diff --git a/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng b/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
index 7f55f24fc0..63e02e4b14 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
+++ b/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
@@ -857,54 +857,68 @@
   </define>
   <define name="timer">
     <element name="timer">
-      <attribute name="name">
-        <choice>
-          <value>platform</value>
-          <value>hpet</value>
-          <value>kvmclock</value>
-          <value>pit</value>
-          <value>rtc</value>
-          <value>tsc</value>
-        </choice>
-      </attribute>
-      <optional>
-        <attribute name="track">
-          <choice>
-            <value>boot</value>
-            <value>guest</value>
-            <value>wall</value>
-          </choice>
-        </attribute>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <attribute name="tickpolicy">
-          <choice>
-            <value>delay</value>
-            <value>catchup</value>
-            <value>merge</value>
-            <value>discard</value>
-          </choice>
-        </attribute>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <ref name="catchup"/>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <attribute name="frequency">
-          <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
-        </attribute>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <attribute name="mode">
-          <choice>
-            <value>auto</value>
-            <value>native</value>
-            <value>emulate</value>
-            <value>paravirt</value>
-            <value>smpsafe</value>
-          </choice>
-        </attribute>
-      </optional>
+      <choice>
+        <group>
+          <attribute name="name">
+            <choice>
+              <value>platform</value>
+              <value>rtc</value>
+            </choice>
+          </attribute>
+          <optional>
+            <attribute name="track">
+              <choice>
+                <value>boot</value>
+                <value>guest</value>
+                <value>wall</value>
+              </choice>
+            </attribute>
+          </optional>
+          <optional>
+            <ref name="tickpolicy"/>
+          </optional>
+        </group>
+        <group>
+          <attribute name="name">
+            <value>tsc</value>
+          </attribute>
+          <optional>
+            <ref name="tickpolicy"/>
+          </optional>
+          <optional>
+            <attribute name="frequency">
+              <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+            </attribute>
+          </optional>
+          <optional>
+            <attribute name="mode">
+              <choice>
+                <value>auto</value>
+                <value>native</value>
+                <value>emulate</value>
+                <value>paravirt</value>
+                <value>smpsafe</value>
+              </choice>
+            </attribute>
+          </optional>
+        </group>
+        <group>
+          <attribute name="name">
+            <choice>
+              <value>hpet</value>
+              <value>pit</value>
+            </choice>
+          </attribute>
+          <optional>
+            <ref name="tickpolicy"/>
+          </optional>
+        </group>
+        <group>
+          <attribute name="name">
+            <value>kvmclock</value>
+          </attribute>
+        </group>
+      </choice>
       <optional>
         <attribute name="present">
           <choice>
@@ -916,20 +930,43 @@
       <empty/>
     </element>
   </define>
-  <define name="catchup">
-    <element name="catchup">
-      <optional>
-        <attribute name="threshold">
-          <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+
+  <define name="tickpolicy">
+    <choice>
+      <group>
+        <attribute name="tickpolicy">
+          <choice>
+            <value>delay</value>
+            <value>merge</value>
+            <value>discard</value>
+          </choice>
         </attribute>
-        <attribute name="slew">
-          <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+      </group>
+      <group>
+        <attribute name="tickpolicy">
+          <value>catchup</value>
         </attribute>
-        <attribute name="limit">
-          <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
-        </attribute>
-      </optional>
-    </element>
+        <optional>
+          <element name="catchup">
+            <optional>
+              <attribute name="threshold">
+                <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+              </attribute>
+            </optional>
+            <optional>
+              <attribute name="slew">
+                <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+              </attribute>
+            </optional>
+            <optional>
+              <attribute name="limit">
+                <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+              </attribute>
+            </optional>
+          </element>
+        </optional>
+      </group>
+    </choice>
   </define>
 <!--
       A bootloader may be used to extract the OS information instead of
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 512fe51520..94af3e6697 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -16225,7 +16225,7 @@ virDomainTimerDefFormat(virBufferPtr buf,
         virBufferAddLit(buf, "/>\n");
     } else {
         virBufferAddLit(buf, ">\n");
-        virBufferAddLit(buf, "      <catchup ");
+        virBufferAddLit(buf, "      <catchup");
         if (def->catchup.threshold > 0) {
             virBufferAsprintf(buf, " threshold='%lu'", def->catchup.threshold);
         }
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-clock-catchup.args b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-clock-catchup.args
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c238a1332b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-clock-catchup.args
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+LC_ALL=C PATH=/bin HOME=/home/test USER=test LOGNAME=test QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=none \
+/usr/bin/qemu -S -M pc -m 214 -smp 1 -nographic \
+-monitor unix:/tmp/test-monitor,server,nowait -rtc base=utc,driftfix=slew \
+-no-acpi -boot c -usb -hda /dev/HostVG/QEMUGuest1 \
+-net none -serial none -parallel none
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-clock-catchup.xml b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-clock-catchup.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7b3cb88f22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-clock-catchup.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+<domain type='qemu'>
+  <name>QEMUGuest1</name>
+  <uuid>c7a5fdbd-edaf-9455-926a-d65c16db1809</uuid>
+  <memory unit='KiB'>219100</memory>
+  <currentMemory unit='KiB'>219100</currentMemory>
+  <vcpu placement='static'>1</vcpu>
+  <os>
+    <type arch='i686' machine='pc'>hvm</type>
+    <boot dev='hd'/>
+  </os>
+  <clock offset='utc'>
+    <timer name='rtc' tickpolicy='catchup'>
+      <catchup slew='4636'/>
+    </timer>
+    <timer name='pit' tickpolicy='catchup'>
+      <catchup threshold='123'/>
+    </timer>
+    <timer name='hpet' tickpolicy='catchup'>
+      <catchup limit='2342'/>
+    </timer>
+  </clock>
+  <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>
+  <on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>
+  <on_crash>destroy</on_crash>
+  <devices>
+    <emulator>/usr/bin/qemu</emulator>
+    <disk type='block' device='disk'>
+      <source dev='/dev/HostVG/QEMUGuest1'/>
+      <target dev='hda' bus='ide'/>
+      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='0' target='0' unit='0'/>
+    </disk>
+    <controller type='usb' index='0'/>
+    <controller type='ide' index='0'/>
+    <controller type='pci' index='0' model='pci-root'/>
+    <memballoon model='virtio'/>
+  </devices>
+</domain>
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c b/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c
index dae08d52f5..8f26618cc9 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c
@@ -633,6 +633,7 @@ mymain(void)
     DO_TEST("clock-france", QEMU_CAPS_RTC);
     DO_TEST("clock-hpet-off", QEMU_CAPS_RTC, QEMU_CAPS_NO_HPET,
             QEMU_CAPS_NO_KVM_PIT);
+    DO_TEST("clock-catchup", QEMU_CAPS_RTC, QEMU_CAPS_NO_KVM_PIT);
     DO_TEST("cpu-kvmclock", QEMU_CAPS_ENABLE_KVM);
     DO_TEST("cpu-host-kvmclock", QEMU_CAPS_ENABLE_KVM, QEMU_CAPS_CPU_HOST);
     DO_TEST("kvmclock", QEMU_CAPS_KVM);
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
index 41d19047d0..0270eee5c7 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@ mymain(void)
     DO_TEST("clock-localtime");
     DO_TEST("cpu-kvmclock");
     DO_TEST("cpu-host-kvmclock");
+    DO_TEST("clock-catchup");
     DO_TEST("kvmclock");
 
     DO_TEST("cpu-eoi-disabled");