: %d, actual: %d", num, length)
 	}
 
 	time.Sleep(time.Duration(testutil.TestMultiplier()) * time.Second)
@@ -88,8 +92,11 @@ func TestVaultClient_TokenRenewals(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if c.heap.Length() != 0 {
-		t.Fatalf("bad: heap length: expected: 0, actual: %d", c.heap.Length())
+	c.lock.Lock()
+	length = c.heap.Length()
+	c.lock.Unlock()
+	if length != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: heap length: expected: 0, actual: %d", length)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -300,3 +307,44 @@ func TestVaultClient_RenewNonexistentLease(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected \"%s\" or \"%s\" in error message, got \"%v\"", "lease not found", "lease is not renewable", err.Error())
 	}
 }
+
+// TestVaultClient_RenewalTime_Long asserts that for leases over 1m the renewal
+// time is jittered.
+func TestVaultClient_RenewalTime_Long(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	// highRoller is a randIntn func that always returns the max value
+	highRoller := func(n int) int {
+		return n - 1
+	}
+
+	// lowRoller is a randIntn func that always returns the min value (0)
+	lowRoller := func(int) int {
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 39*time.Second, renewalTime(highRoller, 60))
+	assert.Equal(t, 20*time.Second, renewalTime(lowRoller, 60))
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 309*time.Second, renewalTime(highRoller, 600))
+	assert.Equal(t, 290*time.Second, renewalTime(lowRoller, 600))
+
+	const days3 = 60 * 60 * 24 * 3
+	assert.Equal(t, (days3/2+9)*time.Second, renewalTime(highRoller, days3))
+	assert.Equal(t, (days3/2-10)*time.Second, renewalTime(lowRoller, days3))
+}
+
+// TestVaultClient_RenewalTime_Short asserts that for leases under 1m the renewal
+// time is lease/2.
+func TestVaultClient_RenewalTime_Short(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	dice := func(int) int {
+		require.Fail(t, "dice should not have been called")
+		panic("unreachable")
+	}
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 29*time.Second, renewalTime(dice, 58))
+	assert.Equal(t, 15*time.Second, renewalTime(dice, 30))
+	assert.Equal(t, 1*time.Second, renewalTime(dice, 2))
+}