USCIS Receipt Number: Format, Where to Find It and How to Enter It
A USCIS receipt number is a unique 13-character identifier, three letters followed by 10 numbers, that USCIS provides for each application or petition it receives. When we checked on November 2, 2026, the USCIS Case Status Online page and the USCIS glossary both described it this way and both said it is on notices of action USCIS has sent.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Reviewed November 2, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Official USCIS tools
FedRateCalc does not look up, store or track cases or numbers.
The format, in USCIS’s words
The Case Status Online page on uscis.gov (Last Reviewed/Updated 08/25/2020) says:
“To check your case status using our online tool, you have to have your case receipt number. This receipt number is a unique 13-character identifier that USCIS provides for each application or petition it receives, and it’s used to identify and track its cases. The receipt number consists of three letters followed by 10 numbers. For example, the letters can be EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC or IOE. You can find it on notices of action USCIS has sent you.”
The USCIS glossary gives the same format:
The receipt number is a unique 13-character identifier USCIS provides for each application or petition it receives. We use it to identify and track our cases.
The receipt number consists of 3 letters, such as EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC or IOE, with 10 numbers. You can find it on notices of action USCIS has sent you.
| Part | What USCIS says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 13 characters | Case Status Online page; glossary |
| Letters | 3 letters (“three letters followed by 10 numbers”) | Case Status Online page; glossary |
| Numbers | 10 numbers | Case Status Online page; glossary |
| Letters USCIS names as examples | EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC, IOE | Case Status Online page; glossary |
The Case Status Online page introduces its seven groups of letters with “For example, the letters can be” and does not call them a complete list.
Where USCIS says the receipt number is
Both pages say the number is on notices of action USCIS has sent. Two other USCIS pages tie a prefix to something specific:
“If you submitted a paper form and your receipt number begins with IOE, we mailed you a letter about creating a USCIS online account.”
“The National Benefits Center (NBC) processes cases with receipt numbers starting with MSC and NBC*, but it is not a USCIS Service Center.”
The first line comes from the USCIS Contact Center page (Last Reviewed/Updated 10/13/2026) and the second from the Contact Us page (Last Reviewed/Updated 12/22/2025).
How USCIS says to enter it in Case Status Online
“Enter your receipt number. Omit the dashes, but include all other characters including asterisks if they are listed on your notice as part of the receipt number.”
“The online system will show the last action taken on your case and will let you know the next steps, if applicable.”
The Contact Us page says what the case status page gives you compared with speaking to a representative:
“Our case status web page gives you the same information you would get by speaking to a representative, and it’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from a cell phone, tablet, or computer.”
A paper-filed case can also be added to a USCIS online account. The account page says:
“Enter your receipt number, and you can then see your case status and history.”
What a receipt number is not
USCIS lists the receipt number, the A-Number and the Online Account Number as separate identifiers. For the annual asylum fee, the Form I-589 page names two of them together:
“You will need your Alien Registration Number (A-Number) and the Receipt Number at the top of your AAF notice to pay the fee. NOTE: The AAF amount is adjusted each year as required by law.”
Frequently asked questions
What is a USCIS receipt number?
The USCIS glossary says: "The receipt number is a unique 13-character identifier USCIS provides for each application or petition it receives. We use it to identify and track our cases."
How many characters is a USCIS receipt number?
Thirteen. The USCIS page Checking Your Case Status Online says the receipt number "consists of three letters followed by 10 numbers", and the USCIS glossary says "3 letters" with "10 numbers".
Which letters can a USCIS receipt number start with?
The Case Status Online page on uscis.gov says: "For example, the letters can be EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC or IOE." The USCIS glossary says "such as" the same seven. Neither page calls the list complete.
Where is the receipt number on my paperwork?
The USCIS glossary and the Case Status Online page on uscis.gov both say: "You can find it on notices of action USCIS has sent you."
Do I type the dashes when I enter a receipt number?
The Case Status Online page on uscis.gov says: "Omit the dashes, but include all other characters including asterisks if they are listed on your notice as part of the receipt number."
What does a receipt number that begins with IOE mean?
The USCIS Contact Center page (Last Reviewed/Updated 10/13/2026) says: "If you submitted a paper form and your receipt number begins with IOE, we mailed you a letter about creating a USCIS online account." The Instructions for Form I-90 say a USCIS Online Account Number exists only if a previously filed form has a receipt number that begins with IOE.
Is a receipt number the same as an A-Number?
The USCIS glossary defines them separately: the receipt number is a 13-character identifier for each application or petition, and the A-Number is a unique seven-, eight- or nine-digit number that the Department of Homeland Security assigned to an alien.
Where is the official Case Status Online tool?
USCIS's Contact Center page links Case Status Online at uscis.gov/casestatus. FedRateCalc does not look up cases. When we checked on November 2, 2026, the pages and notices named in this answer were the ones FedRateCalc saved that day. FedRateCalc is not affiliated with USCIS, and USCIS's own site and forms are authoritative.
Related pages
Sources
Reviewed November 2, 2026. Every number, hour, format rule and fee on this page comes from the official pages, notices and statute listed here; each quotation was compared word for word with a copy saved on November 2, 2026.