Why are DMARC reports showing temperrors or softfails for Klaviyo despite passing DMARC?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 24 Jun 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
9 min read
Recently, I've noticed something puzzling in my DMARC reports for emails sent through Klaviyo. While the overall DMARC evaluation consistently shows a passing result, some individual records are reporting SPF or DKIM as temperror or softfail. This is particularly concerning because I’ve set up the necessary CNAME records as requested by Klaviyo, and they’ve all been validated. It raises questions about why these temporary or soft failures are occurring, especially when the main DMARC authentication seems to be in order.
The challenge lies in understanding the nuances of these specific failure types. A DMARC temperror indicates a temporary issue, often related to a DNS lookup timeout or a transient network problem during the authentication check. On the other hand, a softfail suggests that an email arrived from an unauthorized server, but the SPF policy allows for leniency, treating it as suspicious rather than a hard rejection. While DMARC passing overall implies one of the underlying authentication mechanisms, SPF or DKIM, aligned, these intermittent errors hint at underlying issues that could affect deliverability over time.
It's a perplexing situation, especially when I see varied results across different email service providers (ESPs) like Churnbuster, Stamped, Recharge, and Klaviyo, all reporting these specific errors with Outlook, Google, and Yahoo as the primary reporters. Even with DMARC passing at a high rate, the presence of these authentication failures warrants a deeper investigation to ensure robust email deliverability and maintain sender reputation.
To effectively address the intermittent temperrors and softfails, it's essential to understand what these DMARC outcomes signify. A temperror (temporary error) means the receiving server could not complete the SPF or DKIM check, often due to a DNS timeout or a network issue. This is different from a permerror (permanent error), which indicates a misconfiguration that consistently prevents successful authentication.
On the other hand, an SPF softfail implies that the mail server's IP address was not explicitly authorized in the sender's SPF record, but the SPF policy is set to allow these messages to be accepted with a warning, rather than outright rejecting them. This often points to emails being sent from an unexpected source, or a misconfigured SPF record. You can find more detail on SPF authentication failures, including temperror and permerror, in this DMARCLY guide.
The critical point is DMARC's alignment requirement. Even if SPF or DKIM individually pass, DMARC also requires that the domain in the SPF or DKIM signature aligns with the domain in the From header of the email. If either SPF or DKIM passes alignment, the email passes DMARC. This explains why your DMARC rate can be high despite underlying temperrors or softfails. However, even temporary issues can impact deliverability and trust over time. It is crucial to understand all DMARC tags and their meanings to diagnose these issues accurately.
Here is a breakdown of common DMARC authentication outcomes:
Outcome
Description
Impact on deliverability
Pass
SPF or DKIM passed, and at least one aligned with the From domain.
Positive. Emails are authenticated and typically reach the inbox.
Softfail (SPF)
Email came from a server not explicitly listed in SPF, but the policy allows for a warning.
May cause emails to land in spam or be treated with suspicion. Indicates potential misconfiguration.
Temperror (SPF/DKIM)
Temporary DNS lookup issue or network problem prevented authentication check. For SPF, this means a temporary failure, as detailed in this Duocircle article.
Can lead to delayed delivery or soft bounces, affecting recipient experience and sender reputation.
Permerror (SPF/DKIM)
Permanent error due to DNS misconfiguration (e.g., too many SPF lookups, invalid DKIM key).
Emails will likely fail authentication and be rejected or sent to spam, severely impacting deliverability.
Common causes of temporary authentication failures with Klaviyo
One of the primary culprits behind these intermittent authentication failures, especially when using ESPs like Klaviyo, is often DNS related. I've encountered situations where a domain's DNS host, such as GoDaddy, might experience propagation delays or have rogue nameservers, leading to inconsistent lookups. This can cause the receiving mail servers (like those at Outlook or Google) to get a temporary error or an incomplete record, resulting in a temperror.
Another common issue is related to DKIM selectors. If your DMARC reports show permerrors or temperrors for DKIM, it's worth checking if the DKIM selector used in the email header matches the one configured in your DNS. Sometimes, ESPs might use a default selector (e.g., 'kl') that differs from what you've manually set up ('kl1' or 'kl2'), leading to authentication failures. This is a common problem I see when troubleshooting Klaviyo DMARC, SPF, and DKIM issues.
Email forwarding is another significant cause of SPF softfails. When an email is forwarded, the original sender's IP address might be lost or changed, causing the SPF check to fail at the final destination. While this doesn't typically lead to DMARC failure if DKIM alignment passes, it can still contribute to a degraded sender reputation. Furthermore, certain ISPs, notably Outlook and Google, are known to be more prone to reporting temperrors and permerrors due to their stringent authentication processes. I've also found that decoding DKIM temperror helps clarify how to tackle these issues.
Diagnosing the root cause
When facing these types of DMARC report anomalies, my first step is always to get access to the raw DMARC XML reports. Summarized dashboards, while helpful for a quick overview, often lack the granular detail needed to pinpoint the exact cause of a temperror or softfail. The XML reports contain crucial information like the reporting ISP, the exact IP addresses, and the specific authentication results for SPF and DKIM, which is essential for diagnosing DMARC failures.
Another diagnostic step involves checking the email headers of messages that are experiencing these issues. Specifically, look for the DKIM-Signature header. Within this header, you’ll find the d= tag, which indicates the signing domain, and the s= tag, which is the selector. Confirm that the selector matches what you have published in your DNS records. If the selector in the email header is different from what you expect (e.g., 'kl' instead of 'kl1'), it indicates a mismatch that needs correction.
