Leap day: what about holiday pay and benefits?

2020 is a leap year. The year lasts 366 days instead of 365 days. So we have an extra day on Saturday, February 29, 2020.

Monthly wage

Are employees (with a monthly wage) entitled to extra salary if they work on 29 February? The answer to this question is no. The leap day for these employees is included in the monthly wage. After all, the wage does not depend on the number of days the month lasts. The monthly wage is always the same regardless of whether month 28, 29, 30 or 31 days lasts.

Flexible employees

The foregoing is of course not the case for on-call employes, temporary workers or other employees who work per day or per hour. They have an advantage with this extra day. If an on-call employee is called up for work on 29 February, the employer will simply have to pay the wages for that day.

Surcharges

Surcharges that depend on whether or not they work on a leap day (such as overtime bonus) must be paid.

Vacation

If an employee has a day off on February 29, this simply counts as a day off. This day can be deducted from the holiday balance.