PHP 8.2 end of life
PHP 8.2 stops getting security fixes on 31 December 2026.
PHP is the software your WordPress site runs on. If yours is on 8.2, the PHP project stops releasing security fixes for it on 31 December 2026. Here is what that means, how to check your version, and what I do about it.
The dates
Three versions, three dates.
- PHP 8.1
- Security fixes ended 31 December 2025
- PHP 8.2
- Security fixes end 31 December 2026
- PHP 8.3
- Security fixes until 31 December 2027
Dates from php.net.
On 7 October 2026, WordPress.org's own statistics showed 37.1% of WordPress sites on PHP 8.1 or older, already past end of life, and 24.3% on PHP 8.2. Unless they upgrade, from 1 January 2027 about 6 in 10 WordPress sites will run a PHP version the PHP project no longer supports.
What it means
The security fixes stop.
PHP 8.2 doesn't stop working on 1 January 2027. What stops is the PHP project's security fixes: from then on, it no longer releases fixes for flaws found in 8.2.
Your pages look the same either way, so the date is easy to miss. Upgrading to a newer version means checking that the site's plugins, theme, pages and forms still work on it. That is the part I do.
Check your version
Find your PHP version in Site Health.
- 01 Log in to your WordPress admin.
- 02 Go to Tools → Site Health, then open the Info tab.
- 03 Open the Server section and look for the PHP version.
8.1 or older: already past end of life. 8.2: security fixes end 31 December 2026. 8.3: security fixes until 31 December 2027.
What I do
An upgrade at a fixed price, on your current host.
- A single fix, $250–$450 A PHP upgrade on a modest site
- A deep fix, $1,200–$2,500 If something on the site won't run on the newer version, such as an abandoned plugin, and has to be repaired first. I tell you which it is before I start
- Price agreed before I start The quote is valid for 30 days
- Works on your current host No move needed
- Every page and form checked before and after the upgrade
- 90-day workmanship warranty If it fails for the same reason within 90 days, I fix it again at no charge
- Full refund if I can't fix it If I can't fix the problem I quoted for, you get the whole fix fee back
- Re-checked every month on a plan The PHP support date is one of the things I re-check
Get it done before 31 December 2026.
Ask for a quote for the upgrade. Not sure which version you're on? Check Site Health, or start with the free site check, which shows your PHP version if your server reveals it, from the outside, with no logins.