554: transaction failed
The server permanently refused the transaction, often after receiving the message data or straight away when the connection opened.
- Standard
- Provider
- Permanent (5xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 554
- Provider
- Standard SMTP codes
- Temporary or permanent
- PermanentRefused for good: the message comes back to the sender, and resending it gets the same answer.
- Who has to act
- Either side, depending on the cause. Start with the checks below that are yours.
- What the server says
554 Transaction failed
What it means
RFC 5321 defines 554 as transaction failed, and also as the reply a server may give instead of its greeting when it will not accept mail from this client at all. Receivers commonly use it after DATA for content or reputation rejections, and at connection time for IP addresses on a blocklist. RFC 7504 later added 521 for hosts that never accept mail, leaving 554 for refusals aimed at particular senders, recipients or messages. It is permanent and the message is returned; the enhanced code and text say why.
Common causes
- Your sending IP address is on a blocklist the receiver checks when the connection opens.
- The content was rejected as spam or as dangerous after the data was sent.
- No recipient was accepted and the client tried to send the data anyway.
How to fix it
- 01Read the enhanced code and text; blocklist rejections usually name the list.
- 02Check your sending IP and domain on blocklists, and request removal once the cause is fixed.
- 03If the content was refused, review links, attachments and authentication.
- 04If the reason is unclear, contact the recipient's administrator with the full bounce.
Sources
What this page rests on, checked on 20 Oct 2026. The explanation is ours; the reply text is the server's.
- RFC 5321, section 4.2.3: Reply Codes in Numeric Orderrfc-editor.org
- RFC 5321, section 3.1: Session Initiationrfc-editor.org
- RFC 7504, section 3: The 521 Reply Coderfc-editor.org
Related codes
- 5.7.1Delivery not authorised.The receiving server refuses the message because this sender is not allowed to send to this recipient, as a result of filtering by host or by recipient.
- 521Host does not accept mail.The server answered the connection only to say that it never accepts mail, so delivery to this host cannot work.
- 5.3.0Receiving system problem, unspecified.The receiving server normally accepts mail, but a problem on that system itself, rather than with the mailbox or the message, stopped this delivery.
- 550Mailbox unavailable.The receiving server permanently refused the message for this recipient: the mailbox does not exist, cannot be reached, or the server rejected the message by policy.
554 at other providers
- 554Permanent rejection (554).Yahoo or AOL rejected the message for good with a 554. Yahoo uses this code for several problems, from failed authentication to unacceptable content, so the wording of the reply tells you which.
- 554Failed authentication.Yahoo or AOL refused the message because it failed the checks that confirm the sending domain, such as DKIM against the domain's policy. Yahoo lists this among its permanent 553 and 554 errors.
- 554Recipient does not exist.The Yahoo or AOL account you wrote to does not exist. The failure is permanent: check the address with the recipient, and remove it from any list.
- 554No reverse DNS (PTR) record.Xfinity refused the connection because your sending IP has no PTR record. Every server sending to Xfinity needs valid reverse DNS, so the owner of the IP must add one.
- 554Rejected for breaking GMX guidelines.GMX refused the message permanently because the connection broke its guidelines. GMX points to its requirements page and asks for the full error message if the problem continues.
- 554IP address on the GMX blocklist.Your sending IP is on a blocklist that GMX manages itself, so its servers refuse the connection. GMX keeps a strict no tolerance policy toward spam.
Further reading
All 105 standard codesEvery code in the wikiPaste your own bounce