JWT Expiration Checker

Paste a JWT to instantly check if it is expired. See the exp, iat, and nbf claims as human-readable dates with real-time expiry status — all without leaving your browser.

100% in-browser — nothing uploaded

Encoded JWT

HeaderPayloadSignature
Awaiting a token — everything is decoded locally in your browser.

Decoded Header

Paste a token to decode this segment.

Decoded Payload

Paste a token to decode this segment.

Verify Signature

Enter the secret to verify the signature

Features

100% private

Your token is decoded entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or sent to any server or API.

Instant decoding

Paste a JWT and the header, payload, and claims are decoded in real time — no button required.

Human-readable claims

Standard claims like exp, iat, and nbf are explained and shown as readable dates with expiry status.

Signature verification

Verify HS256/384/512 with a secret, or RS, PS, and ES algorithms with a public key — all client-side.

JWT expiration explained

How JWT token expiration works

JWT expiration is controlled by three registered claims: exp (expiration time), iat (issued at), and nbf (not before). The exp claim is a Unix timestamp (seconds since January 1, 1970 UTC) after which the token must not be accepted. A server verifying a JWT must reject it if the current time is past exp — typically with a small clock skew tolerance (often 30-60 seconds) to allow for minor differences between server clocks.

The iat claim records when the token was issued, enabling you to calculate the token's age. The nbf (not before) claim is the counterpart to exp — it specifies a time before which the token must not be accepted. For example, a token might be issued now but intentionally not be valid until 5 minutes in the future.

Paste your JWT above and switch to the Claims tab to see exp, iat, and nbf decoded as human-readable timestamps with live expiry status. The tool also shows how long ago the token was issued and exactly how much time remains until expiry.

JWT time claims

exp
Expiration Time — token must not be accepted after this Unix timestamp.
iat
Issued At — Unix timestamp when the token was created.
nbf
Not Before — token must not be accepted before this Unix timestamp.
Clock skew
Typical tolerance of 30-60 seconds to handle clock drift between servers.
Token lifetime
exp − iat = token validity window in seconds.
Common lifetimes
Access tokens: 5–60 min. ID tokens: 1 hr. Refresh tokens: 1–30 days.
Step by step

How to decode a JWT token online

1

Paste your token

Copy a JSON Web Token and paste it into the encoded box. You can also load the example token to try it out.

2

Read the decoded data

The header and payload are decoded instantly. Switch to the Claims tab for plain-English explanations and expiry status.

3

Verify the signature

Enter the secret (HMAC) or public key (RSA/ECDSA) to confirm the token is authentic and hasn't been tampered with.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions