diff --git a/codecov.yaml b/codecov.yaml
index bc0b3604329..4d93c18f3ac 100644
--- a/codecov.yaml
+++ b/codecov.yaml
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ flag_management:
       carryforward: false
     - name: proxy-db-schema-migration
       carryforward: false
+    - name: circleci
+      carryforward: false
 
 component_management:
   individual_components:
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/utils.py b/litellm/proxy/utils.py
index eab56c31c39..cf56fc0b1dd 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/utils.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/utils.py
@@ -6031,10 +6031,42 @@ def _should_use_smtp_ssl(smtp_port: int) -> bool:
     return os.getenv("SMTP_USE_SSL", "False") == "True" or smtp_port == 465
 
 
-def _create_smtp_connection(smtp_host: str, smtp_port: int) -> smtplib.SMTP:
+def _create_smtp_connection(smtp_host: str, smtp_port: int, timeout: float) -> smtplib.SMTP:
     if _should_use_smtp_ssl(smtp_port=smtp_port):
-        return smtplib.SMTP_SSL(host=smtp_host, port=smtp_port, context=ssl.create_default_context())
-    return smtplib.SMTP(host=smtp_host, port=smtp_port)
+        return smtplib.SMTP_SSL(host=smtp_host, port=smtp_port, context=ssl.create_default_context(), timeout=timeout)
+    return smtplib.SMTP(host=smtp_host, port=smtp_port, timeout=timeout)
+
+
+def _send_smtp_message(
+    email_message: MIMEMultipart,
+    smtp_host: str,
+    smtp_port: int,
+    smtp_username: str | None,
+    smtp_password: str | None,
+    sender_email: str,
+    receiver_email: str,
+    timeout: float,
+) -> None:
+    using_ssl: Final = _should_use_smtp_ssl(smtp_port=smtp_port)
+    with _create_smtp_connection(
+        smtp_host=smtp_host,
+        smtp_port=smtp_port,
+        timeout=timeout,
+    ) as server:
+        if not using_ssl and os.getenv("SMTP_TLS", "True") != "False":
+            server.starttls(context=ssl.create_default_context())
+
+        if smtp_username and smtp_password:
+            server.login(
+                user=smtp_username,
+                password=smtp_password,
+            )
+
+        server.send_message(
+            msg=email_message,
+            from_addr=sender_email,
+            to_addrs=receiver_email,
+        )
 
 
 async def send_email(
@@ -6080,27 +6112,18 @@ async def send_email(
     email_message.attach(MIMEText(html, "html"))
 
     try:
-        using_ssl: Final = _should_use_smtp_ssl(smtp_port=smtp_port)
-        with _create_smtp_connection(
+        smtp_timeout: Final = float(os.getenv("SMTP_TIMEOUT", "30"))
+        await asyncio.to_thread(
+            _send_smtp_message,
+            email_message=email_message,
             smtp_host=smtp_host,
             smtp_port=smtp_port,
-        ) as server:
-            if not using_ssl and os.getenv("SMTP_TLS", "True") != "False":
-                server.starttls(context=ssl.create_default_context())
-
-            # Login to your email account only if smtp_username and smtp_password are provided
-            if smtp_username and smtp_password:
-                server.login(
-                    user=smtp_username,
-                    password=smtp_password,
-                )
-
-            # Send the email
-            server.send_message(
-                msg=email_message,
-                from_addr=sender_email,
-                to_addrs=receiver_email,
-            )
+            smtp_username=smtp_username,
+            smtp_password=smtp_password,
+            sender_email=sender_email,
+            receiver_email=receiver_email,
+            timeout=smtp_timeout,
+        )
 
     except Exception as e:
         verbose_proxy_logger.exception("An error occurred while sending the email:" + str(e))
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_utils.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_utils.py
index 6920cc0dae3..dcaad968663 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_utils.py
@@ -1266,13 +1266,14 @@ class TestCreateSmtpConnection:
             patch("smtplib.SMTP_SSL") as mock_smtp_ssl,
             patch("smtplib.SMTP") as mock_smtp,
         ):
-            result = _create_smtp_connection(smtp_host="mail.example.com", smtp_port=465)
+            result = _create_smtp_connection(smtp_host="mail.example.com", smtp_port=465, timeout=30.0)
 
         mock_smtp.assert_not_called()
         assert result is mock_smtp_ssl.return_value
         _, kwargs = mock_smtp_ssl.call_args
         assert kwargs["host"] == "mail.example.com"
         assert kwargs["port"] == 465
+        assert kwargs["timeout"] == 30.0
         context = kwargs["context"]
         assert isinstance(context, ssl.SSLContext)
         assert context.verify_mode == ssl.CERT_REQUIRED
@@ -1286,11 +1287,11 @@ class TestCreateSmtpConnection:
             patch("smtplib.SMTP_SSL") as mock_smtp_ssl,
             patch("smtplib.SMTP") as mock_smtp,
         ):
-            result = _create_smtp_connection(smtp_host="mail.example.com", smtp_port=587)
+            result = _create_smtp_connection(smtp_host="mail.example.com", smtp_port=587, timeout=30.0)
 
