How Many Days in February? 28 or 29 and the Leap Year Rule
How many days in February 2028? Twenty-nine, because 2028 is the next leap year after 2024. February 2026 and 2027 have 28 days.
Days in February 2028
- Days in February 2028 29 days in a leap year, 28 otherwise.
- 29 days
- In weeks
- 4 weeks and 1 day
- Weekdays (Monday to Friday) Public holidays are not deducted.
- 21 days
- Weekend days
- 8 days
- First day
- Tuesday, February 1
- Last day
- Tuesday, February 29
- Weekdays that occur five times The 1 day beyond 28 add a fifth, starting from the weekday of the 1st.
- Tuesday
- Count of each weekday
- Sun 4, Mon 4, Tue 5, Wed 4, Thu 4, Fri 4, Sat 4
- Is 2028 a leap year 2028 is divisible by 4 and is not a century year, so it is a leap year.
- Yes, 366 days
- Day of the year
- Days 32 to 60 of 366
- Days left in 2028 after February ends From March 1 to December 31 inclusive.
- 306 days
| Year | Days in February | Leap year | Starts on | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 29 | yes | Thursday | 21 |
| 2025 | 28 | no | Saturday | 20 |
| 2026 | 28 | no | Sunday | 20 |
| 2027 | 28 | no | Monday | 20 |
| 2028 | 29 | yes | Tuesday | 21 |
| 2029 | 28 | no | Thursday | 20 |
| 2030 | 28 | no | Friday | 20 |
| 2031 | 28 | no | Saturday | 20 |
| 2032 | 29 | yes | Sunday | 20 |
| 2033 | 28 | no | Tuesday | 20 |
| 2034 | 28 | no | Wednesday | 20 |
| 2035 | 28 | no | Thursday | 20 |
How the How Many Days in a Month works
February is the only month whose length depends on the year: 28 days normally, 29 in a leap year. The reason it is February, and not some other month, is historical: in the Roman calendar it was the last month of the year and the one that absorbed adjustments. The rule that decides which years get the extra day is modern and exact.
Under the Gregorian calendar a year is a leap year when:
1. it is divisible by 4, and 2. it is not divisible by 100, unless 3. it is also divisible by 400.
Applied in order: 2028 is divisible by 4 and not by 100, so it leaps. 2100 is divisible by 100 and not by 400, so it does not. 2000 is divisible by 400, so it does, which is why 2000 had a February 29 and 1900 did not. Over each 400-year cycle that gives 97 leap years rather than the 100 a plain every-fourth-year rule would produce.
The three missing leap days are the whole point. The solar year, the time from one March equinox to the next, is about 365.2422 days. The Julian calendar used 365.25, which is 11 minutes a year too long and had let the calendar drift about ten days by the sixteenth century. The Gregorian reform of 1582 removed ten days at once and introduced the century exception so the drift would not return; its 365.2425-day average year is off by about one day in three thousand years.
A 29-day February has one weekday that occurs five times: whichever day February 1 falls on. A 28-day February is exactly four weeks, so it has four of every weekday and always 20 weekdays, and in a common year February and March start on the same weekday. February 2026 began on a Sunday, so its 28 days ran from a Sunday to a Saturday and filled four calendar rows exactly.
People born on February 29 are leaplings. Which day they mark in common years is a matter of law and custom rather than arithmetic, and it differs by country for things like the date a person legally comes of age.
How Many Days in a Month FAQ
Is 2028 a leap year?
Yes. 2028 is divisible by 4 and is not a century year, so February 2028 has 29 days. 2026 and 2027 are common years with a 28-day February.
Why was 2000 a leap year but 1900 was not?
Century years are leap years only if they are divisible by 400. 2000 is (2000 / 400 = 5); 1900 is not. The next century year that will not be a leap year is 2100.
How often is there a February 29?
97 times every 400 years: every fourth year, except for three of every four century years. Between 1901 and 2099 it is every fourth year, because 2000 was the exception to the exception.
How many weekdays are in February?
Exactly 20 in a 28-day February, because four whole weeks contain four of each weekday. A 29-day February has 20 or 21, depending on whether February 29 falls on a weekday.