Custom Email Domains in Biller Genie

A custom email domain lets Biller Genie send invoice emails from your domain (for example, billing@yourcompany.com) instead of the default Biller Genie envelope. Your customers see your business name in their inbox, and your emails are far more likely to land in the inbox instead of the spam folder.

Setting this up takes about 15 to 30 minutes and requires editing a few records at your domain provider (the company where you registered the domain — GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Wix, Squarespace, Bluehost, Network Solutions, etc.). Biller Genie walks you through what to add, and a built-in verification panel tells you when each piece is in place.

Before you start

• You own a domain name (for example, yourcompany.com). Free webmail addresses like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook.com cannot be used — you need a domain you own.
• You have access to the DNS records for that domain. This is usually a "DNS," "DNS Records," "Zone Editor," or "Manage DNS" section at your domain provider.
• You're signed in to your Biller Genie merchant portal as an admin user.
• You're willing to wait. DNS changes can take a few minutes to propagate but sometimes take up to 24 hours.

The three-step setup

Biller Genie's setup wizard walks you through three steps, in order:

1. Choose your domain — tell Biller Genie which domain you want to send from.
2. Validate your domain ownership — prove the domain is yours by adding a single TXT record.
3. Set up your email DNS records (SPF and DKIM) — add two more TXT records that tell email providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) that Biller Genie is authorized to send on your behalf.

Each step has its own Attempt Validation button. You can click it as many times as you need — there's no penalty for re-checking.

Step 1 — Choose your domain

1. In the merchant portal, open Add-ons Marketplace and install Custom Email Domain.
2. Enter the domain name you want to send from (for example, yourcompany.com). Just the domain — no www, no http://.
3. Click Save.

The wizard advances to step 2.

Step 2 — Validate your domain ownership

This step proves the domain belongs to you by asking you to add a small text record at your domain provider that only an owner could add.

1. In the Biller Genie portal, copy the record name and record value shown in the wizard. The values are specific to your domain — they'll look different from the examples below.
2. Open a new browser tab and log in to your domain provider's DNS management page. (If you don't know where your DNS records are, see DNS provider instructions below.)
3. Add a new record with these settings:
   • Type: TXT
   • Name / Host: the record name from the Biller Genie wizard
   • Value / Content: the record value from the Biller Genie wizard
   • TTL: leave at the default (or set to 1 hour / 3600 seconds if asked)
4. Save the record at your DNS provider.
5. Back in Biller Genie, click Attempt Validation.

Step 3 — Set up your SPF and DKIM records

SPF and DKIM are two security standards that email providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Apple Mail, etc.) use to verify that an email actually came from where it says it came from. Setting these up correctly is the single biggest factor in whether your invoice emails land in the inbox versus the spam folder.

Biller Genie sends email through Mailjet, our outbound email partner. The records you'll add tell email providers that Mailjet is authorized to send mail on behalf of your domain.

Add the SPF record

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) tells email providers which mail servers are allowed to send email from your domain.

1. In the Biller Genie wizard, copy the SPF record value. It will look something like:

   v=spf1 include:spf.mailjet.com ?all

2. Go to your DNS provider's records page.
3. Check whether you already have an SPF record (a TXT record on your root domain that starts with v=spf1):
   • If you don't have one yet: add a new TXT record with Name @ (which means your root domain) and Value set to the SPF record value from Biller Genie.
   • If you already have an SPF record: edit it. Add include:spf.mailjet.com to the existing value so both your existing senders and Mailjet are authorized. Do not create a second SPF record — only one SPF record per domain is allowed by the spec, and a second one will break authentication for everyone.
4. Save the record at your DNS provider.

Add the DKIM record

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a cryptographic signature to your outgoing email so providers can verify it wasn't altered in transit and that it really came from Mailjet on your behalf.

1. In the Biller Genie wizard, copy the DKIM record name and record value. The record name will look something like:

   mailjet._domainkey.yourcompany.com

   And the record value is a long string of letters and numbers — typically several hundred characters. Copy the entire value as a single block.
2. At your DNS provider, add a new TXT record with:
   • Type: TXT
   • Name / Host: the DKIM record name (often just mailjet._domainkey if the provider auto-appends your domain)
   • Value / Content: the DKIM record value (the long string)
   • TTL: leave at the default
3. Save the record.
4. Back in Biller Genie, click Attempt Validation.

DNS provider instructions

DNS records are managed at the company where you registered or host your domain — not at Biller Genie. The exact navigation depends on your provider. Here are direct links to each major provider's documentation for adding TXT records:

If you're not sure who manages your domain's DNS, look at the email you got when you originally bought the domain — the sender is usually your registrar. You can also use ICANN Lookup to find your domain's registrar.

Understanding the status dashboard

Once the wizard is complete, the Custom Email Domain page shows a status dashboard with three rows: Ownership, SPF, and DKIM. Each row has an indicator showing whether the corresponding DNS record is set up correctly.

