Can an SPF record contain multiple 'v=spf1' declarations?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 7 Apr 2025
Updated 4 Nov 2025
6 min read
When setting up email authentication, especially SPF (Sender Policy Framework), a common question arises regarding its structure: can an SPF record contain multiple 'v=spf1' declarations? This is a critical point for email deliverability, and the answer is a definitive no. An SPF record, which lives as a TXT record in your DNS, must begin with a single v=spf1 tag, indicating the version of SPF being used.
Having more than one v=spf1 declaration in your domain's DNS for SPF will invalidate your record, leading to authentication failures. This misconfiguration can cause your legitimate emails to be marked as spam or rejected outright by recipient mail servers, severely impacting your email deliverability and sender reputation.
Understanding SPF basics
SPF is a foundational email authentication protocol designed to prevent email spoofing. It allows a domain owner to specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of their domain. This information is published in a DNS TXT record.
The v=spf1 tag is essential because it identifies the TXT record as an SPF record and specifies the SPF version being used. It must always be the first tag in your SPF record string. This tag indicates to receiving mail servers that the record should be interpreted according to the Sender Policy Framework specification, which is crucial for proper email validation. You can learn more about the significance of the 'v=spf1' tag.
A standard SPF record will include various mechanisms, such as ip4, a, mx, and include, to list all authorized sending sources, culminating in an all mechanism to specify the policy for unauthorized senders.
The SPF specification (RFC 7208) explicitly states that a domain must not have multiple SPF records. When a receiving mail server performs an SPF check, it queries the DNS for TXT records beginning with v=spf1. If it finds more than one such record, it results in a PermError (Permanent Error).
A PermError is a critical failure in SPF validation. Unlike a TempError (which might be a temporary DNS issue), a PermError indicates a problem with the SPF record itself. When a receiving mail server encounters this, it cannot determine which sending IP addresses are authorized for your domain. This ambiguity almost always results in the email being treated as suspicious. For more information, you can refer to resources on multiple SPF records.
The consequences of a PermError are severe. Your emails are highly likely to be quarantined, sent to the spam or junk folder, or even rejected by recipient mail servers. This directly impacts your email deliverability, preventing your important messages from reaching their intended recipients.
The danger of multiple SPF records
Having multiple SPF records for a single domain (or subdomain) is a critical misconfiguration. It will lead to a PermError during SPF validation, causing legitimate emails to fail authentication. This significantly harms your sender reputation and email deliverability.
Why multiple records cause problems
The primary reason for enforcing a single SPF record is to eliminate ambiguity. If a domain had multiple SPF records, receiving mail servers would not know which one to trust or how to combine their directives. This would make it impossible for them to reliably authenticate incoming email.
This ambiguity undermines the very purpose of SPF, which is to provide a clear, machine-readable list of authorized sending hosts. Without a single, authoritative record, the system breaks down, and email receivers cannot effectively protect their users from spam and phishing attempts originating from your domain.
Furthermore, a failed SPF check due to multiple records negatively impacts DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). DMARC relies on SPF and DKIM for email authentication. If SPF fails due to a PermError, your DMARC authentication for that email will also fail, even if DKIM passes. Understanding how SPF, DKIM, and DMARC work together is key to effective email security.
Invalid configuration: multiple 'v=spf1'
Mail server behavior: Results in an SPF PermError, making the SPF record unusable.
Policy interpretation: Receiving servers cannot determine authorized senders, leading to ambiguity.
Email deliverability: High likelihood of emails being sent to spam or outright rejected.
Correct configuration: single 'v=spf1'
Mail server behavior: SPF validation proceeds normally, clearly identifying authorized senders.
Policy interpretation: Clear policy for all recipients, enhancing trust and security.
Email deliverability: Improved inbox placement and reduced risk of being blocklisted.
How to manage multiple sending services
Many organizations use multiple email sending services for different purposes, such as an ESP like Mailchimp for marketing, Google Workspace for internal communications, or Salesforce for transactional emails. The correct approach is to consolidate all authorized sending sources into a single SPF record using the include mechanism.
The include mechanism allows you to reference other SPF records by domain. This way, you delegate SPF authorization to third-party services without creating separate v=spf1 declarations. For instance, if you use Microsoft Outlook for email, your SPF record would include spf.protection.outlook.com. This approach is widely documented, for example, by Microsoft's own guidelines.
Be mindful of the SPF 10-DNS-lookup limit. Each include mechanism counts towards this limit, and exceeding it will also result in a PermError. It's important to optimize your SPF record to stay within this limit.
Consolidate senders: Identify all services that send email on behalf of your domain.
Use the 'include' mechanism: Add each third-party sender's SPF directive to your single SPF record.
Consider SPF flattening: For domains with many include mechanisms, platforms like Suped offer SPF flattening to dynamically manage your record and stay within the lookup limit.
Verify your record: Always use an SPF validation tool after making changes to ensure correct syntax and avoid the lookup limit.
Maintaining a robust email authentication posture
A properly configured single SPF record is fundamental for email authentication. It’s a key step in preventing domain spoofing and ensuring your emails are delivered reliably. Beyond SPF, adopting DMARC is essential for comprehensive protection and visibility into your email ecosystem.
To ensure your SPF record, along with DKIM and DMARC, is always correctly configured and performing optimally, consider using a DMARC monitoring solution. Suped provides advanced DMARC monitoring with AI-powered recommendations that actively guide you to fix issues. Our unified platform combines SPF, DKIM, and DMARC monitoring with real-time alerts and SPF flattening, making it easy to achieve and maintain strong email authentication for your domain.
Mailchimp for marketing, 
Google Workspace for internal communications, or 
Salesforce for transactional emails. The correct approach is to consolidate all authorized sending sources into a single SPF record using the include mechanism.
Microsoft Outlook for email, your SPF record would include spf.protection.outlook.com. This approach is widely documented, for example, by Microsoft's own guidelines.
