The rule
For students on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, SEVIS looks back to the Actual OPT Start Date and counts each day without employer information. The total is compared with 90 days, or with 150 days when a STEM OPT extension is part of the period. Unemployment is an aggregate, so a day counts whether it falls in one long gap or in several short ones.
A worked example
| Dates | Status | Days counted |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 20 | No employer in the record | 20 |
| Jan 21 to Mar 31 | Employer A | 0 |
| Apr 1 to Apr 30 | No employer in the record | 30 |
| May 1 onward | Employer B | 0 |
| Total | 50 used, 40 left of 90 |
Both end days count: a job that starts on Jan 21 covers Jan 21 itself, and a job that ends on Mar 31 covers Mar 31. The tracker on the home page does this sum for any set of dates.
The counter fields
In SEVIS the Unemployment Counter shows three numbers for the active period of OPT: days allowed (90 for post-completion OPT only, 150 for post-completion OPT and STEM OPT), days accrued, and days remaining. For STEM OPT the accrued number includes the days from post-completion OPT. Your DSO sees it on the Employment Information page of your record.
When the count looks wrong
- Employer dates outside the Actual OPT start and end dates affect the count, so check the dates first.
- A job that ended but still has no end date, or a new job that was never added, leaves days without an employer or hides the real situation. Report the change right away (see reporting requirements).
- DSOs can ask SEVP to correct the employment start date or end date with a correction request.
Updated: November 4, 2026