Leap Year Checker

Is a given year a leap year? Enter any year for an instant yes-or-no answer, the reason behind it, and a table of upcoming leap years.

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The leap-year rule

A leap year has 366 days instead of 365, with the extra day added as February 29. The rule for deciding which years get that day has three parts:

1

Divisible by 4 → leap year

Most years divisible by 4 are leap years — 2020, 2024, 2028, and so on.

2

Divisible by 100 → not a leap year

Century years break the pattern: 1900 and 2100 are divisible by 4 but are common years.

3

Divisible by 400 → leap year again

The exception to the exception: 2000 and 2400 are divisible by 400, so they are leap years after all.

This keeps the calendar year very close to the true solar year of about 365.2422 days, drifting by only about one day every 3,000 years. To count days across a February 29, use the date calculator.

Upcoming leap years

The next leap years, starting from the current year.

YearFeb 29 falls onWhy it's a leap year
2028TuesdayDivisible by 4, not 100
2032SundayDivisible by 4, not 100
2036FridayDivisible by 4, not 100

Note: 2100, 2200 and 2300 are not leap years (divisible by 100 but not 400), while 2400 is.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a year is a leap year?
A year is a leap year if it's divisible by 4, except years divisible by 100, which are leap years only if also divisible by 400. So 2024 and 2000 are leap years, but 1900 and 2100 are not. Type any year into the checker above.
Why do leap years exist?
Leap years exist because Earth takes about 365.2422 days to orbit the Sun, not exactly 365. Adding February 29 every four years keeps the calendar aligned with the seasons; the 100-and-400-year exceptions fine-tune the small overcorrection. Without any correction the calendar would slip about 24 days per century and drag the spring equinox back into winter. The Gregorian rule leaves an average year of 365.2425 days, which is why a year is 365 or 366 days and the leftover error takes roughly 3,000 years to add up to a single day.
Is 2026 a leap year?
2026 is not a leap year. It isn't divisible by 4, so it's a common year with 365 days. The leap years either side of it are 2024 and 2028 — the table above always lists the next twelve, counting from whatever year it is today.
What happens to people born on February 29?
People born on February 29, known as "leaplings", have a true birthday only every four years. In common years they usually celebrate on February 28 or March 1, depending on preference and local convention. The odds of a February 29 birthday are about 1 in 1,461, because a four-year cycle runs 1,461 days, which puts the worldwide leapling population at roughly 5 million. A leapling born in 2024 gets their next true birthday in 2028, and the full-year calendar shows at a glance whether February 29 appears in any year you look up.