Here’s a comparison that helps differentiate common symptoms from the underlying DNS issues:
Common symptoms
Inconsistent failures: Some emails pass DMARC while others, from the same ESP and domain, show temperrors or softfails.
Reporter specific errors: Certain ISPs like Yahoo, Outlook, or Google frequently report these errors.
Unexpected selectors: DMARC reports show DKIM failures for selectors not explicitly set up (e.g., 'kl' instead of 'kl1').
Underlying DNS issues
DNS propagation delays: Changes to DNS records, especially CNAMEs for DKIM, may take time to update globally, causing intermittent lookups to fail.
Rogue nameservers: Outdated or incorrect nameserver entries can lead to inconsistent DNS queries by receiving servers.
Misconfigured CNAMEs: Incorrectly pointing CNAME records for DKIM or SPF can lead to authentication failures, even if they appear validated by the ESP's own checks.
The key is to proactively monitor DMARC reports and email headers to identify patterns and specific failures. This diagnostic approach allows for targeted troubleshooting, rather than guessing at the cause.
Strategies for resolution
Once you've identified the potential root causes, addressing these authentication failures requires a systematic approach. The first step is to thoroughly review and verify all your DNS records. Ensure that all CNAMEs for DKIM are correctly configured and that SPF records include all authorized sending IPs and domains. Sometimes, a simple typo or an extra space can lead to a permerror.
You should also make sure that your ESPs (like Klaviyo) are consistently signing your emails with the correct DKIM selector. If your DMARC reports show different selectors being used (e.g., 'kl' instead of 'kl1'), it indicates that some of your mail might be signed improperly, leading to DKIM authentication failures. This often requires reaching out to your ESP's support to ensure their systems are using the correct signing configurations.
For temperrors, which are often transient, maintaining a robust and up-to-date DNS infrastructure is key. While you can't control every network hiccup, ensuring your DNS records are stable and correctly propagated across the internet minimizes these issues. For persistent SPF softfails, investigate if your emails are being forwarded or sent through third-party services that might not be included in your SPF record. Addressing these points will help fix common DMARC issues across various providers.
Best practice for DNS
Always conduct regular DNS checks to ensure your SPF and DKIM records are correctly published and haven't been inadvertently altered. Tools that monitor DNS propagation can be invaluable for catching issues early.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively monitor DMARC reports daily or weekly to quickly identify new or recurring authentication issues.
Verify that your SPF record is under the 10-DNS lookup limit to prevent `permerrors` and improve reliability.
Ensure DKIM selectors specified by your ESP are published correctly as CNAMEs in your DNS.
Common pitfalls
Ignoring DMARC reports showing low volume temperrors or softfails, assuming they are minor or isolated.
Overlooking discrepancies between DKIM selectors in DMARC reports and those configured in DNS.
Not considering email forwarding as a cause for SPF softfails, particularly for internal communications.
Expert tips
For specific insights into DMARC failures, ask your DMARC report handler for the raw XML files.
Remember that some ISPs, like Yahoo and Outlook, are more prone to reporting temperrors and permerrors.
It's good practice to have both SPF and DKIM alignment checks, as one passing can still allow DMARC to pass despite issues with the other.
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks says that DMARC reports showing temperrors or softfails might be due to DNS problems like rogue nameservers or improper propagation, recommending a thorough check of all DNS records.
2022-02-25 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks explains that softfails can be due to email forwarding, while temperrors or permerrors are often seen with Yahoo and Outlook, suggesting these ISPs are prone to such issues.
2022-02-25 - Email Geeks
Solving your DMARC report puzzles
While it can be unsettling to see temperrors or softfails in your DMARC reports for emails sent via Klaviyo, even when DMARC passes, it's a common scenario that points to underlying technical intricacies. These non-passing results are often caused by temporary DNS issues, unexpected DKIM selectors, or email forwarding processes, and certain receiving ISPs are more sensitive to these factors.
The key takeaway is the importance of granular DMARC report analysis. Relying solely on a dashboard summary, while convenient, can mask critical details necessary for troubleshooting. Accessing the raw XML reports and examining individual email headers provides the visibility needed to diagnose precisely why specific authentication checks are failing.
By diligently verifying your DNS records, ensuring consistent DKIM signing by your ESPs, and understanding the nuances of how different ISPs handle authentication, you can mitigate these errors. This proactive approach not only resolves the puzzling temperrors and softfails but also contributes to a stronger sender reputation and improved long-term email deliverability.
GoDaddy, might experience propagation delays or have rogue nameservers, leading to inconsistent lookups. This can cause the receiving mail servers (like those at Outlook or Google) to get a temporary error or an incomplete record, resulting in a temperror.
Outlook and 
Google, are known to be more prone to reporting temperrors and permerrors due to their stringent authentication processes. I've also found that decoding DKIM temperror helps clarify how to tackle these issues.
Yahoo, 
Klaviyo) are consistently signing your emails with the correct DKIM selector. If your DMARC reports show different selectors being used (e.g., 'kl' instead of 'kl1'), it indicates that some of your mail might be signed improperly, leading to DKIM authentication failures. This often requires reaching out to your ESP's support to ensure their systems are using the correct signing configurations.
