diff --git a/example/index.js b/example/index.js
index 817f2fe..3f56059 100644
--- a/example/index.js
+++ b/example/index.js
@@ -69,6 +69,17 @@ function extraSlowJob (cb) {
 extraSlowJob.timeout = 500
 q.push(extraSlowJob)
 
+// jobs can also opt-out of the timeout altogether
+function superSlowJob (cb) {
+  setTimeout(function () {
+    console.log('super slow job finished')
+    cb()
+  }, 1000)
+}
+
+superSlowJob.timeout = null
+q.push(superSlowJob)
+
 // get notified when jobs complete
 q.on('success', function (result, job) {
   console.log('job finished processing:', job.toString().replace(/\n/g, ''))
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index bd65940..990d1d1 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ Queue.prototype.start = function (cb) {
   var timeoutId = null
   var didTimeout = false
   var resultIndex = null
-  var timeout = job.timeout || this.timeout
+  var timeout = job.hasOwnProperty('timeout') ? job.timeout : this.timeout
 
   function next (err, result) {
     if (once && self.session === session) {
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index c249d34..687485f 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -87,6 +87,17 @@ function extraSlowJob (cb) {
 extraSlowJob.timeout = 500
 q.push(extraSlowJob)
 
+// jobs can also opt-out of the timeout altogether
+function superSlowJob (cb) {
+  setTimeout(function () {
+    console.log('super slow job finished')
+    cb()
+  }, 1000)
+}
+
+superSlowJob.timeout = null
+q.push(superSlowJob)
+
 // get notified when jobs complete
 q.on('success', function (result, job) {
   console.log('job finished processing:', job.toString().replace(/\n/g, ''))
diff --git a/test/timeout.js b/test/timeout.js
index cda9acd..48bfa93 100644
--- a/test/timeout.js
+++ b/test/timeout.js
@@ -70,6 +70,32 @@ tape('job timeout', function (t) {
   q.start()
 })
 
+tape('job-based opt-out of timeout', function (t) {
+  t.plan(1)
+
+  var timeouts = 0
+  var q = queue({ timeout: 5 })
+  function wontTimeout (cb) {
+    setTimeout(cb, 8)
+  }
+
+  wontTimeout.timeout = null
+
+  q.on('timeout', function (next) {
+    t.fail('Job should not have timed-out')
+    timeouts++
+    next()
+  })
+
+  q.on('end', function () {
+    t.equal(timeouts, 0)
+  })
+
+  q.push(wontTimeout)
+
+  q.start()
+})
+
 tape('timeout auto-continue', function (t) {
   t.plan(3)