WooCommerce Orders Stuck on Pending Payment
Workaround available WordPress, all hosts Updated November 13, 2026Based on 3 user reportsHow we research
Quick answer
If customers paid but orders stay Pending payment, the gateway webhook or IPN is not reaching your store. Verify the payment in the gateway, then check the webhook URL, caching and logs.
Most likely fix: Confirm the payment in the gateway
How to fix it
Try these in order — the most common fix is first.
1. Confirm the payment in the gateway
- Open your Stripe/PayPal/other dashboard
- If the payment did not succeed the status is correct
- If it succeeded, continue and set the order to Processing manually after verifying
Did this fix it?2. Check the webhook
- Re-create or re-save the webhook in the gateway with your store URL and signing secret
- Check the delivery log for non-200 responses
- Read WooCommerce > Status > Logs for the gateway log
Did this fix it?3. Make sure nothing blocks it
- Exclude the webhook endpoint from caching
- Allow gateway IPs in your firewall or security plugin
Did this fix it?4. Review auto-cancel
- Check WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory > Hold stock
- Unpaid Pending payment orders are cancelled when it expires; a broken webhook can cancel paid orders
- Look for an order note about an unpaid order being cancelled
Did this fix it?5. Rule out conflicts
- Disable other plugins and use a default theme
- Run a test payment
Did this fix it?
Symptoms
Orders remain Pending payment after the customer paid, then may be auto-cancelled; no confirmation emails go out.
Why it happens
- Webhook or IPN not reaching the store (misconfigured, cached or firewalled)
- Stripe webhook needing manual setup
- Legacy PayPal Standard IPN problems
- Plugin or theme conflict
- Hold stock auto-cancelling unpaid orders
This guide also covers
- woocommerce order stuck pending payment
- woocommerce payment complete but order pending
- woocommerce webhook not working
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