Leap year work, pay and holiday explained – check if YOU get paid an extra day today

WORKERS will want to know if the leap year has any impact on their shifts, pay and holiday entitlement.

This year, February 29 falls today, meaning there will be 254 working weekday days, rather than the 253 that we are used to.

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For many workers, this will mean an additional day’s grind without any reward, but some employees could get more pay and even more holiday.

We spoke to Jayne Harrison, head of employment law at Richard Nelson LLP, to find out what your working rights are this leap year.

Here’s everything you need to know.

I’m a salaried employee – what does it mean for me?

Unfortunately, if you work full time for an annual salary you’ll have to work the extra day for nothing.

Jayne said: “For salaried employees 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. “

“As a result, the extra leap year day will have already been factored into their overall annual earnings.”

Some workers may have a clause in their contract that says they are entitled to additional pay in a leap year, but Jayne says this is pretty unlikely.

It could be worth checking over your contract again, or speaking to your HR department if you’re not sure.

If you’re on a very low income there’s also a possibility that the extra day could tip you below the minimum wage.

While the minimum wage is paid hourly, if your annual salary is based on this and if the extra day hasn’t been factored in, you could be underpaid.

It’s illegal to pay UK workers less than minimum wage, so in this case your employer would have to make up the shortfall.

I’m a shift worker – what does it mean for me?

Jayne said how you’re paid this leap year will very much depend on if you’re paid by the hour, weekly or daily.

Jayne said: “If an employee earns an hourly wage and works an extra eight hours on February 29, they will be entitled to receive an extra eight hours of pay.

“Put simply, additional work equates to additional pay.”

However, she noted employees will need to check their shift pattern and pay period.

She added: “So, if an hourly paid employee is paid weekly, they will not get extra pay because their pay period has not changed; they are still working the same hours in that week.”

“If the number of days in the pay period has increased though, because they are paid monthly, then employees should see an increase in pay so working because they are working 21 days instead of 20.”

What are my leap year holiday rights?

If you’re a shift worker, or on a zero-hours contract, the extra day worked should also count towards your holiday accrual – so you can use it to build up your total allowance.

But for an employee, it doesn’t mean you’ll get an extra day’s holiday allowance.

Jayne said: “An employee can ask their employer to have February 29 off work and this request would be treated like any other holiday requested.

“There is no legal entitlement to have February 29 off as paid leave without it being deducted from the employee’s holiday entitlement.”

Meanwhile, we explain how the leap year will affect your Universal Credit payments.

Plus, The Sun has revealed the exact code to spot if you’ll get your benefits paid early this month.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk