diff --git a/cicecore/drivers/nuopc/cmeps/ice_comp_nuopc.F90 b/cicecore/drivers/nuopc/cmeps/ice_comp_nuopc.F90
index 4a4e22666..7f9e266c2 100644
--- a/cicecore/drivers/nuopc/cmeps/ice_comp_nuopc.F90
+++ b/cicecore/drivers/nuopc/cmeps/ice_comp_nuopc.F90
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ module ice_comp_nuopc
   use ice_calendar       , only : force_restart_now, write_ic
   use ice_calendar       , only : idate, idate0,  mday, mmonth, myear, year_init, month_init, day_init
   use ice_calendar       , only : msec, dt, calendar, calendar_type, nextsw_cday, istep
-  use ice_calendar       , only : ice_calendar_noleap, ice_calendar_gregorian
+  use ice_calendar       , only : ice_calendar_noleap, ice_calendar_gregorian, use_leap_years
   use ice_kinds_mod      , only : dbl_kind, int_kind, char_len, char_len_long
   use ice_fileunits      , only : nu_diag, nu_diag_set, inst_index, inst_name
   use ice_fileunits      , only : inst_suffix, release_all_fileunits, flush_fileunit
@@ -675,6 +675,10 @@ subroutine InitializeAdvertise(gcomp, importState, exportState, clock, rc)
     else
       if(mastertask) write(nu_diag,*) trim(subname)//'WARNING: pio_typename from driver needs to be set for netcdf output to work'
     end if
+    ! Set use_leap_years as some CICE calls use this instead of the calendar type
+    call ESMF_TimeGet( currTime, calkindflag=esmf_caltype, rc=rc )
+    if (ChkErr(rc,__LINE__,u_FILE_u)) return
+    if (esmf_caltype == ESMF_CALKIND_GREGORIAN) use_leap_years = .true.
 
 #else
 
diff --git a/cicecore/shared/ice_calendar.F90 b/cicecore/shared/ice_calendar.F90
index 955cdeb7b..17f18edb2 100644
--- a/cicecore/shared/ice_calendar.F90
+++ b/cicecore/shared/ice_calendar.F90
@@ -211,14 +211,7 @@ subroutine init_calendar
       nstreams = 0
 
 #ifdef CESMCOUPLED
-   ! calendar_type set by coupling
-   ! set use_leap_years for consistency
-   if (calendar_type == trim(ice_calendar_gregorian)) then
-      use_leap_years = .true.
-   else 
-      use_leap_years = .false.
-   endif
-
+      ! calendar_type set by coupling
 #else
       calendar_type = ''
       if (use_leap_years) then