---
title: Shipping Rules by User Role
description: Show or hide WooCommerce shipping methods by user role, based on who is logged in. Setup, options and use cases.
url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/tailored-user-role-shipping/"
updated: "2026-09-27"
category: How to
tags:
  - Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce
---

# Shipping Rules by User Role

Create shipping rules by user role to show or hide a shipping method based on who is logged in, using [Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce: Restrict Shipping Options by Anything](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/). The User Roles conditions let you require or exclude specific roles, so you can reward customers, manage wholesale accounts, and keep internal shipping options in check.

![Require User Roles condition settings in Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/User-Roles.png)

### How the User Roles conditions work

There are two conditions, each a multiselect of roles set per shipping method:

- **Require User Roles** (`user_role_incl`): the method shows only for the selected roles.
- **Exclude User Roles** (`user_role_excl`): the method is hidden for the selected roles.

Two behaviors are worth knowing before you build a rule:

- **Guests are covered by a synthetic "Guest" role.** Logged-out visitors are treated as the role `guest`, so you can require or exclude guest shoppers just like any registered role.
- **Only the customer's first role is evaluated.** If a user has more than one role, the plugin checks the first one only. Keep this in mind for accounts that carry multiple roles.

### Step-by-step setup

1. Go to **WPFactory > Conditional Shipping** (also reachable at **WooCommerce > Settings > Conditional Shipping**).
2. Open the **User Roles** section.
3. Tick **Enable condition** for Require User Roles or Exclude User Roles.
4. For the shipping method you want to control, select the roles to include or exclude (the list includes Guest for logged-out visitors).
5. Save changes and test by signing in as each relevant role.

### Options reference

| Label | Option ID | Type | Default | Free/Pro |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Require User Roles (per method) | `user_role_incl` | Multiselect of roles | Empty | Free |
| Exclude User Roles (per method) | `user_role_excl` | Multiselect of roles | Empty | Free |

![Exclude User Roles condition settings in Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/Exclude-User-Roles.png)

### Use cases

- **Reward customers:** require the Customer role for free shipping so it is offered to shoppers, not internal accounts.
- **Manage internal orders:** exclude Administrator or Shop Manager from a free method so staff orders do not qualify automatically.
- **Control wholesale accounts:** exclude a wholesale role from retail-only shipping offers.
- **Handle guests:** require or exclude the Guest role to set what logged-out visitors can use.

### Troubleshooting

- **A multi-role user gets the wrong result:** only the first role is checked. Reorder or adjust the account's roles so the intended role is first.
- **Logged-out visitors are not matching:** use the Guest role, not a registered role, to target them.
- **Rule not applying:** confirm **Enable condition** is ticked and that you selected roles on the correct shipping method.

### Get more control

This feature is free. [Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce: Restrict Shipping Options by Anything](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/) Pro adds the **Use shipping instances** option, so you can apply user role rules to a specific shipping method instance inside a specific zone rather than to the method type globally. [See what Pro unlocks](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/).

Related articles

- [Shipping Rules by User ID](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-user-id-shipping/)
- [Minimum and Maximum Order Amount Shipping Rules](https://wpfactory.com/docs/optimized-order-amount/)
- [Show Cart and Checkout Notices for Hidden Shipping Methods](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-shipping-cart-checkout-notices/)
- [AND vs OR: Combining Multiple Shipping Conditions](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-shipping-and-or-logical-operator/)
- [Getting Started with Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/docs/how-to-use-conditional-shipping/)

 

[![Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/Conditional-Shipping-for-WooCommerce.webp)](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/)