Why does Google Postmaster Tools report SPF failures for ActiveCampaign sends even when SPF passes?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 23 Jun 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
9 min read
It can be incredibly confusing when you're diligently setting up your email authentication, only to check Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) and see a low SPF success rate, or even spikes in SPF failures. This is particularly perplexing when you know your SPF record is correctly configured and SPF is technically passing in your email headers.
This discrepancy often arises when using third-party email service providers (ESPs) like ActiveCampaign. The core of the issue lies not in whether SPF itself passes, but in something called SPF alignment, which is a crucial component of DMARC authentication. I'll explain why this happens and what those fluctuating reports in Postmaster Tools really mean.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication method that allows the owner of a domain to specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of that domain. This is done by publishing an SPF record in the Domain Name System (DNS), which lists the IP addresses or hostnames of authorized sending servers. When a recipient mail server receives an email, it checks the SPF record of the domain found in the email's Mail-From (also known as the Return-Path or Envelope-From) address.
The key concept here for Google Postmaster Tools (and DMARC) is identifier alignment. For SPF to align, the domain in the Mail-From address (the one checked by SPF) must either exactly match or be a subdomain of the domain in the From: header (the one your recipients see). Many ESPs, including ActiveCampaign, use their own domain in the Mail-From address by default, even if you’ve added their sending IPs or includes to your SPF record. This means raw SPF passes, but SPF alignment fails. You can learn more about this by reading a simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
For example, if your From: address is marketing@yourdomain.com, but ActiveCampaign sends the email with a Mail-From address like bounce@acme.activecampaign.com, SPF will pass because activecampaign.com is authorized. However, yourdomain.com and activecampaign.com do not align. This is a crucial distinction that often causes confusion for senders, as noted in various community discussions about SPF alignment failures.
A key distinction
While SPF confirms the sender's identity at the envelope level (Mail-From), SPF alignment connects this identity to the visible sender domain (From: header). For DMARC, and consequently for Google Postmaster Tools, both SPF and DKIM authentication must pass and align with the domain in the From: header to be considered successful authentication.
How Google Postmaster Tools interprets SPF
Google Postmaster Tools provides data on your email performance specifically for Gmail users. The SPF success rate shown in GPT is not just about whether the raw SPF check passes, but whether it passes with alignment. This means that if ActiveCampaign sends an email on your behalf, and the Mail-From domain is activecampaign.com while your From: domain is yourdomain.com, GPT will report this as an SPF failure in the context of DMARC compliance, even though the raw SPF check for activecampaign.com itself passed.
The intermittent spikes you observe are likely due to the aggregate nature of Postmaster Tools data. If you are sending emails from multiple sources (e.g., ActiveCampaign and your own servers for transactional emails), Google Postmaster Tools aggregates data based on your sending volume for specific days. On days where the majority of your traffic to Gmail comes from ActiveCampaign (where SPF alignment is often not achieved by default), you'll see a higher percentage of SPF failures. On other days, if a larger volume of your email is sent from a source where SPF does align, the overall percentage in GPT could appear lower or even 100% passing. This fluctuation is typical for senders using multiple email platforms, as discussed in discussions about this issue.
The primary issue is that GPT (and DMARC) expects alignment between the RFC5322.From header domain (what your recipients see) and the RFC5321.MailFrom domain (the Return-Path). When ActiveCampaign uses its own Mail-From, SPF will pass for their domain, but it will not align with your domain. This explains why your DMARC reports might consistently show SPF alignment failure, while Google Postmaster Toolsspecifically highlights the SPF alignment issue.
Raw SPF pass
SPF checks the sender's IP address against the SPF record published for the Mail-From domain (also known as the Return-Path or Envelope-From).
Example: Mail-From domain is acme.activecampaign.com. SPF record for activecampaign.com correctly authorizes the sending IP.
Result: SPF passes for the ActiveCampaign domain.
GPT reported SPF failure
Google Postmaster Tools reports on SPF alignment, meaning the Mail-From domain must align with the From: header domain.
Example: Mail-From domain (acme.activecampaign.com) does not align with From: header domain (yourdomain.com).
Result: SPF alignment fails, which is what GPT reports as a failure.
Impact on deliverability and mitigation
An SPF alignment failure doesn't automatically mean your emails will end up in the spam folder. DMARC requires either SPF or DKIM to pass with alignment. So, if your DKIM authentication is correctly set up and aligns with your From: domain, your emails will still pass DMARC and likely reach the inbox. However, consistently seeing SPF alignment failures in Google Postmaster Tools can indicate a weaker overall authentication posture and potential deliverability risks, as outlined in guides about why emails go to spam.
