# SPF record for Help Scout

URL: https://iblockspam.com/spf/help-scout
Last updated: 2026-10-22

Include: None needed (old value: helpscoutemail.com)
Where it goes: Not needed
DNS lookups: 0 on your domain

Help Scout no longer needs an SPF record for a custom address. Since 2024, mail from Help Scout's servers passes SPF on a variable envelope return path (VERP) address at Help Scout's own domain, so you can safely remove include:helpscoutemail.com from your record. That SPF pass doesn't align with your domain; Help Scout's DKIM CNAMEs do.

## Example records

- Before: Google Workspace plus the old Help Scout include (Help Scout's example) (TXT, host @): `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:helpscoutemail.com ~all`
- After: the Help Scout include removed (TXT, host @): `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all`

## Notes

- Help Scout's article was updated on 30 January 2024. Guides written before then still tell you to add `include:helpscoutemail.com`.
- If SPF alignment matters to your organization, Help Scout suggests connecting your own email provider through custom SMTP instead.

## How to add it

- Check how your Help Scout Inbox sends. The change covers Inboxes that use a custom address and send from Help Scout's servers, not the `helpscoutapp.com` address or sending through your own provider by SMTP or OAuth.
- If your SPF record still contains `include:helpscoutemail.com`, remove that one term and keep everything else.
- Add Help Scout's two DKIM CNAMEs, `strong1._domainkey` and `strong2._domainkey`, so mail is signed with your domain.
- In Help Scout, go to Settings, Inboxes, choose the Inbox, open Outgoing Email and click Test Settings. DKIM should show as Active.

## DKIM and DMARC

Because SPF passes on Help Scout's domain, DMARC depends on DKIM: Help Scout says adding its DKIM records achieves alignment. The two CNAMEs point to `strong1._domainkey.helpscout.net` and `strong2._domainkey.helpscout.net`; see our [Help Scout DKIM page](https://iblockspam.com/dkim/help-scout). Then publish a [DMARC record](https://iblockspam.com/blog/dmarc-record-examples).

## Common mistakes

- Keeping `include:helpscoutemail.com` and spending a DNS lookup on a term Help Scout no longer needs.
- Removing the SPF include and skipping DKIM. Without the CNAMEs, Help Scout mail has no aligned result and can fail DMARC.

**Q: Is include:helpscoutemail.com still needed?**
No. Help Scout says that since 2024 mail from its servers passes SPF through a VERP return-path address on its own domain, and that it's safe to remove `include:helpscoutemail.com` from your SPF record.

**Q: Why doesn't Help Scout mail align with SPF for DMARC?**
Because the return path is on a Help Scout domain, not yours, so SPF passes for Help Scout's domain only. DMARC needs SPF or DKIM to align, and Help Scout's DKIM CNAMEs provide the aligned result.

**Q: Does the Help Scout SPF change apply when I send through my own mail server?**
No. It covers Inboxes with a custom address that send from Help Scout's servers. If you send through your own provider by SMTP or OAuth, that provider's SPF and DKIM apply instead.

Sources:
- Help Scout Docs: Changes to SPF requirements with Help Scout: https://docs.helpscout.com/article/58-spf-records
- Help Scout Docs: Use DKIM to help with email delivery: https://docs.helpscout.com/article/666-use-dkim-to-help-with-email-delivery

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