How to get get_categories()'s 'hide_empty' argument to work with global year var in the archive template?

Question

When I use get_categories() in the archive.php file, having hide_empty activated (true|1), and then sending a year value to the file. The hide_empty argument lost it's effect. Categories that doesn't have posts from the selected year shows anyway.

How do I get the categories to be hidden if it doesn't has posts connected from the selected year?

Edit: My code:

<?php
if (!empty($_GET['m']))
{
?>
<h2><?php echo _e('Categories'); ?></h2>
<ul>
    <?php
    foreach(get_categories('parent=0&hide_empty=1') as $category)
    {
        $my_query = new WP_Query('cat='.$category->term_id.'&year='.$_GET['m'].'&posts_per_page=-1');
        $count = $my_query->post_count;
    ?>
    <li><a class="name" href="?cat=<?=$category->term_id?>&year=<?=$_GET['m']?>"><?=$category->name?> (<?=$count?>)</a></li>

    <?php
    $cats = get_categories('parent='.$category->term_id.'&year='.$_GET['m'].'&hide_empty=1');

    if (count($cats))
    {
    ?>
    <ul>
    <?php
    foreach($cats as $category)
    {
        $my_query = new WP_Query('cat='.$category->term_id.'&year='.$_GET['m'].'&posts_per_page=-1');
        $count = $my_query->post_count;
    ?>
    <li><a class="name" href="?cat=<?=$category->term_id?>&year=<?=$_GET['m']?>"><?=$category->name?> (<?=$count?>)</a></li>
    <?php
    }
    ?>
    </ul>
    <?php
    }
    }
    ?>
</ul>
<?php
}
?>

Answer 1

Why not add an if statement to check whether $count > 0 before printing your <li> on line 13:

<?php if($count > 0): ?>
    <li><a class="name" href="?cat=<?=$category->term_id?>&year=<?=$_GET['m']?>"><?=$category->name?> (<?=$count?>)</a></li>
<?php endif; ?>