When reports start arriving
What to expect after adding DMARCdrift to your DMARC rua= tag, including how long reports take to arrive and what 'no reports yet' means.
After you publish your updated DMARC record, there's a waiting period before data shows up. Here's what's normal and what to check if nothing arrives.
Timing expectations
DNS propagation: 15 minutes to a few hours for most providers. The technical TTL maximum is 48 hours, but in practice your record is usually visible globally within an hour.
First reports: Aggregate reports cover a 24-hour window and are typically sent by receivers at the end of that window. Expect your first reports 24-48 hours after your DNS change is live.
What happens on day one: Most receivers bundle all messages from a given domain into one daily report. If you sent email today and your rua= address was live, you'll see a report tomorrow. Some receivers are slower; occasional 48-72 hour delays are normal.
Why some providers send reports less frequently
Not every receiver sends daily reports. Several factors affect frequency:
Volume thresholds: Some receivers only send reports for domains they've seen above a certain message volume. Low-volume domains (fewer than a few dozen messages per day) may receive reports less frequently or from fewer reporters.
Reporter coverage: The major reporters are Google (gmail.com), Microsoft (outlook.com), Yahoo, and Apple. You'll typically see reports from these first. Smaller providers and regional mail systems may report less frequently or not at all.
Weekends and holidays: Some providers batch or delay reports around holidays. A gap on a holiday weekend is usually not a sign of misconfiguration.
What to check if nothing arrives after 48 hours
If you've waited 48 hours and see no data in DMARCdrift, check these in order:
1. Confirm your DNS record is published. Use the DMARC check tool to look up your domain. Verify that rua= includes your DMARCdrift address exactly as shown in your domain settings.
2. Check for a typo in the rua= address. A single mistyped character means reports are sent to a nonexistent address. Copy the address from your domain settings rather than typing it manually.
3. Confirm your domain is sending email. Receivers only send reports for domains they've seen mail from. If your domain hasn't sent any email in the last 24-48 hours, there's nothing to report. Send a test email from your domain to a Gmail or Outlook address and wait another 24 hours.
4. Check that the DNS record is at the right hostname. The record belongs at _dmarc.yourdomain.com, not yourdomain.com or dmarc.yourdomain.com. Some DNS providers are confusing about whether to include the domain in the hostname field.
If all of the above look correct and reports still aren't arriving after 72 hours, see troubleshooting setup for additional checks.
How to confirm your rua= address is correct
Your assigned inbound address is shown in your domain settings in DMARCdrift. It should appear in your published DMARC record exactly as shown, including the full mailto: prefix:
rua=mailto:d-abc123@in.dmarcdrift.comIf you have multiple addresses in rua=, make sure they're comma-separated with no spaces:
rua=mailto:existing@yourdomain.com,mailto:d-abc123@in.dmarcdrift.comIf reports aren't arriving: Troubleshooting setup covers DNS detection issues, rua= formatting errors, and how to verify propagation.