Like every four years, this year is made up of 366 days.
This leap year gives us an extra day compared to other years, with February 29 making its appearance in our calendar.
If 2024 is longer thanks to this added day, it also means that we work one more day in this month of February, but do we get paid more for that?
The answer is no.
At least, not for most workers who are affected by monthly payments and therefore for whom the pay slip remains the same.
Indeed, the gross monthly salary is very often fixed contractually and remains the same regardless of the number of days in the month or even the number of days worked.
The Ministry of Labor explains that this principle of monthly payment is in place “in order to neutralize the consequences of the unequal distribution of days between the 12 months of the year”.
In this case, “the labor code provides for the payment each month of remuneration determined independently of the number of days in the month.
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People paid by the hour get paid more
On this type of contract, a full-time employee working in a company which applies the legal weekly working time of 35 hours is paid on a monthly basis of 151.6 hours calculated as follows: 35 hours x 52 weeks/12 month.
On the other hand, the situation is different for people paid by the hour.
The latter have seen or will see the amount of their pay slip higher than in an ordinary month of February, because they will have - logically - worked more hours in 29 days than in the usual 28 days.
If employees who benefit from the monthly payment may therefore have the impression of working an extra day for free, they must be reminded that the month of February is the most remunerative.
Leap year or not, it remains the month of the year with the fewest days and therefore where the fewest hours are worked, but allows you to have the same salary as the other months of the year.