To achieve SPF alignment with ActiveCampaign, the most effective solution is to configure a custom return-path domain. This involves adding a CNAME record to your DNS that points a subdomain of your choice (e.g., bounces.yourdomain.com) to bounce.activecampaign.com (or whatever ActiveCampaign specifies). This allows the Mail-From domain to be a subdomain of your main domain, ensuring SPF alignment without compromising the technical SPF pass. ActiveCampaign provides guidance on this.
Beyond SPF, ensure your DKIM setup with ActiveCampaign is correctly configured and aligns. If DKIM aligns, your DMARC record will still pass, providing robust email authentication. This is crucial for maintaining a strong sender reputation and ensuring your emails land in the inbox, even if SPF alignment isn't always achieved through the Mail-From domain.
To accurately diagnose the source of these spikes and ensure consistent authentication, you must differentiate between a raw SPF pass and SPF alignment. DMARC reports provide this granular detail, showing which authentication method (SPF or DKIM) passed, and whether it aligned with your From: domain. This level of detail is critical for pinpointing issues that Google Postmaster Tools might not explicitly break down in its summary graphs, especially for conflicting authentication results.
The periodic spikes in SPF failure rates in Google Postmaster Tools can also be attributed to variations in your sending volume from different sources. If, on a specific day, the majority of your email volume reaching Gmail is sent via ActiveCampaign (without a custom return-path for SPF alignment), GPT will prominently display those SPF alignment failures. Conversely, if on another day, you send a large volume of transactional emails through a different provider that does achieve SPF alignment, it can offset or mask the ActiveCampaign failures, leading to the fluctuating percentages. This dynamic explains what causes SPF authentication to fluctuate.
The key is understanding that Google Postmaster Tools focuses on your domain's reputation and its adherence to authentication best practices, particularly DMARC. Even if your raw SPF record is perfect, if the Mail-From domain doesn't align with your From: header, it will be flagged as an SPF alignment failure in GPT. This is a critical factor for improving your domain reputation over time.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Ensure you have both SPF and DKIM properly configured and aligned for your sending domains.
Implement a custom return-path or bounce domain with your ESP to achieve SPF alignment.
Regularly monitor your DMARC reports for detailed authentication and alignment insights.
Consistently send emails from authenticated and aligned sources to build strong domain reputation.
Common pitfalls
Mistaking a raw SPF pass for SPF alignment, leading to DMARC and Postmaster Tools failures.
Not configuring a custom return-path with third-party ESPs, resulting in SPF alignment issues.
Failing to monitor DMARC reports, thus missing critical insights into email authentication.
Not understanding that Postmaster Tools aggregates data, causing perceived fluctuations in scores.
Expert tips
Even if SPF alignment is not feasible with a particular ESP, ensure DKIM alignment is always in place.
Use DMARC reports to understand email forwarding patterns, which can affect SPF authentication.
If using shared IPs, remember that deliverability hinges on the aggregate sending behavior of all users on those IPs.
Focus on maintaining a high sender reputation by minimizing spam complaints and bounces.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that SPF failure spikes in Google Postmaster Tools are typically a result of a lack of SPF alignment. The email service provider's mail server domain may not be the same as the domain shown in the report.
2020-05-06 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that Google Postmaster Tools interprets a lack of SPF alignment as a failure, even if the raw SPF check for the mail server's domain passes.
2020-05-06 - Email Geeks
Understanding Postmaster Tools reports
The confusion between SPF passing and SPF failures in Google Postmaster Tools for ActiveCampaign (and similar ESPs) stems from a critical distinction: GPT reports on SPF alignment, not just whether the SPF record for the sending server's Mail-From domain passes the check. When the Mail-From domain (used by ActiveCampaign) differs from your From: domain, it leads to an alignment failure that GPT reports, even if the raw SPF check is successful. ActiveCampaign addresses this directly in their help documentation.
To mitigate this, prioritizing a custom return-path setup with ActiveCampaign and ensuring your DKIM records are always aligned will help maintain a strong authentication posture. While raw SPF may pass, the ultimate goal for modern email deliverability is DMARC compliance, which hinges on this critical alignment.
ActiveCampaign. The core of the issue lies not in whether SPF itself passes, but in something called SPF alignment, which is a crucial component of DMARC authentication. I'll explain why this happens and what those fluctuating reports in Postmaster Tools really mean.
Google Postmaster Tools provides data on your email performance specifically for Gmail users. The SPF success rate shown in GPT is not just about whether the raw SPF check passes, but whether it passes with alignment. This means that if ActiveCampaign sends an email on your behalf, and the Mail-From domain is activecampaign.com while your From: domain is yourdomain.com, GPT will report this as an SPF failure in the context of DMARC compliance, even though the raw SPF check for activecampaign.com itself passed.
