Your au pair year, date by date
Type in the program dates from the DS-2019 and see the deadlines that follow from them — the extension deadline, the program end and the grace period — each with the regulation it comes from. Add the dates to any calendar as an .ics file.
Both dates are printed on the Form DS-2019. The US rules count from the end date on that form, not from the day the plane lands. Example dates — type over them with yours.
United States (J-1) · 14 March 2027 to 13 March 2028
Every date below is worked out from these two dates and the rule named under it.
14 March 2027
Program starts
The start date printed on your DS-2019. Everything below is counted from the end date on the same form.
22 CFR § 62.31, 4-1-24 edition · From your DS-2019 — nothing calculated
Across the year
Six semester hours of course work
The host family pays up to $500 towards it. The regulation sets no completion date — your sponsor sets one, and it comes before the program end. Ask for it.
2 weeks
Paid vacation
Two weeks for the twelve-month term. Which weeks is yours to agree; this page does not pick them for you.
12 February 2028
Last day to file an extension
An extension application must reach the Department of State no later than this date. The family decision behind it has to happen weeks earlier, which makes this the one date worth a reminder.
22 CFR § 62.31, 4-1-24 edition · 30 calendar days before the end date on the DS-2019
13 March 2028
Program ends
Child care stops on this date. If an extension is approved, the program instead ends after six, nine or twelve more months — the new DS-2019 shows the exact date.
With an approved extension: +6 months → 13 September 2028 · +9 months → 13 December 2028 · +12 months → 13 March 2029
22 CFR § 62.31, 4-1-24 edition · End date on the DS-2019 · extension lengths from 22 CFR § 62.31
12 April 2028
Grace period ends
The 30 days after the program, from 14 March 2028: time to pack up and travel inside the US. No work, no longer in J-1 status, and leaving the US in these days can mean no way back in.
BridgeUSA, read 18 Sep 2026 · 30 days after the end date on the DS-2019
Postponed
Fixed admission date: rule postponed
A DHS rule would print a fixed admit-until date on the I-94 instead of duration of status. It was due on 15 September 2026; a federal court postponed it on 14 September 2026 until further order. For now the dates above follow the DS-2019. Check the I-94 and ask your sponsor before any trip abroad.
D. Mass. order, 14 Sep 2026 · not in force — no date drawn · 91 FR 44976, 17 July 2026
Nothing here is saved or sent. The dates stay on this page and are gone when you leave it.
Keep the dates where the whole family looks
AuPairSync has a family calendar that you and your au pair share. The app does not read the .ics file: put the dates you want everyone to see into the app as events, or keep them in the phone calendar the file opens in.
Related reading
Extending for a second year
How families decide, and what has to happen before the filing deadline.
The travel month: the 30-day grace period
No work, no border crossings, and when the 30 days start.
J-1 duration of status: the rule a court put on hold
What the postponed DHS rule would change, and what to do now.
Au pair rules by country
Hours, pocket money, time off and permits, each with its official source.