Leap Year Checker

Check whether any year is a leap year in the Gregorian calendar. Free and private, right in your browser.

Type in any year and instantly find out if it's a leap year (366 days, with February 29) or a common year - handy for building calendars, checking someone's real birthday count, or settling a Feb 29 debate.

How to use it

  1. Enter a year
  2. Hit check (or just watch it update)
  3. See if it's a leap year and why

Frequently asked questions

What's the actual rule for leap years?
A year is a leap year if it's divisible by 4 - except century years (like 1900), which are only leap years if divisible by 400. That's why 2000 was a leap year but 1900 wasn't, and 2100 won't be either.
Why isn't every 4th year a leap year?
A solar year is about 365.2422 days, not exactly 365.25, so adding a leap day every 4 years overcorrects slightly. Skipping the leap day in century years not divisible by 400 (1700, 1800, 1900, 2100...) keeps the calendar aligned over centuries.
Does this work for years like 1 BC or negative years?
Enter any calendar year as a positive number for AD/CE years - the tool applies the standard Gregorian rule. Historical years before 1582 (when the Gregorian calendar was adopted) technically followed the Julian calendar's simpler every-4-years rule instead.