XaploreH-1B & OPT Calculator

OPT / STEM OPT timeline

Enter your dates to get every filing window, deadline and the unemployment-day counter, on one timeline.

Your dates

The program end date on your I-20.

STEM degree (eligible for the 24-month extension)?

When your DSO recommended OPT in SEVIS. You must file within 30 days of it.

From your EAD card, or the dates you plan to request. Leave blank to assume the day after program end, for 12 months.

Employment

Each job (at least 20 hours/week). Leave the end blank if you still work there. Gaps count as unemployment.

At a glance

Enter your program end date to start.

Rules used

  • OPT filing window: 90 days before to 60 days after the program end date, and within 30 days of the DSO recommendation. The start date can be no later than 60 days after program end; up to 12 months. (8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(B)(2), (D))
  • Grace period: 60 days after program completion or after OPT ends, to depart, transfer or change status. No work. (214.2(f)(5)(iv), (f)(10)(ii)(D))
  • Unemployment: at most 90 days in total on post-completion OPT, 150 days in total including the STEM extension. Counted in calendar days (weekends too) from the EAD start date; every day without qualifying work (20+ hours/week) counts. (214.2(f)(10)(ii)(E); SEVP Policy Guidance §7.1.6)
  • STEM OPT: one 24-month extension. File up to 90 days before the OPT EAD expires and within 60 days of the DSO recommendation. A timely filing lets you keep working up to 180 days while it’s pending. The Oct 14, 2026 rule ending automatic EAD extensions for renewals does not change this 180-day rule. (214.2(f)(11)(i)(C); 274a.12(b)(6)(iv))
  • STEM reporting: validate your information with the DSO every 6 months from the STEM start date (within 10 business days of each date); I-983 12-month and final evaluations, each within 10 days after the period ends; report name, address, employer changes or job loss within 10 days; new I-983 within 10 days of starting with a new employer. (214.2(f)(12), (f)(10)(ii)(C)(9))
  • Cap-gap: since Jan 17, 2025, F-1 status and OPT work authorization are extended for students with a timely filed cap H-1B change-of-status petition until April 1 of the fiscal year or the H-1B start date, whichever is earlier. If the petition is still pending on April 1, OPT stops and the 60-day grace period starts on April 1; it ends early if the petition is denied or withdrawn. (H-1B modernization rule, 89 FR 103054)
  • Pending rules: a July 17, 2026 “fixed admission period” final rule would cut several 60-day periods to 30 days, but a federal court postponed it on Sept 14, 2026, so this calculator uses the 60-day rules. An Oct 8, 2026 proposal to charge OPT fees is not in effect.

Sources