---
title: "How Does Email Forwarding Break DMARC? | DMARC Report"
description: "Emails are forwarded more often than we realize, and while DKIM isn’t affected by email forwarding, SPF and DMARC may break."
image: "https://dmarcreport.com/og/blog/how-does-email-forwarding-break-dmarc.png"
canonical: "https://dmarcreport.com/blog/how-does-email-forwarding-break-dmarc/"
---

Quick Answer

Emails are forwarded more often than we realize, and while DKIM isn’t affected by email forwarding, SPF and DMARC may break. For SPF, you create a list of senders officially authorized to send emails on your behalf. When an email is forwarded, the initial recipient becomes the sender;

Related: [Free DMARC Checker](/tools/dmarc-checker/) ·[How to Create an SPF Record](/tools/spf-record-generator/) ·[SPF Record Format](/blog/spf-format-checker-dos-and-donts-for-email-authentication/) 

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![Email Forwarding](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/03/dmarc-check-8719.jpg) 

## Try Our Free DMARC Checker

Validate your DMARC policy, check alignment settings, and verify reporting configuration.

[ Check DMARC Record → ](/tools/dmarc-checker/) 

![Email Forwarding](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/03/dmarc-record-7185-150x150.jpg) 

Emails are forwarded more often than we realize, and while **DKIM isn’t affected** by [email forwarding](/blog/the-impact-of-email-forwarding-on-spf-dkim-and-dmarc/), SPF and DMARC may break. For SPF, you create a list of senders officially authorized to send emails on your behalf. _When an email is forwarded, the initial recipient becomes the sender; so, if the initial recipient’s IP address isn’t part of the sending domain’s SPF record, SPF will break_. This happens because the [Return-Path header](https://bird.com/guides/return-path-explained) and [From domains](https://www.one.com/en/email/what-is-an-email-domain) aren’t the same.

Email forwarding and integration of [third-party vendor security](/blog/how-do-you-configure-third-party-vendors-to-be-dmarc-compliant/) services’ outbound SMTP servers adversely impact **DMARC authentication** in several ways.

## Email Forwarding and DMARC

_The [email security](/blog/why-is-email-security-important-for-businesses-today-2/) services of vendors act as intermediary [SMT](https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/smtp/)[P servers](https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/smtp/) and examine emails for spam, phishing, ransomware, spyware, etc., while also archiving, encrypting, or modifying messages for **security purposes**._ 

Outbound SMTP servers send or resend emails after processing. _When a message is forwarded through services like this, its SPF alignment is highly likely to fail_. This may happen as the service is used by an intermediary like a mailing list or the recipient’s domain, as the **outbound SMTP server** isn’t a part of the sender’s [SPF record](/topic/creating-an-spf-record/).

This whole exercise breaks [DMARC](/) as the protocol requires either **SPF or DKIM checks** to pass with proper alignment. 

## What Can Senders Do?

It’s suggested to set your [DMARC records](/dmarc-record/) on either a ‘**quarantine’ or ‘reject**’ policy for security purposes; however, on forwarding, they may affect genuine conversations by landing them in spam folders or rejecting them due to **improper alignment**. Running a [DMARC check](/tools/dmarc-checker/) helps you confirm whether SPF or DKIM still aligns before you move to a stricter policy. 

While there is no **ideal solution** for this problem, you can still work on it. DMARC requires either SPF or [DKIM](/dmarc-fundamentals/what-is-dkim/) to pass, not both. _So, you need to deploy both of these protocols in order to stop email forwarding from breaking DMARC_. Our [DMARCReport features](/features/) make it simple to monitor both SPF and DKIM alignment across your senders.

Another way is [policy overriding](https://support.dmarcdigests.com/article/1235-what-are-policy-overrides) by **mailbox providers** like Gmail and Outlook.

Imagine you enforce a strict policy of rejecting emails that **fail DMARC authentication**, which occurs when both DKIM and SPF validations fail. However, if the recipient possesses additional verification mechanisms that confirm the authenticity of the message, they may choose to disregard your [DMARC policy](/lessons/defining-a-dmarc-policy/) and accept the email, regardless of [DMARC alignment](/what-is-dmarc-alignment-and-how-does-it-work/).

Put simply, if the [email service provider](https://www.activecampaign.com/glossary/email-service-provider) recognizes that an email has been forwarded, they might opt to **bypass your DMARC regulations** and deliver your emails regardless.

![email service providers](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/03/dmarc-check-3-1.jpg) 

You may think that we can resolve this issue by implying p=none or the ‘none’ policy, but that isn’t suggested. A DMARC record with **p=none is equivalent to having no DMARC** in place. It’s a monitoring policy that doesn’t offer protection from [phishing and spoofing](https://www.educative.io/answers/what-is-the-difference-between-phishing-and-spoofing). 

You can also fix this issue by using .arc or the [Authenticated Received Chain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authenticated%5FReceived%5FChain) protocol, which lets intermediaries sign messages and **saves authentication results** when [SPF](/lessons/what-is-spf/) and DKIM fail.

We emphasize communicating with [third-party service providers](https://securityscorecard.com/blog/what-is-a-third-party-service-provider/) about how they should manage forwarded emails and if there’s a way to **minimize** **DMARC failures**.

![](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/2024/03/what-is-dmarc-8749-1.jpg) 

Ongoing [DMARC report analysis](/) helps you spot forwarding-related failures before they hurt genuine mail. It’s all the more important now to grasp how email forwarding and **third-party security services** influence DMARC to ensure both [email deliverability](/blog/why-is-email-deliverability-important-for-online-businesses/) and security are maintained effectively. So, if you are still struggling with this, feel free to [reach out to us for assistance](/contact/).

## Topics

[ dkim ](/tags/dkim/)[ DMARC ](/tags/dmarc/)[ dmarc record ](/tags/dmarc-record/)[ email security ](/tags/email-security/)[ SPF ](/tags/spf/) 

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) 

[ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) 

General Manager

Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead for DMARC Report's 2,000+ customer base.

[LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) 

## Take control of your DMARC reports

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