OPT Earning Forecaster (with 90-day unemployment cap)
Predict your OPT income — and the day you'll hit the 90-day unemployment limit if you don't land a role fast enough.
Try it
All calculations happen in your browser. Nothing leaves this page.
How to use this calculator well
- Set the OPT start date to the date on your EAD card, not your grad date.
- Estimate gross monthly salary including any bonus expected in the first year. Optimism bias is the usual error here — use the lower end of the recruiter's range.
- Effective income-tax is usually 18-30% depending on state. TX / FL / WA have 0 state income tax — set to 0 there.
- Pay FICA on the first paycheck? Most OPT workers do. The F-1 exemption only applies to on-campus work under 20 hr/week in some narrow cases — don't assume it carries into OPT.
- Days-until-first-job is the most important input. If you're still searching, set it realistically.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 90-day cap a calendar 90 days?
Yes — it's the cumulative number of unemployment days during your initial 12-month OPT period. Days you don't have paid work in your authorized field count. Volunteering related to your field does not count as unemployed (with documentation).
What happens if I exceed 90 days unemployed?
You risk falling out of status. The 90-day clock resets with the STEM 24-month extension. Strongly recommend starting the STEM application 90-100 days before current OPT ends.
Does the STEM extension add another 90 days?
Yes — you get an additional 60-day reporting period and a fresh 90-day unemployment cap for the STEM extension period.
Are taxes really different on OPT vs on-campus F-1?
Almost always yes. On-campus F-1 typically exempts FICA. Most OPT positions treat you as a regular employee for FICA and full federal withholding.
Where this estimate falls short
- Take-home assumes a single W-2 employer. Side gigs / 1099 work complicate state and self-employment tax.
- We don't model city-level taxes (NYC, Philadelphia, San Francisco). Add 1-3% if your work is in one of those.
- Federal withholding varies with W-4 elections. The 'effective' rate depends on your full-year income.