# Why IONOS charges for PHP Extended Support | Illia BizTech

> After a transition period, IONOS charges €7.81 a month to keep PHP 8.1 running. How to drop the fee and what website management should check first.

Source: https://illia-biztech.de/en/forum/auf-der-ionos-rechnung-steht-php-extended-support-was-ist-das

1. [Home](/en)
2. [Forum](/en/forum)
3. Our IONOS invoice lists PHP Extended Support. What is it?

# Our IONOS invoice lists PHP Extended Support. What is it?

We're suddenly paying an extra monthly fee for our electrical firm's website.

* ##### Asked by  
SlowRampart639
* ##### Asked on  
October 16, 2026

Our electrical contracting firm has hosted its website with IONOS for years. The latest invoice has a new line, PHP Extended Support, billed three months in advance.

I don't even know what PHP is. Do we have to pay this, or can it be switched off?

#### Answers

![Portrait of Illia Belichenko, technical specialist at Illia BizTech](/_ipx/f_webp,q_75/https://cms.illia-biztech.de/uploads/small_Illia_Belichenko_author_81f88864f0.png)

##### Illia Belichenko · Founder & Technical Lead

✓ Accepted answer November 10, 2026 

It's a surcharge for keeping your website on an outdated PHP version. PHP is the programming language WordPress and similar systems use on the server. Each version gets two years of full support and then two years of security fixes only, and for PHP 8.1 that period ended on 31 December 2025.

IONOS doesn't change the version for you. After a transition period the old version keeps running, but as paid PHP Extended Support, which the IONOS price list puts at €7.81 a month for PHP 8.1 and up to €27.36 for very old versions. It's billed three months in advance. According to the IONOS help pages, the add-on has to be cancelled separately after moving to a newer PHP version. STRATO has charged for a similar extended support service for PHP 8.1 since 2 March 2026 and doesn't list a price publicly.

The way out is a newer PHP version, tested first, because old plugins or themes sometimes break on it. PHP 8.2 stops receiving security fixes on 31 December 2026, so the next upgrade is only months away. On the Digital Komplett and Digital Komplett Plus plans, [Illia BizTech](https://illia-biztech.de/en) runs the included hosting and basic updates for sites the team built or took over after a review.

##### 

#### [The booking button on our Google profile disappeared overnight, without us changing anything](/en/forum/der-buchen-button-an-unserem-google-profil-ist-uber-nacht-verschwunden-ohne-dass-wir-etwas-geandert-haben)

November 13, 2026

[](/en/forum/der-buchen-button-an-unserem-google-profil-ist-uber-nacht-verschwunden-ohne-dass-wir-etwas-geandert-haben)

#### [A second listing with a competitor's phone number shows up under our practice's name on Google](/en/forum/unter-dem-namen-unserer-praxis-taucht-bei-google-ein-zweiter-eintrag-mit-einer-fremden-telefonnummer-auf)

November 13, 2026

[](/en/forum/unter-dem-namen-unserer-praxis-taucht-bei-google-ein-zweiter-eintrag-mit-einer-fremden-telefonnummer-auf)

#### [We put real effort into replies on TripAdvisor and Booking.com, but our Google review count in Markkleeberg doesn't budge](/en/forum/wir-pflegen-unsere-antworten-flei-ig-auf-tripadvisor-und-booking-com-unsere-google-bewertungszahl-bei-markkleeberg-bewegt-sich-trotzdem-nicht)

November 12, 2026

[](/en/forum/wir-pflegen-unsere-antworten-flei-ig-auf-tripadvisor-und-booking-com-unsere-google-bewertungszahl-bei-markkleeberg-bewegt-sich-trotzdem-nicht)

#### [ChatGPT and Perplexity show different information about our business in Ingolstadt, Gemini gets it all right, why?](/en/forum/bei-chatgpt-und-perplexity-stehen-unterschiedliche-angaben-zu-unserem-betrieb-in-ingolstadt-bei-gemini-stimmt-alles-warum)

November 12, 2026

[](/en/forum/bei-chatgpt-und-perplexity-stehen-unterschiedliche-angaben-zu-unserem-betrieb-in-ingolstadt-bei-gemini-stimmt-alles-warum)

#### [Our ad shows a phone number we never entered anywhere](/en/forum/in-unserer-anzeige-steht-eine-telefonnummer-die-wir-nirgends-eingegeben-haben)

November 11, 2026

[](/en/forum/in-unserer-anzeige-steht-eine-telefonnummer-die-wir-nirgends-eingegeben-haben)

**Share** 

**Topics** 
* Hosting
* Website

PHP 8.1 has received no security fixes since 31 December 2025\. IONOS does not upgrade old versions automatically and, after a transition period, keeps them running as paid PHP Extended Support, priced at €7.81 a month for PHP 8.1 and billed three months in advance.

The fix is moving the site to a supported PHP version after testing the plugins and theme. According to IONOS, the add-on then has to be cancelled separately. PHP 8.2 stops receiving security fixes on 31 December 2026, so website management should put the next upgrade on the calendar now.