diff --git a/cache.go b/cache.go
index c0c3884..a594291 100644
--- a/cache.go
+++ b/cache.go
@@ -17,21 +17,19 @@ var invalidPath = errors.New("schema: invalid path")
 // newCache returns a new cache.
 func newCache() *cache {
 	c := cache{
-		m:          make(map[reflect.Type]*structInfo),
-		regconv:    make(map[reflect.Type]Converter),
-		tag:        "schema",
-		defaultTag: "default",
+		m:       make(map[reflect.Type]*structInfo),
+		regconv: make(map[reflect.Type]Converter),
+		tag:     "schema",
 	}
 	return &c
 }
 
 // cache caches meta-data about a struct.
 type cache struct {
-	l          sync.RWMutex
-	m          map[reflect.Type]*structInfo
-	regconv    map[reflect.Type]Converter
-	tag        string
-	defaultTag string
+	l       sync.RWMutex
+	m       map[reflect.Type]*structInfo
+	regconv map[reflect.Type]Converter
+	tag     string
 }
 
 // registerConverter registers a converter function for a custom type.
@@ -199,7 +197,7 @@ func (c *cache) createField(field reflect.StructField, parentAlias string) *fiel
 		isSliceOfStructs: isSlice && isStruct,
 		isAnonymous:      field.Anonymous,
 		isRequired:       options.Contains("required"),
-		defaultValue:     field.Tag.Get(c.defaultTag),
+		defaultValue:     options.getDefaultOptionValue(),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -307,3 +305,16 @@ func (o tagOptions) Contains(option string) bool {
 	}
 	return false
 }
+
+func (o tagOptions) getDefaultOptionValue() string {
+	for _, s := range o {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(s, "default:") {
+			if t := strings.Split(s, ":"); len(t) > 0 {
+				return t[1]
+			}
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}
diff --git a/decoder.go b/decoder.go
index 161ec4a..8fe62fe 100644
--- a/decoder.go
+++ b/decoder.go
@@ -117,12 +117,12 @@ func (d *Decoder) setDefaults(t reflect.Type, v reflect.Value) MultiError {
 			errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("required fields cannot have a default value")})
 		} else if f.defaultValue != "" && vCurrent.IsZero() && !f.isRequired {
 			if f.typ.Kind() == reflect.Struct || f.typ.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
-				errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("default tag is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers")})
+				errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("default option is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers")})
 			} else if f.typ.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
 				t1 := f.typ.Elem()
 
 				if t1.Kind() == reflect.Struct || t1.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
-					errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("default tag is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers")})
+					errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("default option is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers")})
 				}
 
 				vCurrent.Set(convertPointer(t1.Kind(), f.defaultValue))
diff --git a/decoder_test.go b/decoder_test.go
index 04176fa..3a9e3fa 100644
--- a/decoder_test.go
+++ b/decoder_test.go
@@ -2027,20 +2027,18 @@ func TestUnmashalPointerToEmbedded(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDefaultValuesAreSet(t *testing.T) {
 
-	//TODO: Test nesting and update repos
-
 	type N struct {
-		S1 string `schema:"s1" default:"test1"`
-		I2 int    `schema:"i2" default:"22"`
+		S1 string `schema:"s1,default:test1"`
+		I2 int    `schema:"i2,default:22"`
 	}
 
 	type D struct {
 		N
-		S string  `schema:"s" default:"test1"`
-		I int     `schema:"i" default:"21"`
-		B bool    `schema:"b" default:"false"`
-		F float64 `schema:"f" default:"3.14"`
-		U uint    `schema:"u" default:"1"`
+		S string  `schema:"s,default:test1"`
+		I int     `schema:"i,default:21"`
+		B bool    `schema:"b,default:false"`
+		F float64 `schema:"f,default:3.14"`
+		U uint    `schema:"u,default:1"`
 	}
 
 	data := map[string][]string{}
@@ -2071,11 +2069,11 @@ func TestDefaultValuesAreSet(t *testing.T) {
 
 	type P struct {
 		*N
-		S *string  `schema:"s" default:"test1"`
-		I *int     `schema:"i" default:"21"`
-		B *bool    `schema:"b" default:"false"`
-		F *float64 `schema:"f" default:"3.14"`
-		U *uint    `schema:"u" default:"1"`
+		S *string  `schema:"s,default:test1"`
+		I *int     `schema:"i,default:21"`
+		B *bool    `schema:"b,default:false"`
+		F *float64 `schema:"f,default:3.14"`
+		U *uint    `schema:"u,default:1"`
 	}
 
 	p := P{N: &N{}}
@@ -2099,11 +2097,11 @@ func TestDefaultValuesAreSet(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDefaultValuesAreIgnoredIfValuesAreProvided(t *testing.T) {
 	type D struct {
-		S string  `schema:"s" default:"test1"`
-		I int     `schema:"i" default:"21"`
-		B bool    `schema:"b" default:"false"`
-		F float64 `schema:"f" default:"3.14"`
-		U uint    `schema:"u" default:"1"`
+		S string  `schema:"s,default:test1"`
+		I int     `schema:"i,default:21"`
+		B bool    `schema:"b,default:false"`
+		F float64 `schema:"f,default:3.14"`
+		U uint    `schema:"u,default:1"`
 	}
 
 	data := map[string][]string{"s": {"s"}, "i": {"1"}, "b": {"true"}, "f": {"0.22"}, "u": {"14"}}
@@ -2132,11 +2130,11 @@ func TestDefaultValuesAreIgnoredIfValuesAreProvided(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRequiredFieldsCannotHaveDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 
 	type D struct {
-		S string  `schema:"s,required" default:"test1"`
-		I int     `schema:"i,required" default:"21"`
-		B bool    `schema:"b,required" default:"false"`
-		F float64 `schema:"f,required" default:"3.14"`
-		U uint    `schema:"u,required" default:"1"`
+		S string  `schema:"s,required,default:test1"`
+		I int     `schema:"i,required,default:21"`
+		B bool    `schema:"b,required,default:false"`
+		F float64 `schema:"f,required,default:3.14"`
+		U uint    `schema:"u,required,default:1"`
 	}
 
 	data := map[string][]string{"s": {"s"}, "i": {"1"}, "b": {"true"}, "f": {"0.22"}, "u": {"14"}}
@@ -2158,8 +2156,8 @@ func TestRequiredFieldsCannotHaveDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 func TestDefaultsAreNotSupportedForStructsAndSlices(t *testing.T) {
 
 	type D struct {
-		S S1       `schema:"s" default:"{f1:0}"`
-		A []string `schema:"s" default:"test1,test2"`
+		S S1       `schema:"s,default:{f1:0}"`
+		A []string `schema:"s,default:test1,test2"`
 	}
 
 	d := D{}
@@ -2170,10 +2168,9 @@ func TestDefaultsAreNotSupportedForStructsAndSlices(t *testing.T) {
 
 	err := decoder.Decode(&d, data)
 
-	expected := "default tag is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers"
+	expected := "default option is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers"
 
 	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), expected) {
 		t.Errorf("decoding should fail with error msg %s got %q", expected, err)
 	}
-
 }