February 2024 is longer than usual. There is a Thursday 29th, because it is a leap year. For many, it's a work day. Does this mean that we will earn more or less money than usual?
In 2024, February 29 slips into the calendar. It's a leap year, a calendar quirk linked to the movement of the Earth. To compensate for a discrepancy between the usual 365-day calendar and the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun, leap years were invented. This year, the extra day falls on a Thursday, which is a working day for many working people.
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If some employees may be sad to work one more day in 2024, others perhaps see it as a hope, that of being paid more than usual. However, if you have already received your pay slip, you have probably noticed that you did not receive more money despite the extra day of work in February. No, the accounting department certainly did not make a mistake and did not “forget” to count a day of work.
February 29 or not, the salary is monthly
In France, employees do have an hourly rate, that is to say an amount received for one hour of work. However, when you sign an employment contract, the remuneration is monthly. This means that the salary is paid monthly, “ regardless of the number of days in the month and the number of days worked “, indicates the Digital Labor Code.
“ The hourly rate is given as an indication. We refer to the Labor Code for payment terms. », adds the lawyer. This fact is actually detailed in article L3242-1 of the Labor Code: “ Employee remuneration is monthly and independent, for a specific effective working schedule, number of days worked in the month. The monthly payment neutralizes the consequences of the unequal distribution of days between the twelve months of the year. »
This principle has applied since monthly payments were enshrined in law, which happened January 19, 1978. “ The Labor Code then anticipated the possible demands of employees concerning the number of days differentiated according to the monthrecalls Maître Tiphaine Vibert. Previously, it was less clear, it could be monthly or not. »
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Thus, employees receive an identical salary each month (unless their salary itself changes, due to an increase for example), even if some months have 30 days and others 31. February does not no exception, that it lasts only 28 days or, more rarely, 29 days during leap years.
Finally, the monthly payment may even seem advantageous: there are fewer days worked in February than the rest of the months of the year, but we receive the same salary as in the other months. But, in fact, during leap years, some people may consider that they work an extra day “for nothing”, compared to non-leap years.
Some workers will be paid more during a leap year
However, not all workers are affected by monthly payments. Are so excluded homeworkers, seasonal workers, intermittent workers and temporary workers. “ Under certain conditions, these people can benefit from greater remuneration in February if there are 29 days », Indicates Maître Tiphaine Vibert.
Since their remuneration is not subject to the principle of monthly payment, these people can therefore be paid more in February 2024. But, on the condition that February 29 is a work day.