What makes a year a leap year?

A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4, except for century years, which must be divisible by 400. So 2024 and 2028 are leap years, 1900 was not, and 2000 was.

Why do leap years exist?

A tropical year is about 365.2422 days long. Adding an extra day every four years keeps the calendar aligned with the seasons; the century rule fine-tunes the correction.

No. 2026 is not divisible by 4, so it is a common year with 365 days. The next leap year is 2028.

Leap Year Calculator

Check if any year is a leap year — and see the previous and next leap years.

year

2026 is not a leap year

Days in year

365

February 29

Previous leap year

2024

Next leap year

2028

2026 is not a leap year because it is not divisible by 4.

Upcoming leap years

About this leap year calculator

A leap year has 366 days instead of 365, with an extra day — February 29 — added to keep the calendar in step with Earth's orbit. Enter any year to find out whether it is a leap year and why, using the Gregorian rule: divisible by 4, except century years, which must be divisible by 400. Related reading: leap years explained, date calculator, day of the week, age calculator.