Is 550 5.7.27 permanent or temporary?

550 5.7.27 is a permanent (5.x.x) failure — the server will not accept the message as-is, and retrying without changing anything won't help. You need to fix the underlying cause.

Is this my problem or the recipient's?

It depends on the cause — the sending ip or service is not listed in spf is the most common. Work through the causes below to find which applies to you.

How do I check my sending setup?

Run a free EmailHealth check on your domain — it verifies SPF, DKIM, DMARC, blacklist status, and more in a couple of seconds, which covers the most common causes of delivery failures.

550 5.7.27 — Gmail blocked the message: SPF did not pass

550 5.7.27 is a permanent SMTP reply meaning gmail blocked the message: spf did not pass. The IP that delivered the message is not allowed by the SPF record of the envelope sender (Return-Path) domain. Gmail now enforces this for bulk senders.

What 550 5.7.27 means

The IP that delivered the message is not allowed by the SPF record of the envelope sender (Return-Path) domain. Gmail now enforces this for bulk senders.

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This is a 5.x.x permanent failure — the message will keep bouncing until you fix the cause. Retrying the same message unchanged won't help.

Common causes

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The sending IP or service is not listed in SPF

Most common

You moved to a new ESP, added a server, or changed providers, and SPF was not updated.

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SPF has more than 10 DNS lookups

Common

Too many include: entries make SPF return permerror, which counts as a fail.

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There are two SPF records

Common

Two TXT records that start with v=spf1 make SPF invalid. Merge them into one.

How to fix 550 5.7.27

1
Check which IP sent the message
Read the bounce or the Received header to find the sending IP and the Return-Path domain.
2
Fix the SPF record for that domain
Add the provider's include: or the server IP to one SPF record. If you are over 10 lookups, remove unused includes or flatten the record.
3
Verify before you resend
Run the free SPF checker to confirm the record is valid, has one copy only, and stays under the lookup limit.

Confirm your domain is set up correctly

Most delivery failures — permanent or temporary — trace back to authentication or reputation. Run a free EmailHealth check to confirm SPF, DKIM, DMARC, blacklist status, and TLS are all healthy for your sending domain. If you send in volume, free daily monitoring will alert you before a small issue becomes a flood of bounces.

Gmail blocked the message: SPF did not pass