diff --git a/neutron/openstack/common/periodic_task.py b/neutron/openstack/common/periodic_task.py
index 1ebdc1af6..e1f5f78e0 100644
--- a/neutron/openstack/common/periodic_task.py
+++ b/neutron/openstack/common/periodic_task.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #    License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
 #    under the License.
 
+import random
 import time
 
 from oslo.config import cfg
@@ -80,14 +81,14 @@ def periodic_task(*args, **kwargs):
         return f
 
     # NOTE(sirp): The `if` is necessary to allow the decorator to be used with
-    # and without parents.
+    # and without parenthesis.
     #
-    # In the 'with-parents' case (with kwargs present), this function needs to
-    # return a decorator function since the interpreter will invoke it like:
+    # In the 'with-parenthesis' case (with kwargs present), this function needs
+    # to return a decorator function since the interpreter will invoke it like:
     #
     #   periodic_task(*args, **kwargs)(f)
     #
-    # In the 'without-parents' case, the original function will be passed
+    # In the 'without-parenthesis' case, the original function will be passed
     # in as the first argument, like:
     #
     #   periodic_task(f)
@@ -142,6 +143,27 @@ class _PeriodicTasksMeta(type):
                 cls._periodic_spacing[name] = task._periodic_spacing
 
 
+def _nearest_boundary(last_run, spacing):
+    """Find nearest boundary which is in the past, which is a multiple of the
+    spacing with the last run as an offset.
+
+    Eg if last run was 10 and spacing was 7, the new last run could be: 17, 24,
+    31, 38...
+
+    0% to 5% of the spacing value will be added to this value to ensure tasks
+    do not synchronize. This jitter is rounded to the nearest second, this
+    means that spacings smaller than 20 seconds will not have jitter.
+    """
+    current_time = time.time()
+    if last_run is None:
+        return current_time
+    delta = current_time - last_run
+    offset = delta % spacing
+    # Add up to 5% jitter
+    jitter = int(spacing * (random.random() / 20))
+    return current_time - offset + jitter
+
+
 @six.add_metaclass(_PeriodicTasksMeta)
 class PeriodicTasks(object):
     def __init__(self):
@@ -159,17 +181,18 @@ class PeriodicTasks(object):
             spacing = self._periodic_spacing[task_name]
             last_run = self._periodic_last_run[task_name]
 
-            # If a periodic task is _nearly_ due, then we'll run it early
+            # Check if due, if not skip
             idle_for = min(idle_for, spacing)
             if last_run is not None:
                 delta = last_run + spacing - time.time()
-                if delta > 0.2:
+                if delta > 0:
                     idle_for = min(idle_for, delta)
                     continue
 
             LOG.debug("Running periodic task %(full_task_name)s",
                       {"full_task_name": full_task_name})
-            self._periodic_last_run[task_name] = time.time()
+            self._periodic_last_run[task_name] = _nearest_boundary(
+                last_run, spacing)
 
             try:
                 task(self, context)