How to set up SPF, DKIM & DMARC for Mailchimp

Mailchimp's domain authentication is two CNAME records with fixed targets — the same for every account, so both are copy-paste exact. Mailchimp handles the envelope on its own domain, so you don't add any SPF include for it; alignment comes entirely from DKIM.

DKIM CNAMEs

Both targets are fixed values on mcsv.net.

Type	`CNAME`
Host / Name	`k2._domainkey`
Value / Content	`dkim2.mcsv.net`

Type	`CNAME`
Host / Name	`k3._domainkey`
Value / Content	`dkim3.mcsv.net`

Mailchimp → Website → Domains → Start Authentication next to your verified email domain.
Publish the two CNAMEs above (Mailchimp shows the same values).
Click Authenticate Domain — propagation can take up to a day, usually much less.

SPF

Nothing to add: Mailchimp sends with its own envelope domain, so an include: for Mailchimp in your SPF record does nothing (the SPF check never evaluates your domain for their sends). DMARC passes via the aligned DKIM signature above.

DMARC

DMARC is per-domain, not per-provider — one record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com covers Mailchimp and everything else that sends as you. Start in monitor-only mode:

Type	`TXT`
Host / Name	`_dmarc` Some providers want the full _dmarc.yourdomain.com here.
Value / Content	`v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your-report-address` Example only — replace your-report-address — our DMARC generator builds the record, or sign up free and we generate it with a report address that feeds your monitoring dashboard.

Provider note: Alignment for Mailchimp is DKIM-only by design. That's fine — DMARC needs just one aligned pass — but it makes the two CNAMEs above non-optional if you enforce DMARC.

Full walkthrough: how to set up DMARC without breaking your email, and why aligned authentication is what DMARC actually checks.

Verify it worked

After DNS propagates (minutes to an hour), send a message from Mailchimp to our inbox test — it shows the real SPF/DKIM/DMARC verdicts a receiver computes, including whether authentication aligned with your domain. Then HealthCheck Email keeps checking daily and alerts you when a record breaks.

Records current as of 2026-07-13. Provider dashboards change — the authoritative reference is Mailchimp's official docs.