WooCommerce will require PHP 8.1 from version 11.6 in February 2027

WooCommerce announced on September 29, 2026 that WooCommerce 11.6 will require PHP 8.1 or newer. Version 11.6 is planned for February 2027. WooCommerce moved the date back after feedback from the community, so stores have time to test and upgrade after the peak selling season.

What changes and when

Version	PHP 7.4 and 8.0
11.3	Still supported; shows a dismissible notice in the admin
Up to 11.5 (rest of 2026)	Still supported; 11.5 is the last such release
11.6 (February 2027)	Not supported; PHP 8.1 or newer needed

WooCommerce recommends PHP 8.3 or newer, with 8.1 as the minimum.

What happens if you stay on old PHP

A store on PHP 7.4 or 8.0 can keep running WooCommerce 11.5, but the post calls that a temporary option. WooCommerce backports fixes for security issues rated CVSS 9 or higher across a rolling window of 21 major release series. Other fixes usually ship only in the latest release. The post also points out that PHP 7.4 and 8.0 have reached the end of upstream security support, so a WooCommerce patch may not address risks in PHP itself.

How many stores this affects

WooCommerce’s opt-in usage data shows about 7% of tracked stores on PHP 7.4 and 2% on PHP 8.0. Among stores updated in the past year, the combined share is close to 6%. WooCommerce says this is a sample, not a full count. In a scan of the 1,357 extensions for sale on its marketplace, 0.22% showed possible PHP 8.1 compatibility problems, and the team plans to review those with their developers.

What to do

Check your store’s PHP version under WooCommerce > Status. If it is below 8.1, ask your host to move you to PHP 8.3 or newer. Back up the store and test the change on a staging copy first, including checkout, payments, shipping, tax, orders, scheduled jobs, your theme and extensions. If your host cannot offer PHP 8.1 or newer before February 2027, that is a reason to compare hosts now rather than during the next sales season.