877-341-5728
Leap Day 2012 and Home Insurance
2012 is Leap Year. But many of us are unclear about why we have Leap Year. What’s the purpose of adding an extra day to February (an already short month) every 4 years? And if I write my home insurance policy on Leap Day, how does that work when I have to renew?
February 29th, also known as leap day, is a date that only comes every four years. Leap day is added to the calendar in leap years to keep our alignment with Earth’s orbit around the sun. And of all people, who do you think introduced the concept of (later corrected) Leap Years? Julius Caesar! 
Here’s the math: It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days (a tropical year) to orbit around the sun. Since the calendar has only 365 days in a year, we must add a day on (February 29) nearly every 4 years to balance it out. That’s where that .242199 comes in. Otherwise, we would lose approximately six hours off our calendar every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days!
In relation to your home insurance, you may wonder if it is okay to write an insurance policy with an effective date of February 29. The answer is YES! Our home insurance system has the logic to handle new business written on leap day. The policies with an effective date of February 29th will renew on February 28th in the following year. So enjoy that time and write that home insurance policy- and when we always say “I wish I had another day” this year, you actually do!
