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Resolving the 'Translation Loading Triggered Too Early' Notice in WooCommerce Tax

34 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Woocommerce tax (formerly woocommerce shipping & tax)

Content

If you've recently updated to WordPress 6.7 or later and see a notice about _load_textdomain_just_in_time being called incorrectly, you're not alone. This is a common notice affecting the WooCommerce Tax plugin (formerly WooCommerce Shipping & Tax). This article explains what this notice means and the steps you can take to address it.

What is the Notice and Why Does It Happen?

The notice looks like this:

Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the woocommerce-services domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later...

This is a user notice, not a critical error. It was introduced in WordPress 6.7 to help developers identify code that loads translation files too early in the WordPress initialization process. While the notice points to the WooCommerce Tax plugin, it does not mean your site is broken. The store's front-end functionality for customers typically remains unaffected.

Common Solutions

Since this is a code-level notice related to how the plugin loads its text files, the ultimate fix must come from an update to the WooCommerce Tax plugin itself. The development team is typically aware of such issues. In the meantime, here are the most common steps to manage the notice.

1. Check for Plugin Updates

The first and most important step is to ensure all your plugins, especially WooCommerce and WooCommerce Tax, are updated to their latest versions. Developers often release patches to comply with new WordPress standards.

2. Temporarily Disable WP_DEBUG (For Development Sites)

This notice is primarily visible if WP_DEBUG is enabled in your wp-config.php file. This mode is intended for development and staging sites. On a live production site, it is recommended to have debugging turned off.

You can check your wp-config.php file for the following line:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );

If you are not actively debugging your site, you can set this value to false. Important: Only do this if you are comfortable editing critical WordPress files. Always create a backup first.

3. Hide the Notice (Not Recommended as a Long-Term Fix)

You can prevent the notice from displaying by adding code to your theme's functions.php file or a custom functionality plugin. This suppresses the message but does not resolve the underlying cause.

// Hide specific early translation notice for WooCommerce Tax
add_filter( 'woocommerce_services_should_load_textdomain_early', '__return_false' );

Warning: Editing theme files directly is not recommended, as your changes will be overwritten when the theme updates. Use a child theme or a custom functionality plugin for such code snippets.

4. Perform a Conflict Test

While the notice is directly related to WooCommerce Tax, conflicts with other plugins or your theme can sometimes exacerbate issues. To rule this out, you can follow a standard conflict test procedure:

  1. Switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
  2. Deactivate all plugins except for WooCommerce and WooCommerce Tax.
  3. Check if the notice persists.
  4. If it disappears, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify which one might be contributing to the issue.

When to Expect a Permanent Fix

As this notice is related to the plugin's code, a permanent resolution will be included in a future update from the WooCommerce Tax team. You can monitor the plugin's official page on the WordPress Plugin Repository for update announcements. The issue has been publicly discussed in the plugin's support forums and GitHub repository, indicating the developers are aware of it.

Conclusion

The _load_textdomain_just_in_time notice is a common sight after updating WordPress. While it can be annoying, it is not a critical error that breaks your site. The most patient course of action is to keep your plugins updated and wait for an official patch. For immediate relief on development sites, disabling WP_DEBUG is the cleanest solution.

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