JHTechServices
WordPress WooCommerce PHP

Adding Custom Checkout Fields to WooCommerce Checkout

· 2 min read

WooCommerce gives you a powerful checkout experience out of the box, but sooner or later you'll need a field that isn't there by default — a delivery note, a company tax ID, or a custom product option that follows the order through to fulfillment.

The good news: WooCommerce has hooks for exactly this, and you don't need a plugin to make it happen.

The Three Hooks You Need

Adding a custom checkout field in WooCommerce involves three steps:

  1. Display the field — woocommerce_after_order_notes (or another position hook)
  2. Validate the field — woocommerce_checkout_process
  3. Save the field — woocommerce_checkout_update_order_meta

Displaying the Field

add_action( 'woocommerce_after_order_notes', 'my_custom_checkout_field' );

function my_custom_checkout_field( $checkout ) {
    woocommerce_form_field( 'delivery_note', array(
        'type'        => 'textarea',
        'class'       => array( 'form-row-wide' ),
        'label'       => __( 'Delivery Note', 'woocommerce' ),
        'placeholder' => __( 'Any special delivery instructions?', 'woocommerce' ),
        'required'    => false,
    ), $checkout->get_value( 'delivery_note' ) );
}

Saving the Field

add_action( 'woocommerce_checkout_update_order_meta', 'my_custom_checkout_field_update_order_meta' );

function my_custom_checkout_field_update_order_meta( $order_id ) {
    if ( ! empty( $_POST['delivery_note'] ) ) {
        update_post_meta( $order_id, '_delivery_note', sanitize_textarea_field( $_POST['delivery_note'] ) );
    }
}

Displaying It in the Admin Order View

Once saved, you'll want to surface this in the order admin screen:

add_action( 'woocommerce_admin_order_data_after_billing_address', 'my_custom_checkout_field_display_admin_order_meta', 10, 1 );

function my_custom_checkout_field_display_admin_order_meta( $order ) {
    $note = get_post_meta( $order->get_id(), '_delivery_note', true );
    if ( $note ) {
        echo '<p><strong>' . __( 'Delivery Note' ) . ':</strong> ' . esc_html( $note ) . '</p>';
    }
}

Wrapping Up

This pattern covers the majority of custom checkout field use cases. For more complex scenarios — conditional fields, fields tied to specific products, or fields that affect shipping — the same hooks apply, just with extra conditional logic layered in.

This post is a placeholder — full content coming soon.

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