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Leap Year Checker

Enter any year to instantly check if it's a leap year and see why.

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What this calculator does

A leap year adds one extra day — February 29 — to keep our calendar aligned with Earth's orbit around the sun. This online tool applies the standard Gregorian calendar rule to any year you enter and explains exactly which divisibility test decided the result.

Worked example

Take the year 2026. It is not divisible by 4 (2026 ÷ 4 = 506.5), so 2026 is nota leap year. By contrast, 2028 is divisible by 4 and not a century year, so it isa leap year.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming every 4th year is automatically a leap year. Century years like 1900 break this pattern — 1900 is divisible by 4 but was not a leap year because it isn't divisible by 400.
  • Forgetting the year 2000 exception. 2000 is divisible by 400, so it was a leap year despite being a century year — a common point of confusion.
  • Mixing up the Julian and Gregorian rules. The older Julian calendar treated every 4th year as a leap year with no century exception — almost all modern countries now use the Gregorian rule.

Frequently asked questions

What is the rule for leap years?+

A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4, except for century years (divisible by 100), which are only leap years if they are also divisible by 400. This is the Gregorian calendar rule used almost worldwide today.

Why isn't every year divisible by 4 a leap year?+

A solar year is approximately 365.2425 days, not exactly 365.25. Adding a leap day every 4 years overcorrects slightly, so the calendar skips 3 leap days every 400 years by excluding century years not divisible by 400 (like 1700, 1800, 1900) from being leap years.

Was the year 2000 a leap year?+

Yes. Although 2000 is a century year, it is divisible by 400, so it was a leap year — one of the rare exceptions to the "century years aren't leap years" rule.

When is the next leap year?+

Leap years occur every 4 years on the standard cycle (2024, 2028, 2032...), except centuries not divisible by 400. Enter any year above to check it instantly.

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