Do I have to put my home address in my newsletter?

No. CAN-SPAM requires a valid physical postal address, and a PO box registered with the postal service or the address of a registered agent both satisfy it. Many solo publishers use one of those rather than publish where they live.

How long does an unsubscribe link have to keep working?

At least 30 days after the message was sent, and the request itself must be honoured within 10 business days. You may not charge a fee, require a login, or ask for any information beyond the email address to process it.

Does CAN-SPAM apply to transactional email?

Mostly not. A message whose primary purpose is transactional or relationship content, such as a receipt or a password reset, is exempt from most of the requirements, though it still may not have deceptive routing or header information. The moment you add a promotion to a receipt, the primary purpose can change and the full rules apply.

Is a CAN-SPAM footer enough for GDPR?

No. They solve different problems. CAN-SPAM is an opt-out regime about what a message must contain; GDPR is an opt-in regime about whether you had permission to send it at all, and it requires a lawful basis recorded before the first email. A compliant footer on a list you had no consent for does not help you.

Free CAN-SPAM email footer generator

Every commercial email needs a sender, a real postal address and a way out. Fill in three fields and copy the result.

Who is sending *Physical postal address *Required by law in every commercial email. A PO box or a registered agent address counts, so you do not have to publish where you live.Unsubscribe linkLeave it as the merge tag if your sender fills it in. It has to keep working for at least 30 days after the send.Preferences link (optional)Why they are getting it (optional)Not required, and it reduces complaints more than anything else on this form. A reader who remembers signing up presses unsubscribe; one who does not presses spam.

A sender name is required: the reader has to know who this is from.
A valid physical postal address is required by CAN-SPAM. A PO box or a registered agent address counts.

What the law actually asks for

A truthful From and subject. No fake Re:, no misleading sender.
A clear way to opt out, working for at least 30 days after the send, honoured within 10 business days, with no fee and no login.
A valid physical postal address. A PO box counts.
Identification as an advertisement when the recipient did not opt in to receive it.

Penalties run to $53,088 per message, and every message in a send counts separately rather than the campaign counting once.

The line that is not required and matters most

“You are receiving this because you subscribed.” No law asks for it. It reduces complaints more than anything else in a footer, because the reader who remembers signing up presses unsubscribe, and the one who does not presses spam. Those two buttons look the same to the reader and are not remotely the same to your sending reputation.

This footer is not GDPR

They solve different problems. CAN-SPAM is opt-out and governs what a message must contain. GDPR is opt-in and governs whether you were allowed to send it at all, which is decided before the first email by whether you have a lawful basis recorded. A perfect footer on a list you bought does not help you.

Action BeeMail adds this footer automatically and refuses to send without it. Also free: the spam checker, the subject line tester and the SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker.