How to Check Your EAD Status Online with USCIS

To check your EAD status online, enter the 13-character receipt number from your Form I-797C into the USCIS Case Status Online tool at egov.uscis.gov and click “Check Status.” The tool returns the most recent action USCIS has taken on your Form I-765 and the date it happened. No login is needed for a basic check, and the same receipt number works whether you filed online or by mail.

Find Your Receipt Number First

Every status check needs the receipt number USCIS assigned when it accepted your I-765. You’ll find it printed on the Form I-797C, Notice of Action, in the upper left or top center.¹ The format is three letters followed by ten numbers.

The three letters identify where your case is being handled:

IOE: online filing (the most common prefix now for electronically submitted applications)
MSC: National Benefits Center
LIN: Nebraska Service Center
SRC: Texas Service Center
EAC: Vermont Service Center
WAC: California Service Center

If you filed online, the receipt number also sits inside your USCIS online account at my.uscis.gov. If you filed by mail and never received the I-797C, or lost it, submit a non-delivery inquiry through the USCIS e-Request tool with your name, date filed, and form number.² You can also call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283.³

Run the Check on Case Status Online

Go to egov.uscis.gov, type your receipt number into the search field without dashes, and click “Check Status.”⁴ The system shows a short paragraph describing the latest action and the date.

The tool only updates when USCIS actually does something with your file. If your case was received three months ago and nothing has moved since, the status will still read “Case Was Received” with the original date. That doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. Applications sit in queues waiting for an officer, sometimes for a long time.

Set Up an Account for Automatic Updates

Rather than reloading the portal, create a free account at my.uscis.gov. The account sends automatic email or text alerts when USCIS updates your case and shows up to the last five actions on your file.¹ If you have more than one immigration form pending, the dashboard tracks them together.

What Each Status Message Means

The Case Status Online tool uses set phrases that correspond to stages of the review. These are the ones you’re most likely to see on an I-765:

Case Was Received: USCIS accepted your application and fee. The processing clock has started, but no officer has reviewed the case yet.
Request for Evidence (RFE) Was Sent: The officer needs additional documents. You’ll receive a notice explaining what’s needed and the deadline to respond. Missing that deadline usually results in a denial, so treat an RFE as urgent.
Case Was Approved: Your application met the requirements and USCIS authorized your employment. The physical card comes next.
Card Is Being Produced: Your EAD is being printed at a secure production facility.
Card Was Mailed: The card is in the mail. A USPS tracking number should appear in your case status within a day or two.
Case Was Denied: USCIS determined you didn’t qualify. The denial notice explains why and whether you can file a motion to reopen.

If the status hasn’t changed in months and you’re past the posted processing time for your category, that’s the point at which contacting USCIS starts to make sense.

When to Contact USCIS and How

The USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 takes live calls and chats Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.³ An automated menu handles basic questions first, and you can work through it to reach a live agent. Have your receipt number ready.

If your case has been pending longer than the posted processing time for your form and category, submit an e-Request online to trigger an internal review. USCIS treats your case as “actively processing” if you received a notice, responded to an RFE, or got a status update within the past 60 days, and in that situation an e-Request won’t move things along. For cases that don’t appear in the processing time table at all, USCIS aims to decide within six months and asks that you wait that long before inquiring.⁵ You’ll need your receipt number, A-number (if you have one), the date you filed, and your email address.

A written inquiry can also go to the service center address printed on your I-797C. Include your full name, date of birth, receipt number, and a clear description of your question.

Track the Card After Approval

Once USCIS approves the application and produces the card, USPS delivers it. You should receive it within about two weeks of approval, and USCIS asks that you wait at least 30 days after approval before contacting them about a card that hasn’t arrived.⁶

To watch it in transit, sign up for USPS Informed Delivery, which sends daily images of incoming mail and lets you set package tracking alerts.⁷ USCIS also posts a USPS tracking number to your case status once the card ships, so check the Case Status Online tool again after approval to grab that number.

Why Watching Your Status Matters More Now

For years, applicants who filed a timely EAD renewal could keep working on their expiring card for up to 540 days while the renewal was pending. That rule ended on October 30, 2025. If you filed your renewal on or after that date, your expiring EAD is no longer automatically extended while the new application processes.⁸

If you filed your renewal before October 30, 2025, the old rule still applies. Your EAD validity was automatically extended for up to 540 days past its printed expiration date, as long as your renewal remained pending and your eligibility category qualified.⁹ Qualifying categories included A03, A05, A07, A08, A10, C08, C09, C10, C16, C20, C22, C24, and C31, among others. To prove the extension to an employer, you needed both your expired EAD and the I-797C receipt notice for your pending renewal.

Without the automatic extension, a gap in work authorization can cost you your job, and employers aren’t permitted to let you keep working on an expired card. Checking your status regularly, and acting the moment it stalls past normal processing time, is how you avoid that gap.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checking Your Case Status Online
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Non-Delivery of Notice
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Contact Center
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Case Status Online – Case Status Search
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Check Case Processing
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Employment Authorization
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Track Delivery of Your Notice or Secure Identity Document (or Card)
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. DHS Ends Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Automatic Extensions Based on a Timely Filed Application to Renew Employment Authorization and/or Employment Authorization Document Before Oct. 30, 2025