So once every four years we have an extra day in the calendar, the 29th of February. As 2024 is a leap year with 366 days, rather than 365, this means that employees will work one more day than usual in February — but do you pay employees more in a leap year?
In answer to this question, much will depend on whether you pay workers an hourly rate or a set annual salary. For those on an hourly rate, these workers are entitled to be paid for all of the time that they actually work. This means that if they have worked an extra day, so if they work a shift on 29th February 2024 (which falls on a Thursday), you will be obliged to pay them for that extra time, unless the 29th falls on a day they would be working in any event, in which case you will pay them as usual. However, if someone earns an hourly wage and works an extra 8 hours on 29th February due to the leap year, they will be entitled to receive an extra 8 hours of pay. Put simply, additional work equates to additional pay.
In contrast, for salaried staff who receive the same basic pay for every month or pay period worked, they will not be entitled to any extra pay for working an additional day this year. This is because they are paid a set salary for the whole year, where that salary is paid at regular payment intervals, regardless of how many days there are in each month. This means that the extra leap-year day will have already been factored into their overall annual earnings. As such, except in the unlikely event that their employment contract provides for additional pay in a leap year, you will not be required to pay a salaried worker any extra.
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