MailSlurp inboxes can be set to expire at a given time. The server periodically checks inboxes to see if they have expired and archives those that have.

## Expired inboxes

You can view inboxes that have expired with the `ExpiredInboxRecord` endpoints in the [inbox controller](/docs/) or in the [dashboard](https://app.mailslurp.com/login/).

## Emails

Expired inboxes can no longer sender or receive emails. You _can_ however view old emails using the inbox's ID.

## Expiration causes

If you have a free account a default expiration date is used when creating inboxes. Paid accounts can set whatever expiration dates your desire or leave the property blank for permanent inboxes by default.

## Permanent inboxes

To ensure permanent inboxes use a [paid account](https://app.mailslurp.com/pricing/) or [upgrade your account](https://app.mailslurp.com/login/).

## Working with expired inboxes

See the [developer documentation](/developers/) to list and fetch expired inbox details.

## Expiration policy checklist for CI and staging inboxes

Use these controls to avoid silent test failures caused by expired inboxes.

- Validate inbox lifecycle behavior in [Email Sandbox](/product/email-sandbox/).
- Add explicit expiry assertions in [Email Integration Testing](/product/email-integration-testing/).
- Capture expiration-related events with [Email Webhooks](/guides/email-webhooks/).
- Route retry and recreation logic via [Email Automation Routing](/product/email-automation-routing/).
- Confirm end-to-end delivery after recreation using [Email Deliverability Test](/testing/email-deliverability-test/).