What are acceptable complaint rate thresholds?

Acceptable complaint rate thresholds are typically below 0.3% maximum with a target under 0.1%. Gmail and Yahoo's 2024 requirements formalized these thresholds for bulk senders, though they reflected existing best practices.

Complaint rate is calculated as spam reports divided by delivered messages. A 0.1% rate means 1 complaint per 1,000 delivered emails. Rates above 0.3% trigger aggressive filtering and potential blocking.

These thresholds apply per provider, not globally. Your Gmail complaint rate matters independently of Yahoo or Microsoft. Monitor each provider separately and address segment specific issues when complaint patterns vary by provider.