How to Set a Yearly Reminder on iPhone

Car insurance renews every March. The boiler wants a service every autumn. Mum's birthday is on the 12th, every year, whether or not you remember on the 11th.

Quick answer: Set the reminder once and repeat it yearly. In Remi you can do that on an exact date, like a birthday, or for a whole month, like "car insurance, sometime in March", so you get the reminder early enough to shop around.

Two kinds of yearly reminder

A birthday or anniversary is a fixed day. A renewal or an annual check-up is more of a season: you want to be thinking about it during that month, not the evening before. Remi does both. Repeats are part of Premium.

Exact date, every year (birthdays, anniversaries)

Tap + and type it, for example "Mum's birthday".
Set When to Exact, pick the date and the time you want the notification.
Open Repeat, choose Custom and set it to every 12 months.

Tip: set the time a day or two early in a separate reminder if you need to buy a present.

A month, every year (renewals, services, check-ups)

Tap + and type it, for example "Car insurance renewal".
Set When to Anytime, or Early, Mid or Late, and pick the month.
Open Repeat and choose Every year. Or Custom, for every 2 or 3 years.

Remi yearly view showing all twelve months of 2027 with reminder days highlighted in green — The Yearly view: every month at once, so renewals stop being surprises.

Planning further than a year out

The free version of Remi covers the next twelve months. Premium removes that limit, which matters for things like a passport that expires in three years or a car service every two years.

Questions

How do I set a birthday reminder that repeats every year?

In Remi, create an exact-date reminder on the birthday, then set Repeat to Custom, every 12 months. In the built-in Reminders app, set the date and pick a yearly repeat.

Can I get a yearly reminder for a month instead of a specific day?

Yes, in Remi. Pick Anytime (or Early, Mid or Late) of the month and set Repeat to Every year. It suits renewals and annual check-ups that happen around a time rather than on a day.

Updated 2026-10-01. Written by Emils Ozols, who makes Remi.