When Is the Next Leap Year? 2028 Date & Rules Explained

Next leap year: 2028 · Last leap year: 2024 · Frequency: Every 4 years · Leap day 2028: Tuesday, February 29 · Current year (2026): Not a leap year

Six key facts, one pattern: the Gregorian rule is simple but has a century-year twist that catches many people off guard.

Is 2026 a leap year or not?

No, 2026 is definitely not a leap year. The test is straightforward: a year is a leap year if it is evenly divisible by 4. Since 2026 divided by 4 equals 506.5, it fails the first check — no need to even look at century rules (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference)).

Why 2026 is not a leap year

• 2026 ÷ 4 = 506.5 — not a whole number.
• February 2026 will have 28 days, just like February 2027 (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference)).
• The last leap year was 2024, so the next one won’t come until 2028.

The implication: For anyone tracking calendar milestones, the next opportunity for a February 29 celebration is still two years away.

Is 2028 a leap year or not?

Yes, 2028 is a leap year. It passes the divisibility test cleanly: 2028 ÷ 4 = 507. And since 2028 is not a century year (not ending in 00), no exception applies (National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian institution)).

Leap year calendar for 2028

• 2028 has 366 days.
• February 2028 will have 29 days instead of 28 (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference)).
• Leap day falls on Tuesday, February 29, 2028.

When is the next leap day?

The next leap day is Tuesday, February 29, 2028 — confirmed by multiple calendar sources (Timeanddate.com (global time authority)). After that, the following leap day will be February 29, 2032.

What this means: The extra day will push all subsequent dates in 2028 one day later in the week compared to 2027.

How often is a leap year?

Leap years occur every four years — but with one important exception. The rule works as a three-step filter.

The rule of divisibility by 4

If a year is divisible by 4, it’s normally a leap year. That’s the basic pattern used by most people (National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian institution)).

Century year exception

Century years (ending in 00) are leap years only if they are divisible by 400. For example, 2000 was a leap year because 2000 ÷ 400 = 5. But 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years. The next century year to be skipped is 2100 (National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian institution)).

The pattern: Century-year exceptions are rare but can disrupt long-range calendar planning.

What is a leap year?

A leap year is a year with 366 days instead of the usual 365. The extra day — February 29 — is inserted to keep the calendar in sync with the astronomical year, which is about 365.2422 days long (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

Definition of leap year

Leap years are defined by the Gregorian calendar, the civil calendar used by most of the world. Without leap years, the calendar would drift about 24 days every century (National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian institution)).

Purpose of adding February 29

Adding a day to February realigns the calendar with Earth’s orbit. The tradition of February 29 dates back to the Julian calendar and was refined under the Gregorian reform of 1582 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

The catch: Even the Gregorian rule isn’t perfect — small drifts accumulate over centuries.

Timeline: Upcoming leap years

Six upcoming events, one pattern: leap years arrive like clockwork every fourth year with no century-year exception until 2100.

• 2024 — Last leap year (February 29, 2024) (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference))
• 2026 — Not a leap year (365 days) (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference))
• 2028 — Next leap year (February 29, 2028) (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference))
• 2032 — Following leap year (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference))
• 2036 — Following leap year (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference))
• 2040 — Following leap year (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference))

Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

• 2028 is the next leap year (Farmers’ Almanac (established calendar reference)).
• 2026 is not a leap year (EarthSky (science communication platform)).
• Leap years follow divisibility by 4 with a century exception (National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian institution)).
• Leap day in 2028 is Tuesday, February 29 (Timeanddate.com (global time authority)).
• The next century year to skip is 2100 (National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian institution)).

What’s unclear

• The exact date of the first leap year ever observed is debated among historians (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
• Leap seconds are irregular and their future is uncertain, possibly discontinued (Wikipedia (leap second article)).
• Whether the Gregorian calendar will be adjusted in the future is uncertain.
• The exact timing of future leap seconds beyond 2025 is not fixed.
• Some historical records of early leap years are inconsistent.

Expert perspectives

“The next leap year is 2028. Leap Day that year will be observed on Tuesday, Feb. 29.”

— Timeanddate.com (global time authority)

“The last leap year was 2024. So 2028 will be our next leap year.”

— EarthSky (science communication platform)

For anyone who needs to plan ahead, the leap-year schedule is reliable for decades. The real question is what you’ll do with that extra day in 2028 — because skipping it isn’t an option.

If you’re curious about when February 29 next appears, you can read more about the next leap year in 2028 and the rules that govern the calendar.

Frequently asked questions