Using the Register

Fix incorrect order times on your receipts

Fix receipt and WooCommerce order timestamps that show up hours in the past or future. Learn how to sync your Oliver POS registers with your local timezone.

Updated May 28, 2026

Fix incorrect order times on your receipts

You ring up a sale, but the printed receipt shows a time that is several hours in the past or future. When you check WooCommerce, the order says it was created hours ago, even though you just placed it. End-of-day reports might even group sales into the wrong day because the timestamps are shifted.

Use this guide to fix incorrect order times on your receipts and sync your registers perfectly with your local time.

Why this happens

Oliver POS pulls its official clock directly from your WordPress settings, not from the iPad or Android register you are using.

If your WordPress site defaults to standard UTC time, or if it uses a manual offset that doesn't account for Daylight Saving Time, your register will stamp orders with that incorrect time.

How to fix incorrect order times

Follow these three steps to get your receipts and WooCommerce orders back on track.

Step 1: Set your WordPress timezone to a city

Manual time offsets do not update for Daylight Saving Time. You need to set your store to a specific city.

  1. Log into your WordPress admin dashboard and go to Settings > General.

  2. Scroll down to the Timezone dropdown.

  3. Do not choose a manual offset like UTC-5.

  4. Instead, select a city in your same timezone (for example, America/New_York or Europe/Copenhagen).

  5. Save your changes.

Step 2: Check your outlet settings (for multi-store setups)

If you run multiple physical stores in different timezones, Oliver POS lets you set a specific timezone for each location.

  1. Open your Oliver Hub and navigate to your Outlet settings.

  2. Verify that each outlet is assigned to its correct local timezone.

  3. Registers paired to that outlet will automatically use the outlet's timezone for receipts and order creation.

Step 3: Update your Oliver POS plugin

We recently upgraded how Oliver POS syncs time with WooCommerce to make it completely automatic.

Ensure your Oliver POS WooCommerce plugin is updated to version 4.0.0 or higher. Once updated, your registers will automatically pull the corrected timezone from WordPress the next time they connect.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my order time exactly 4 or 5 hours off?
This almost always means your WordPress site is set to default UTC time instead of your local timezone. Updating your WordPress General Settings to your local city will fix this immediately.
Do I need to change the time on my iPad or Android register?
No. Oliver POS ignores the device's clock and uses your WooCommerce store's official timezone to ensure all your online and in-store orders match up perfectly.
What if I have stores in different timezones?
You can set a specific timezone for each physical location in your Oliver Hub Outlet settings. The register will automatically use the timezone of the outlet it is paired to.