• OK  Green — the record is in place and Biller Genie's last verification check found it correctly. Mail will send from your custom domain.
• Not Validated  Red — the record has not been verified yet. This is normal right after adding a record (give DNS time to propagate), or means something is missing.
• Not Found  Red — Biller Genie's verification check ran but did not find the record at your domain at all. Most often: the record wasn't saved, or it was added at the wrong domain.
• Error  Red — the record exists but its value doesn't match what Biller Genie expects. Most often: a typo, a value got truncated, or you have a conflicting SPF record.

When a record is red, the specific error message from our verification check is shown below the indicator. That message usually tells you exactly what's off.

Verifying changes and re-checking after setup

Biller Genie does not automatically re-check your DNS records on a schedule. Verification runs only when you click Attempt Validation on the Custom Email Domain page. If your records were green when you set up but later flip to red — or if you made changes at your DNS provider and want to re-verify — open the Custom Email Domain page and click Attempt Validation again to refresh the status.

Common reasons a record can flip from green to red later:

• Someone at your company changed or removed a DNS record without realizing it was used by Biller Genie.
• You migrated to a new DNS provider and the records weren't carried over.
• You added another email service (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, a marketing platform) and it overwrote your SPF record instead of merging with it.
• Your DNS provider had an outage or applied a system change.

In every case, the fix is the same: re-verify the values shown in the Biller Genie wizard against what's actually at your DNS provider, correct any drift, then click Attempt Validation again.

Troubleshooting common issues

"Not Found" — Biller Genie says the record doesn't exist

• Confirm the record was actually saved at your DNS provider. Most providers show a confirmation after save; some require a separate "Apply" or "Publish" step.
• Make sure the record was added to the correct domain. If you manage multiple domains at the same provider, it's easy to add a record to the wrong one.
• Wait 5 to 15 minutes and try Attempt Validation again. DNS propagation isn't instant.
• If 24 hours pass and the record still isn't found, your DNS provider's support team can tell you whether the record is live.

"Error" on the SPF record

• You may have two SPF records on the same domain. Only one is allowed. Combine them into a single record that includes both your existing senders and include:spf.mailjet.com.
• Check for typos. The SPF value should look like v=spf1 include:spf.mailjet.com ?all. Common mistakes: missing the v=spf1 prefix, missing the ?all suffix, an extra space or quote in the middle.
• Check that the SPF record is on the root domain (Name = @ or your bare domain), not on a subdomain.

"Error" on the DKIM record

• The DKIM value is long. Make sure you copied the entire value from the Biller Genie wizard — some clipboard interactions truncate long strings.
• Check the record name. It should be exactly mailjet._domainkey with your domain auto-appended (some providers want the full mailjet._domainkey.yourcompany.com).
• If your provider asks for quotes around the value, leave them in. If it doesn't, leave them out. If the record is failing validation either way, try the opposite.

My emails are still landing in spam after setup

• Confirm all three records show OK in the Biller Genie status dashboard. Even one red record significantly reduces deliverability.
• Give it a few days. Email reputation builds over time. New domains often hit spam more often in their first 2 to 4 weeks.
• If a specific recipient's company uses an enterprise spam filter like Proofpoint, Mimecast, or Barracuda, ask that recipient to safelist your sending domain in their email security platform. These services use stricter rules than Gmail and Outlook and sometimes hold mail from new senders for review regardless of SPF/DKIM status.
• Avoid spam-trigger words in your invoice subject lines and body. Generic "Pay your invoice" tends to deliver better than "URGENT: FINAL NOTICE."

My DNS provider isn't listed above

Almost every DNS provider supports adding TXT records — the navigation is just different. Search your provider's help center for "add TXT record" and you'll find their canonical guide. If you can't find DNS settings at all, your domain may be managed by a different company than the one that hosts your website. Contact your domain provider's support and ask them where to add a TXT record.

FAQs

Can I use a free email like Gmail or Yahoo as my sender?

No. SPF and DKIM authentication requires control over the DNS for the sending domain. Free webmail providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, Hotmail) don't let you add DNS records to their domains. You need to use a domain you own.

How long does setup actually take?

The configuration itself is 10 to 15 minutes — three records added at your DNS provider. The verification waits on DNS propagation, which is usually a few minutes but can take up to 24 hours. Most merchants are fully validated within an hour.

Will this affect my regular business email?

No. The records you add tell email providers that Mailjet (Biller Genie's outbound provider) is also allowed to send for your domain. Your existing email service (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, etc.) continues to work normally as long as the SPF record includes both — see the "Only one SPF record per domain" callout above.

Can I change the sending email address later?

Yes. Once setup is complete, the Custom Email Domain page shows a Change Settings form where you can update the sender email and reply-to email at any time. The DNS records stay in place.

What if I'm not comfortable doing this myself?

Reach out to your IT person, your web designer, or your domain provider's support team. The instructions above are written so you can send them this article and they'll have everything they need. If you'd like help from our team, contact Technical Support at support@biller-genie.com or visit techsupport.billergenie.com for additional resources.

Related articles

• Invoice Messenger
• Email Delivery Best Practices
• Allowlisting Biller Genie IPs by Email Provider
• Email Delivery Issues (IP-Based Filtering)
• What is SPF and DKIM? (Mailjet documentation)