diff --git a/src/JWTAuth.php b/src/JWTAuth.php
index c1d89f9..b32be74 100644
--- a/src/JWTAuth.php
+++ b/src/JWTAuth.php
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ class JWTAuth
         } elseif ($this->token) {
             return $this;
         } else {
-            throw new JWTException('A token is required', 400);
+            throw new JWTException('A token is required', 401);
         }
     }