OPT local planning

OPT unemployment calculator

Count calendar days not covered by qualifying employment. Your dates stay in your browser; this is not the official SEVIS counter.

Authorization and counting period

OPT period

This authorization start

This authorization end

Count through (inclusive)

Use actual authorization dates, not graduation, application, or card-delivery dates. For STEM, enter only the extension period here and the initial-OPT total separately. Counting stops at the earlier of authorization end or your count-through date.

Employment periods

Use the first and last dates of qualifying employment, both inclusive. Leave the end blank only for an ongoing job. Names and employers are not needed.

I have checked that these periods meet the applicable OPT employment requirements, including degree relationship and required hours. This calculator does not verify eligibility or update SEVIS.

Enter the authorization start, authorization end, and count-through dates.
Confirm that the employment periods meet the applicable OPT requirements.

Transparent method

Calendar days, not working days

The calculation covers the actual authorization start through the earlier of authorization end or your selected count-through date, including both endpoints. Employment start and last employment dates are also inclusive. Overlapping and adjacent employment periods are merged; weekends and holidays are not removed from unemployment gaps.

Post-completion OPT has a 90-day unemployment allowance. The 24-month STEM extension has a 150-day combined allowance including the initial OPT period. For the STEM view, enter the extension dates and a separately verified initial-OPT unemployment total.

This is date arithmetic on the periods you enter. It does not assess job eligibility, actual hours, reporting compliance, authorized leave, travel, cap-gap rules, transfer, or a change of status. If any of these affect your history, ask your DSO to confirm the correct periods before relying on a count. Future count-through dates are planning scenarios, not accrued unemployment.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Does STEM reset my unemployment count?

No. The 150-day allowance includes unemployment accrued during initial post-completion OPT. Exceeding 90 days before the extension is not erased by a later STEM extension.

Does adding a job prove that the job qualifies?

No. Only enter periods you have checked against the applicable requirements with your DSO. The calculator does not verify employers or update SEVIS.

What leaves my browser?

The calculator does not upload employment dates. JSON and ICS downloads contain your dates; importing an ICS into a cloud calendar shares that information with that calendar provider.