Email sending limit: why your messages are rejected and what to do

With LJPc hosting, every mailbox, domain and hosting package can send a set number of emails per hour. Go over it and the server rejects the extra messages, usually with the error 554 5.7.0 The limit on the number of allowed outgoing messages was exceeded, and we send you an Email rate exceeded notice that states your limit. After an hour you can send again. If you need more on a regular basis, we will look at whether a higher limit fits your use.

What is an email sending limit and why do hosts use one?

Shared hosting means many customers send their mail through the same outgoing mail servers. Gmail, Outlook and other large providers keep track of how much spam comes from each server. When one hacked mailbox or one abused contact form sends thousands of messages in a short time, the mail of everyone on that server starts landing in spam folders. An hourly sending limit keeps such a spike small, so your mail and everyone else's keeps reaching the inbox.

At LJPc, the limit applies at three levels at once:

Whichever limit is reached first applies. When your domain hits its limit, none of its mailboxes can send for the rest of that hour, even if a mailbox has room of its own. How many messages per hour you can send depends on your package and server. Your own limit is stated in the notice we send and in Plesk for each email address (see below).

The limit only covers outgoing mail. Incoming mail does not count, with one exception: if your address forwards incoming mail, every forwarded copy is an outgoing message.

The "Email rate exceeded" notice

Every hour we check whether a server rejected any messages. If it did, the owner of the hosting package gets an email from us. The subject tells you which level was full:

The notice shows the hourly limit and the number of rejected messages. If the rejections continue, you get at most one new notice every two hours for the same mailbox, domain or package. Customers who chose Dutch receive it with the subject E-maillimiet overschreden.

What happens to a rejected message?

I didn't send that many emails: where do they come from?

• Forwarding and group addresses. Every forwarded copy counts as a message. An address that forwards each email to eight colleagues sends eight messages for every incoming email, so it reaches its limit fast. See email forwarding and aliases for how forwarding works.
• A contact form without working spam protection. Bots submit the form hundreds of times and your website sends an email for every submission. This usually triggers the notice for your subscription. Turn on a captcha or other spam protection and test that it works.
• A leaked password. Someone else is sending spam through your mailbox. Change the password right away, for example in the customer portal as described in create an email address in the customer portal, then enter the new password on all your devices. To see whether your address appeared in a data breach, use Have I Been Pwned.
• Software that sends through your mailbox. Accounting software that sends all invoices in one batch, a booking system with reminders, or a printer that emails scans. Those messages count for the mailbox the software logs in with.
• A mailing from your own mailbox. A newsletter or invitation to a large group sent from your normal address quickly hits the limit. A newsletter service is the better tool for that, see below.

If a website or mailbox sends spam, we lower its limit temporarily so that other customers' mail keeps being delivered. Once the cause is fixed, we set it back.

How to send more email per hour

If you regularly need more than your limit allows, for example a batch of invoices at the end of the week or a group address that forwards to a team, ask us whether a higher limit fits.

1. Open a support ticket in the customer portal, as described in create a support ticket.
2. Tell us the email address or domain, roughly how many messages per hour you need and what you send them for.
3. We review your request and let you know what is possible, or which route suits you better.

For newsletters and mailings to large lists, use a newsletter service. It sends from its own servers, handles unsubscribes and bounces, and shows you who opens your mail, while your mailbox stays free for everyday email. Add the service to your domain's SPF record and set up DKIM so your newsletter reaches the inbox.

Many accounting and web shop systems can also send invoices through their own mail server, with your address as the reply-to. Those messages then do not count towards your limit.

Check your limit in Plesk

1. Open Plesk from the customer portal with Log in to Plesk, as described in open Plesk from the customer portal.
2. Click Mail in the left menu. You land on the Email Addresses tab.
3. Click the email address. The maximum number of outgoing email messages shows that address's limit per hour.

You can set a lower limit for an address here. If you try to go above what your package allows, Plesk says only the administrator can change it; in that case, ask through a support ticket whether a higher limit fits.

Choose who receives the notice

By default, the notice goes to the email address of the account that owns the hosting package. To receive it at a different address, or at several, for example also at your web developer, set it in the customer portal:

1. Log in to the customer portal with the main account. See log in to the customer portal if you need help.
2. Click your name in the top right (on a phone, open the menu first) and choose My account.
3. Open the Notifications tab.
4. In the Mail limit block, enter the address under Email address for alerts when your mail limit is exceeded. Separate multiple addresses with a comma or a new line.
5. Click Save.

Leave the field empty and the notice goes to your account's email address. The Notifications tab is only available in the main account. See notification settings in the customer portal for the other notifications you can send to a different address.

Sending limit, full mailbox or attachment too large?

• Mailbox or package full: that is about storage. See check your storage usage.
• Message too large: a message can be up to 50 MB with us, attachments included.
• Another sending error: go through the causes in how to fix email problems. The correct server and ports for sending are in set up email on your phone and computer.