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Deliverability Letter

421 4.7.28

421 4.7.28 SPF Domain Rate Limit

Domain Reputation

Gmail slowed mail because the SPF domain is authorising IPs that are sending spam.

Overly broad SPF records (e.g., “include:*”) can expose your domain to abuse. Gmail rate limits all IPs in the record when abuse is detected.

Severity

WARNING

Provider

Gmail

Reference

Mitigation Portal

Last Reviewed

2025-06-01

How to Fix 421 4.7.28

Follow these steps to resolve this Gmail SMTP error and restore normal delivery.

  • Remove unused IP ranges and vendors from the SPF record.
  • Flatten nested SPF includes so you can audit each address space.
  • Create dedicated SPF records per business unit or use case.
  • Coordinate with partners to ensure their traffic meets Google standards.

Still experiencing Gmail delivery issues?

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