         mock_smtp_ssl.assert_not_called()
         assert result is mock_smtp.return_value
-        mock_smtp.assert_called_once_with(host="mail.example.com", port=587)
+        mock_smtp.assert_called_once_with(host="mail.example.com", port=587, timeout=30.0)
 
 
 class TestSendEmailStartTls:
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/conftest.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/conftest.py
index 19abcb5d66d..fce51c9296c 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/conftest.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import asyncio
 import sys
+import threading
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from email.message import EmailMessage
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -320,6 +321,7 @@ class _SentMessage:
     body: Optional[str]
     starttls_called: bool
     login_args: Optional[tuple]
+    thread_ident: int
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -328,6 +330,7 @@ class InMemorySMTP:
 
     sent: List[_SentMessage] = field(default_factory=list)
     raise_on_send: Optional[Exception] = None
+    connection_kwargs: List[Dict[str, Any]] = field(default_factory=list)
 
     def server_factory(self) -> Callable[..., Any]:
         outer = self
@@ -370,10 +373,12 @@ class InMemorySMTP:
                         body=body,
                         starttls_called=self._starttls_called,
                         login_args=self._login_args,
+                        thread_ident=threading.get_ident(),
                     )
                 )
 
         def _factory(*args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> _Conn:
+            outer.connection_kwargs.append(dict(kwargs))
             return _Conn()
 
         return _factory
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/test_send_email.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/test_send_email.py
index 739e942de52..0e8aba0a03b 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/test_send_email.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/utils/prisma_and_spend/test_send_email.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ Symbols pinned here:
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import threading
 from typing import Any
 
 import pytest
@@ -51,9 +52,7 @@ async def test_send_email_dispatches_via_smtp(in_memory_smtp: Any) -> None:
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_send_email_starttls_uses_ssl(
-    in_memory_smtp: Any, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
-) -> None:
+async def test_send_email_starttls_uses_ssl(in_memory_smtp: Any, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
     monkeypatch.setenv("SMTP_USE_SSL", "True")
     await send_email(
         receiver_email="to@invalid",
@@ -82,9 +81,7 @@ async def test_send_email_error_missing_sender_email(
 ) -> None:
     monkeypatch.delenv("SMTP_SENDER_EMAIL", raising=False)
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="SMTP_SENDER_EMAIL"):
-        await send_email(
-            receiver_email="x@y", subject="s", html="<p>h</p>"
-        )
+        await send_email(receiver_email="x@y", subject="s", html="<p>h</p>")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -105,6 +102,49 @@ async def test_send_email_error_missing_html() -> None:
         await send_email(receiver_email="x@y", subject="s", html=None)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_send_email_sets_connection_timeout(in_memory_smtp: Any) -> None:
+    await send_email(
+        receiver_email="to@invalid",
+        subject="Hi",
+        html="<p>x</p>",
+    )
+    assert in_memory_smtp.connection_kwargs[0].get("timeout") == 30.0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_send_email_timeout_env_override(in_memory_smtp: Any, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setenv("SMTP_TIMEOUT", "5")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("SMTP_USE_SSL", "True")
+    await send_email(
+        receiver_email="to@invalid",
+        subject="Hi",
+        html="<p>x</p>",
+    )
+    assert in_memory_smtp.connection_kwargs[0].get("timeout") == 5.0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_send_email_malformed_timeout_is_swallowed(in_memory_smtp: Any, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setenv("SMTP_TIMEOUT", "30s")
+    await send_email(
+        receiver_email="to@invalid",
+        subject="Hi",
+        html="<p>x</p>",
+    )
+    assert in_memory_smtp.sent == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_send_email_runs_off_event_loop_thread(in_memory_smtp: Any) -> None:
+    await send_email(
+        receiver_email="to@invalid",
+        subject="Hi",
+        html="<p>x</p>",
+    )
+    assert in_memory_smtp.sent[0].thread_ident != threading.get_ident()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_send_email_smtp_failure_is_swallowed(
     in_memory_smtp: Any,
@@ -113,7 +153,5 @@ async def test_send_email_smtp_failure_is_swallowed(
     does not raise so a failing email never blocks the proxy.
     """
     in_memory_smtp.raise_on_send = RuntimeError("smtp boom")
-    await send_email(
-        receiver_email="to@invalid", subject="Hi", html="<p>x</p>"
-    )
+    await send_email(receiver_email="to@invalid", subject="Hi", html="<p>x</p>")
     assert in_memory_smtp.sent == []