diff --git a/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/execution_policy.h b/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/execution_policy.h
index 19d53ef..78b61c4 100644
--- a/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/execution_policy.h
+++ b/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/execution_policy.h
@@ -74,6 +74,17 @@ class ExecutionPolicy{
                                             policy. */
   );
 
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+  /**
+   * Constructs an execution policy with the specified priority.
+   * Sets the affinity to all worker threads.
+   */
+  explicit ExecutionPolicy(
+      mtapi_uint64_t deadline          /**< [in] Relative dealine for the 
+                                            execution policy. */
+  );
+
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
   /**
    * Constructs an execution policy with the specified affinity.
    * Sets the priority to the default value.
@@ -127,6 +138,14 @@ class ExecutionPolicy{
    */
   mtapi_uint_t GetPriority() const;
 
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+/** Returns the deadline
+   *
+   * \return the deadline
+   */
+  mtapi_uint_t GetDeadline() const;
+
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
   friend class Task;
 
  private:
@@ -136,6 +155,14 @@ class ExecutionPolicy{
    */
   static const mtapi_uint_t DefaultPriority;
 
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+  /**
+   * Default deadline.
+   * Currently set to UULONG_MAX = MAX deadline.
+   */
+  static const mtapi_uint64_t DefaultDeadline;
+
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
   /**
    * Task Affinity.
    * Maps the affinity of tasks to MTAPI worker threads (not CPU cores).
@@ -146,6 +173,13 @@ class ExecutionPolicy{
    * Task Priority.
    */
   mtapi_uint_t priority_;
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+
+  /**
+   * Task Priority.
+   */
+  mtapi_uint64_t deadline_;
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
 };
 
 }  // namespace mtapi
diff --git a/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/task_attributes.h b/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/task_attributes.h
index 07fc7e0..73ac8a7 100644
--- a/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/task_attributes.h
+++ b/mtapi_cpp/include/embb/mtapi/task_attributes.h
@@ -108,6 +108,9 @@ class TaskAttributes {
     ) {
     SetPriority(policy.GetPriority());
     SetAffinity(policy.GetAffinity());
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+    SetDeadline(policy.GetDeadline());
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
     return *this;
   }
 
diff --git a/mtapi_cpp/src/execution_policy.cc b/mtapi_cpp/src/execution_policy.cc
index 8923f18..2910340 100644
--- a/mtapi_cpp/src/execution_policy.cc
+++ b/mtapi_cpp/src/execution_policy.cc
@@ -34,7 +34,11 @@ namespace embb {
 namespace mtapi {
 
 ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy() :
-    priority_(DefaultPriority) {
+    priority_(DefaultPriority)
+#ifdef MTAPI_HARD_REALTIME
+, deadline_(DefaultDeadline)
+#endif
+{
 #if MTAPI_CPP_AUTOMATIC_INITIALIZE
   Node::GetInstance(); // MTAPI has to be initialized
 #endif
@@ -47,7 +51,11 @@ ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy() :
 }
 
 ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy(bool initial_affinity, mtapi_uint_t priority)
-:priority_(priority) {
+:priority_(priority)
+#ifdef MTAPI_HARD_REALTIME
+, deadline_(DefaultDeadline)
+#endif
+{
 #if MTAPI_CPP_AUTOMATIC_INITIALIZE
   Node::GetInstance(); // MTAPI has to be initialized
 #endif
@@ -61,7 +69,11 @@ ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy(bool initial_affinity, mtapi_uint_t priority)
 }
 
 ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy(mtapi_uint_t priority)
-:priority_(priority) {
+:priority_(priority)
+#ifdef MTAPI_HARD_REALTIME
+, deadline_(DefaultDeadline)
+#endif
+{
 #if MTAPI_CPP_AUTOMATIC_INITIALIZE
   Node::GetInstance(); // MTAPI has to be initialized
 #endif
@@ -73,8 +85,27 @@ ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy(mtapi_uint_t priority)
   }
 }
 
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy(mtapi_uint64_t deadline)
+: priority_(DefaultPriority), deadline_(deadline) {
+#if MTAPI_CPP_AUTOMATIC_INITIALIZE
+  Node::GetInstance(); // MTAPI has to be initialized
+#endif
+  mtapi_status_t status;
+  mtapi_affinity_init(&affinity_, MTAPI_TRUE, &status);
+  if (MTAPI_SUCCESS != status) {
+    EMBB_THROW(embb::base::ErrorException,
+      "Could not default construct Affinity.");
+  }
+}
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
+
 ExecutionPolicy::ExecutionPolicy(bool initial_affinity)
-:priority_(DefaultPriority) {
+:priority_(DefaultPriority)
+#ifdef MTAPI_HARD_REALTIME
+, deadline_(DefaultDeadline)
+#endif
+{
 #if MTAPI_CPP_AUTOMATIC_INITIALIZE
   Node::GetInstance(); // MTAPI has to be initialized
 #endif
@@ -118,7 +149,16 @@ mtapi_uint_t ExecutionPolicy::GetPriority() const {
   return priority_;
 }
 
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+mtapi_uint_t ExecutionPolicy::GetDeadline() const {
+  return deadline_;
+}
+
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
 const mtapi_uint_t ExecutionPolicy::DefaultPriority = 0;
+#ifdef EMBB_HARD_REALTIME
+const mtapi_uint64_t ExecutionPolicy::DefaultDeadline = ULLONG_MAX;
+#endif /*EMBB_HARD_REALTIME*/
 
 }  // namespace mtapi
 }  // namespace embb