Leap Year Checker
Free online leap year checker. No sign-up, no installation. Runs entirely in your browser.
Check a Year
Find Leap Years in Range
Countdown to Next Feb 29
Fun Facts
Leap Day Births
Only about 1 in 1,461 people are born on February 29. That’s approximately 0.068% of the population!
Famous Leap Day Birthdays
Anthony, Texas considers itself the “Leap Year Capital of the World.” Notable Feb 29 babies include rapper Ja Rule (1976) and opera singer Dinah Shore (1916).
The Rule
A year is a leap year if divisible by 4, EXCEPT if divisible by 100 (not a leap year), EXCEPT if divisible by 400 (is a leap year). Example: 2000 is a leap year, but 1900 is not.
Why Leap Years?
Earth takes approximately 365.25 days to orbit the sun. Without leap years, our calendar would drift by about 24 days every 100 years, throwing off seasons and agriculture.
What is a Leap Year?
A leap year is a calendar year that contains an additional day (February 29) to keep the calendar aligned with Earth’s orbit around the sun. While a regular year has 365 days, a leap year has 366 days. This extra day is necessary because Earth takes approximately 365.2425 days to complete one orbit, not exactly 365 days.
The Gregorian calendar, used by most of the world, follows a specific rule to determine leap years: a year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4, except for years divisible by 100 (which are not leap years), unless they are also divisible by 400 (in which case they are leap years). This system ensures accurate calendar alignment over centuries.
How to Use This Tool
Check a Year: Enter any year in the first section and click “Check Year” to see if it’s a leap year. You’ll get an instant YES/NO badge along with the number of days in that year and information about nearby leap years.
Find a Range: Want to list all leap years between two dates? Use the second section to enter a starting year and ending year, then click “Find Leap Years” to see the complete list.
Countdown Timer: The third section automatically calculates the countdown to the next February 29, so you can see exactly how many days remain until the next leap day.
Use Cases & Benefits
- Event Planning: Verify leap year dates when scheduling multi-year projects or recurring events.
- Financial Calculations: Ensure accurate calculations for contracts and agreements spanning multiple years.
- Historical Research: Quickly check historical dates and their leap year status without manual calculation.
- Birthday Planning: If you were born on February 29, use this tool to find your actual birthday year and understand the rarity of your birth date.
- Education: Learn about calendar systems, celestial mechanics, and the mathematical rules behind our timekeeping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 2024 a leap year?
Yes, 2024 is a leap year. It is divisible by 4 and not a century year that violates the leap year rule. February 2024 has 29 days.
Will 2100 be a leap year?
No, 2100 will not be a leap year. Although it is divisible by 4, it is also divisible by 100 but not by 400. Therefore, it follows the exception rule and is not a leap year. February 2100 will have only 28 days.
What happens to people born on February 29?
People born on February 29 (leap day babies) celebrate their birthday on February 28 or March 1 in non-leap years. In legal terms, their birthday is recognized on February 28 in most jurisdictions during non-leap years. They age slower in terms of actual birthdays experienced—a 16-year-old leap day baby has only experienced 4 leap day birthdays.
How often do leap years occur?
Leap years occur every 4 years in general, but with exceptions for century years. On average, there are 97 leap years every 400 years. This means leap years occur roughly every 4.1 years when averaged over a long period.
Was 2000 a leap year?
Yes, 2000 was a leap year. Although it is divisible by 100, it is also divisible by 400, which makes it a leap year according to the rule. This is why 2000 had 366 days.
How many leap years are there between 2000 and 2100?
Between 2000 and 2100 (inclusive), there are 24 leap years. This includes 2000 but excludes 2100, as 2100 is not a leap year. You can use the “Find Leap Years in Range” tool to calculate this for any custom date range.