Zoho 550 5.7.1: email rejected per DMARC policy

What it means

When a Zoho Mail user receives a message, Zoho checks DMARC for the From domain. If the domain publishes p=reject and the message fails, Zoho refuses it, and the rejection reported by senders reads like the example, naming the From domain. Zoho’s help pages describe the admin options for DMARC failures under a quarantine policy but do not publish this rejection text.

DMARC (RFC 7489) passes when SPF or DKIM passes and aligns with the From domain. A message can pass SPF for an ESP’s bounce domain and still fail DMARC if neither result aligns.

The fix is on the sending domain. Zoho is honoring the policy the domain owner published.

Likely causes

• A third-party sender not signing with DKIM for your domain.
• SPF passing only for the ESP’s own return path domain, not yours.
• Forwarding or mailing lists that break DKIM.
• Spoofed mail using your domain, which DMARC correctly blocked.

Checks that apply

• DMARC Check Shows your DMARC policy and alignment settings.
• DKIM Check Checks your DKIM selector publishes a valid key.
• DMARC Report Analyzer Reads aggregate reports to find failing sources.

FAQ

Can the Zoho user allow my mail anyway?

Generally no. A reject policy is meant to be enforced; fix your authentication instead.

Will a retry help?

No. It is permanent until the message passes DMARC.