What counts as unemployment on OPT?
For OPT planning, the practical question is whether each day in your authorized OPT period is covered by qualifying employment related to your field of study. Days without qualifying employment generally count toward the unemployment limit, including gaps between jobs, delayed start dates after your EAD begins, and periods after a job ends before the next qualifying job starts. Weekends can still count if they fall inside a gap with no qualifying employment; the unemployment count is not limited to business days.
This tracker is designed to help you turn those date ranges into a clear timeline. Enter the OPT start and end dates from your EAD, then add each employment period. The tool highlights used and remaining days, but it does not decide whether a specific job qualifies. If you are unsure whether unpaid work, contract work, self-employment, volunteering, or a short training period counts for your case, confirm with your DSO before relying on the calculation.
90-day rule for Initial OPT
Standard post-completion OPT allows up to 90 days of unemployment. The clock is about calendar days during the OPT authorization period, not only weekdays. Use the tracker before you are close to the limit, because fixing employment records after a long gap is much harder than monitoring them as they happen.
150-day combined STEM OPT limit
Students with an approved STEM OPT extension may have a combined 150-day unemployment limit across the full post-completion OPT and STEM OPT period. That does not reset the first 90 days; it adds additional room across the combined timeline, so the phase breakdown matters.
Common scenarios that cause miscounts
The most common mistake is ignoring small gaps. A gap between graduation and a job start may not matter before the EAD start date, but a gap after the OPT start date can count. A weekend between two jobs can count if there is no qualifying employment covering those dates. A delayed payroll start, employer onboarding delay, or late SEVP Portal update can also create confusion if your personal records do not match what your school has on file.
Unpaid work and self-employment are especially fact-sensitive. Some students may be able to report certain arrangements if they meet school and regulatory requirements, but the tracker cannot verify the substance of the work. Treat the output as a date-counting aid, then ask your DSO how your employment should be documented and reported.
When to talk to your DSO
Contact your DSO before your remaining days become urgent. Good trigger points include a job ending unexpectedly, an offer with a delayed start date, uncertainty about whether a role is related to your major, an SEVP Portal record that does not match your real employment history, or a calculation showing you are close to the 90-day or 150-day limit. Bring a clean timeline with dates, employer names, and questions; that makes it easier for your DSO to help.
OPT Pulse is not legal advice and does not replace your DSO or an immigration attorney. Use this tracker to organize your facts, not to make high-risk status, travel, or employment decisions by itself.
Track your unemployment days, then check the next risk
After you calculate your remaining days, compare your case timeline or prepare travel/employment documents if those are your next decisions.