Use this leap year calculator to easily check if a given year is a leap year or not, and to count and list all leap years in a selected time period. E.g. check if 2024 is a leap year, or list all leap years between 1980 and 2030.
Quick navigation:
- How to use the leap year calculator
- What is a leap year
- What is the next leap year?
How to check if a given year is a leap yearList of leap years How to use the leap year calculator
The calculator can be used in two main modes: to check if a given year is a leap year and to list all leap years in a given time range. To use it as a leap year checker, simply type in the year of interest, say 2024, and press calculate.
To use it as a leap year counter or to list all leap years between two years, switch to "All leap years between two years", enter a start and end year, and press the button. A count of the leap years will be shown, and a list of all leap years will be presented below.
Finally, you can use it to simply display the next leap year by switching the mode to "The next leap year" state.
What is a leap year
A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day. This extra day is added to keep the calendar year in sync with the astronomical year or seasonal year which in itself is determined by astronomical events, namely the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. Calendars that have a constant number of days in each year (e.g. 365 for the Gregorean calendar) would exhibit a drift relative to these events if not for the extra day roughly every four years. For example, without leap years the beginning of the winter season in the Northern hemisphere would slowly shift and no longer be on Dec 21-22.
The term "leap year" probably comes from the fact that typically, in a leap year, the day of the week on any given date would shift by skipping one day. E.g. Christmas Day (December 25) would fall on advancing days of the week each year: Monday, Tuesday... However, on a leap year it will skip a day. For example, instead of Wednesday it would fall on Thursday, as would happen in the year 2024 of the Gregorian calendar system.
What is the next leap year?
The next leap year of the Gregorian calendar is the year 2024. In 2024, there will be Summer Olympic games in Paris starting on Jul 26. There will also be a UEFA Euro 2024 football championship (soccer, as it is also known in the U.S.). In the United States there will be a Presidential election - the 60th quadrennial presidential election to be precise.
How to check if a given year is a leap year
While there is no leap year formula, there is a simple algorithm that can be followed to determine if a given year is a leap year or a common year. The algorithm consists of the following steps:
- Check if the year can be divided by 4 without a remainder. If it cannot, it is not a leap year. Otherwise, proceed to (2).
- Check if the year can be divided by 100 without a remainder. If it cannot, then it is a leap year. Otherwise, proceed to (3).
- Check if the year can be divided by 400 without a remainder. If it cannot, then it is not a leap year. Otherwise, it is a leap year.
A division without a remainder is also called "evenly divisible". E.g. from the above rule we can see that if a year is not evenly divisible by 4, it is a common year.
If you find the above steps difficult to follow, just use our calculator to easily perform a leap year check. It is also super useful if you need to compute the number of leap years in a period, or to get a list of all leap years in a given time range.
List of leap years
These are all leap years between the years 1900 and 2050:
1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040, 2044, 2048
To get a leap year list for any time period, just use the leap year calculator in the respective mode.
FAQs
A leap year has 366 days (the extra day is the 29th of February), and it comes after every four years. To check if a year is a leap year, divide the year by 4. If it is fully divisible by 4, it is a leap year. For example, the year 2016 is divisible 4, so it is a leap year, whereas, 2015 is not.
How do you calculate the number of leap years between years? ›
Every year that is exactly divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by 100, but these centurial years are leap years if they are exactly divisible by 400. For example, the years 1700, 1800, 1900 are not leap years, but the years 1600 and 2000 are leap years.
What is a leap year question answer? ›
The year (every four years) with 366 days instead of 365 days is known as a leap year. February, this year, has 29 days.
Why is 1700 not a leap year? ›
The Rule: According to the Gregorian calendar, which is the civil calendar in use today, years evenly divisible by 4 are leap years, with the exception of centurial years that are not evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, the years 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not leap years, but 1600, 2000, and 2400 are leap years.
What is the logic for checking leap year? ›
The rules for determining if a year is a leap year are as follows: If a year is evenly divisible by 4, 100, and 400, then it is a leap year. If a year is divisible by 4 but not by 100 and not divisible by 400, then it is also a leap year.
What is the rule for leap year? ›
This is how the Gregorian calendar calculates leap years: If the year is divisible by four, it's a leap year. But if the year can be divided by 100 as well as four, it's not a leap year. However, if the year is divisible by 400, it is a leap year.
What happens if you are born on February 29 legally? ›
If you're born in a leap year, when can you legally drink, vote, or drive? Legality in terms of drinking and voting is not impacted by leap years, even if someone is "technically" not 18 or 21. If you're born on February 29, your birthday would be observed after 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 28 — or March 1 — on non-leap years.
How old are leap year babies born in 2000? ›
A leap year baby born in 2000 would technically be 6 years old in terms of leap year birthdays. However, they would be 24 years old in regular calendar years in 2024. Here are some other leap year baby ages: A leap year baby born in 2004 would be 5 in leap years but 20 in chronological years in 2024.
How old are leap year babies in 2024? ›
Feb. 29, 2028: 2024 Leap Day babies celebrate their first birthday (4 years old in actual years). Feb. 29, 2032: 2024 Leap Day babies turn 2 (8 years old).
What are people born on leap day called? ›
(WPVI) -- Of the approximately eight billion people on earth, an estimated five million share a Leap Day birthday. They are known as leaplings.
February 29 is a leap day (or "leap year day")—an intercalary date added periodically to create leap years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the 60th day of a leap year in both Julian and Gregorian calendars, and 306 days remain until the end of the leap year.
Why will 2024 be a leap year? ›
To be a leap year, the year number must be divisible by four – except for end-of-century years, which must be divisible by 400. This means that the year 2000 was a leap year, although 1900 was not. 2024, 2028, 2032 and 2036 are all leap years.
Why is February so short? ›
Unfortunately, 12 times (any odd number) is always an even number. To make the number of days on the calendar add up to 365 in a year, there would have to be one month with an even number. February was chosen to have 28 days as this was when the Romans honoured their dead.
How do you verify a leap year? ›
Any year that is evenly divisible by 4 is a leap year: for example, 1988, 1992, and 1996 are leap years.
How does the government view leap year birthdays? ›
When it comes to legal documents, such as obtaining a passport or driver's license, the date February 29th is recognized as the official birthday for leaplings in most countries. However, some states in the U.S. allow the leapling to celebrate their birthday on either February 28th or March 1st on non-leap years.
How do you know whether 100 is a leap year or not? ›
A year in which is divisible by 4 and for century years it should be divisible by 400 not 100 then it is said to be leap year. For example 100 is not leap year even though it is divisible by 4 but as it is century year it should be divisible by 400.
How do you test for leap year 2100? ›
The rule is that a year is considered a leap year if it is divisible by four, except for years that are divisible by 100. However, if a year is divisible by 400, then it is still considered a leap year. For example, the year 2000 was a leap year, but the year 2100 will not be.
