EAC Receipt Number: Format, Meaning, and Case Status

An EAC receipt number is the 13-character tracking code U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services assigns to a case processed at the Vermont Service Center. The three letters “EAC” identify the center; the ten digits that follow pin down the fiscal year, the processing day, and the specific case.¹ You’ll use this number every time you check status, respond to a notice, or ask USCIS about the case.

What the EAC Prefix Tells You

EAC stands for Eastern Adjudication Center, the original name of what is now the Vermont Service Center in St. Albans, Vermont. USCIS renamed its processing hubs years ago, but the legacy three-letter codes stayed in the receipt system. If your number begins with EAC, your case sits with Vermont.

Vermont handles a specialized mix: H-1B specialty occupation petitions, L intracompany transfers, O extraordinary ability petitions, fiancé petitions, VAWA self-petitions, and a range of other employment-based and humanitarian filings. Which center gets your case depends on the benefit you requested and, in some situations, where the petitioner is located.

One thing to check before you go further: if your number starts with WAC, LIN, SRC, MSC, NBC, or IOE, it isn’t an EAC number and your case isn’t at Vermont. The tracking process is the same, but the processing center is different. IOE in particular is common now, because USCIS routes many online-filed and digitized paper filings through its electronic system and issues an IOE number instead of a service center code.¹

How to Read the 13 Characters

Every receipt number follows the same layout: three letters, then ten digits.¹ Each segment carries a specific piece of information.

The first three characters are the service center code. EAC means Vermont.
The next two digits are the federal fiscal year USCIS received the filing. The fiscal year runs October 1 through September 30, so a case received in November 2025 shows “26” because it falls in fiscal year 2026.
The next three digits are the computer workday the filing was processed and the fee collected. This is a sequential count of processing days since the fiscal year began, not a calendar date. “045” means the 45th processing day of that fiscal year.
The final five digits are a sequential case number for that specific filing on that workday. Cases filed together often receive consecutive numbers here.

Two practical uses come out of this structure. You need all 13 characters to look up the case, and the fiscal-year digits give you a quick check that the number matches when you actually filed.

Where to Find the Number

Your receipt number is printed in the upper left corner of Form I-797C, Notice of Action, which USCIS mails after accepting your filing. The I-797C is the procedural notice that confirms receipt, rejection, transfer, or appointment information.² Keep it. You will need the number for every future interaction with USCIS about this case.

A plain I-797, without the “C,” is a different notice; it communicates approval.³ Both carry the receipt number, but the I-797C is the one that arrives first.

Getting the Number Before the Notice Arrives

If you file a paper application at a USCIS Lockbox, clip Form G-1145 to the front of the package. USCIS will send an email or text within 24 hours of accepting the filing, with your receipt number and instructions for checking status online.⁴ The electronic message doesn’t replace the mailed I-797C, but it saves you the wait.

If You’ve Lost the Receipt Notice

If the I-797C never arrived or you can’t find it, check whether the case appears in your USCIS online account. You can also call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 to request a duplicate notice. If an attorney filed for you, they should have a copy in your file.

Checking Your Case Status

USCIS offers a free case status tool. Enter the 13-character number, omitting any dashes but including asterisks if they appear on your notice.⁵ The tool shows the most recent action and a short description of what it means.

For more detail, link the case to a USCIS online account. After creating the account, go to “My Account” and choose “Add a paper-filed case” from the drop-down. Enter your receipt number, and the case history will appear.⁶ Cases with an IOE number and an Online Access Code (from a USCIS Account Access Notice) unlock more features, including secure messaging, viewing notices online, and uploading evidence. EAC paper filings generally get the basic status view rather than the full online case management.

What the Status Messages Mean

Case Was Received. USCIS has accepted your filing and collected the fee. Formal review has begun; no officer has been assigned yet.
Request for Evidence. The officer needs more documents before deciding. For most case types you have 84 calendar days to respond, plus 3 mailing days if you are inside the United States. For a few forms, including the I-539 (change or extension of status), the deadline is 30 calendar days. USCIS cannot extend these deadlines.⁷
Case Approved. The agency granted the benefit.
Card Is Being Produced. Approval has moved to the card production facility. Your EAD, green card, or other card will arrive by mail.
Case Was Denied. The notice will explain the reason and whether you can appeal or file a motion to reopen.

Check status regularly, especially in the first weeks after filing. If USCIS issues an RFE and you miss the deadline, the officer will decide on whatever is already in the file, which almost always means denial. That is the single most avoidable way to lose a case.

When Your Case Is Taking Too Long

USCIS publishes a processing time range for each form type and service center on its website. If your Vermont case has been pending longer than the posted range, you can submit an inquiry through the USCIS e-Request system. The tool asks for your receipt number, then auto-populates the filing date and form number.⁸

Two limits are worth knowing before you file the inquiry. If USCIS has taken any action on the case in the past 60 days, whether that’s a notice, receipt of your RFE response, or a status update, the case counts as actively processing and the inquiry won’t be accepted. For form types that aren’t in the processing time tables, USCIS aims to decide within six months; wait until that period passes before inquiring.⁸

A few case types skip the e-Request path. If you filed an H-2A temporary agricultural worker petition on Form I-129 and haven’t received a decision or RFE within 15 days, call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283. DACA renewal applicants can call the same number if their case has been pending longer than 105 days.⁸

1
USCIS. Receipt Number
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
3
USCIS. Form I-797 Types and Functions
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1145, e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Case Status Online
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Create a USCIS Online Account
7
USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6 – Evidence
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Check Case Processing