TL;DR
Permanent block after successful AUTH: the account is disabled administratively. Re-enable the account before retrying; repeating the same login will not help. Not an address bounce: suppression needs context, not automatic removal. Do not retry unchanged.
What this code means
Successful authentication can still land on code 5.7.13 under registry pattern X.7.13 when the authenticated user account remains disabled by an administrator. Class 5 reports a permanent refusal even though the passphrase was valid. The status separates account-state blocking from a generic AUTH failure or a recipient-address bounce. The code alone does not reveal why the account was disabled or confirm that re-enabling it will restore service.
Technical meaning
Successful client authentication paired with an administrator-disabled user account is the X.7.13 case. Code 5.7.13 applies this detail in class 5 and indicates that the failure remains permanent until the user contacts the system administrator to have the account re-enabled for further use.
Delivery status
The leading digit 5 denotes a permanent failure of the current attempt. This is not a generic authentication failure: the credentials were accepted, but the account state blocks further operation, so entering the same passphrase again does not remove the cause.
- Class
- Permanent failure
- Retry
- Do not retry unchanged
- Suppression
- Check the full context
Retry decision
Operational guidance: stop automatic and manual retries of the same unchanged attempt. Make a new, controlled attempt only after confirming that the correct account has been re-enabled or that another verified correction to its state was made; check suppression again first.
Suppression decision
Operational guidance: do not automatically add the recipient address or domain to a suppression list based on code 5.7.13 alone. Inspect the complete response, the account used for authentication, the system that returned the code, event history, and applicable policy, then make the suppression decision in that context.
Common causes
- An administrator disabled the account for an administrative or security reason, such as nonpayment, abuse, or evidence of an attempted break-in.
Diagnostic steps
- Inspect the raw SMTP response or attempt report and confirm that the enhanced code is exactly 5.7.13 and that the basic reply is in the 5xx class; retain the complete response text.
- Correlate the response with the attempt time, client, authenticated account, and system that returned the code; use safe logs to confirm that authentication succeeded and the account was disabled instead of treating the event as a passphrase error.
- Stop unchanged retries; before one controlled attempt, confirm that the correct account has been re-enabled or that another material correction to its state was made, and check suppression again.
Actions by owner
Sender
- Do not repeat the same attempt or re-enter the same credentials; contact the system administrator and provide the complete response and event time without disclosing secrets.
Sender administrator
- Identify the account and endpoint used in the attempt, then confirm successful authentication and the account's disabled state in safe logs.
- Resolve the verified administrative or security cause and re-enable the account only under the applicable policy; then check suppression and permit one controlled attempt.
Recipient administrator
- If you manage the system that returned the code, inspect authentication logs and the specified account's status for the attempt time.
- Re-enable the account only after confirming that administrative and security conditions have been met, or give the sender administrator safe context needed to resolve the matter.
Provider
- If you operate a service involved in authentication, confirm the account state and give the appropriate administrator safe context and a re-enablement path; do not trigger automatic suppression from the code alone.
Sources
These sources define what this enhanced status code means, mainly through the IANA registry and related RFCs. When provider examples appear on the page, they come from that provider's published documentation. Follow the links to read the original wording in context.
- SMTP Enhanced Status Codes — IANA registry of enhanced mail system status codes.
- RFC 5248 — A Registry for SMTP Enhanced Mail System Status Codes — Creates and governs the IANA enhanced status code registry.
- RFC 2034 — SMTP Service Extension for Returning Enhanced Error Codes — Defines how SMTP returns enhanced status codes to clients.
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