diff --git a/src/basic/ioprio-util.h b/src/basic/ioprio-util.h
index ffb3e9c890..0d3f70a220 100644
--- a/src/basic/ioprio-util.h
+++ b/src/basic/ioprio-util.h
@@ -16,3 +16,7 @@ static inline bool ioprio_priority_is_valid(int i) {
 }
 
 int ioprio_parse_priority(const char *s, int *ret);
+
+/* IOPRIO_CLASS_NONE with any prio value is another way to say IOPRIO_CLASS_BE with level 4. Encode that in a
+ * proper macro. */
+#define IOPRIO_DEFAULT_CLASS_AND_PRIO ioprio_prio_value(IOPRIO_CLASS_BE, 4)
diff --git a/src/core/execute.c b/src/core/execute.c
index e578bace6f..c30e15f614 100644
--- a/src/core/execute.c
+++ b/src/core/execute.c
@@ -5069,7 +5069,7 @@ void exec_context_init(ExecContext *c) {
         assert(c);
 
         c->umask = 0022;
-        c->ioprio = ioprio_prio_value(IOPRIO_CLASS_BE, 0);
+        c->ioprio = IOPRIO_DEFAULT_CLASS_AND_PRIO;
         c->cpu_sched_policy = SCHED_OTHER;
         c->syslog_priority = LOG_DAEMON|LOG_INFO;
         c->syslog_level_prefix = true;
@@ -6021,7 +6021,7 @@ int exec_context_get_effective_ioprio(const ExecContext *c) {
 
         p = ioprio_get(IOPRIO_WHO_PROCESS, 0);
         if (p < 0)
-                return ioprio_prio_value(IOPRIO_CLASS_BE, 4);
+                return IOPRIO_DEFAULT_CLASS_AND_PRIO;
 
         return p;
 }
diff --git a/src/core/load-fragment.c b/src/core/load-fragment.c
index 0e93ddfbc0..71434a4bee 100644
--- a/src/core/load-fragment.c
+++ b/src/core/load-fragment.c
@@ -1417,7 +1417,7 @@ int config_parse_exec_io_class(const char *unit,
 
         if (isempty(rvalue)) {
                 c->ioprio_set = false;
-                c->ioprio = ioprio_prio_value(IOPRIO_CLASS_BE, 0);
+                c->ioprio = IOPRIO_DEFAULT_CLASS_AND_PRIO;
                 return 0;
         }
 
@@ -1454,7 +1454,7 @@ int config_parse_exec_io_priority(const char *unit,
 
         if (isempty(rvalue)) {
                 c->ioprio_set = false;
-                c->ioprio = ioprio_prio_value(IOPRIO_CLASS_BE, 0);
+                c->ioprio = IOPRIO_DEFAULT_CLASS_AND_PRIO;
                 return 0;
         }