The annual bills checklist
59 yearly and irregular costs, grouped by how many people have them
Monthly bills look after themselves — they arrive, they get paid, the amount is familiar. The ones that hurt are the bills that come round once a year or once in a while, because nothing about your normal month prepares you for them.
This is the full list Annualiser works from: 59 annual and irregular costs UK households actually have, grouped and ordered by how many people have them. Forty-eight are bills. Eleven are replacement funds — a car, a phone, a boiler — where nothing arrives in the post but the money is needed all the same.
Everything here is either paid as a lump sum or arrives once a year. Anything on a monthly direct debit — gas and electricity, broadband, childcare — is deliberately absent: it is already spread across the year, so there is nothing to spread. Those belong in the full budget, not on this list.
Use it as a prompt rather than a shopping list. Most people find three or four things they had forgotten were coming, and every one of them is cheaper found now than found three weeks before it is due.
Energy
- Heating oilReview order 1–2 months before you run low — oil is dearest midwinter
Car
- Car insuranceReview 21–26 days before renewal
- Car repairs & tyres
- Car service
- Vehicle taxReview at renewal
- MOT
- Breakdown coverReview at renewal — compare annually
- Car warrantyReview 30–60 days before expiry
- Parking permitReview before the current permit expires
- Windscreen repair
- Car replacement / depreciationreplacement fund
- Bike / e-bike replacementreplacement fund
Home
- Home insuranceReview 15–25 days before renewal
- Home maintenance / repairs
- Leasehold service charge / major works
- Boiler service
- Boiler / heating repairs
- Appliance repairs / replacementreplacement fund
- Gutter cleaning
- Chimney sweep
- Pest control
- TV licenceReview at annual renewal
- Boiler replacementreplacement fund
- Furniture replacement (sofa, beds…)replacement fund
- Mattress replacementreplacement fund
Holidays & travel
- Holiday
- FlightsReview 3–6 months ahead
- AccommodationReview 2–6 months ahead
- Travel insuranceReview when you book the trip
- Car hireReview 1–3 months ahead
- Airport parking / transfersReview 2–8 weeks ahead
- PassportReview before your next trip, or before it expires
- Luggage replacementreplacement fund
Gifts & occasions
- Xmas
- Birthdays
- Weddings
- Other gifts / occasions
Family
- School uniformReview before the new school year
- Baby equipment / replacementreplacement fund
- Children's gifts
- School / nursery supplies
Pets
- Pet insuranceReview 21–26 days before renewal
- Vet treatment
- Pet vaccinations
- Pet boarding / sitter
- Dental treatment
- Flea / worming treatment
Technology & subscriptions
- Phone replacementreplacement fund
- Laptop / computer replacementreplacement fund
- Software subscriptionsReview before the annual renewal
- Streaming subscriptionsReview before the annual renewal
- Cloud storageReview before the annual renewal
- Antivirus / securityReview before the annual renewal
- TV / home entertainment replacementreplacement fund
Personal
- Dental
- Glasses / contact lenses
- Gym / sports membershipsReview at renewal
- Professional membershipsReview about a month before renewal
Anything else
- Ad hoc / one-off cost
When to start shopping around
Annual bills are the ones worth shopping around for, and for several of them the timing is worth real money — insurers price a customer buying weeks ahead of renewal differently from one buying on the day. These are the lead times Annualiser counts back from each due date to tell you when the window opens.
| Bill | Start looking |
|---|---|
| Heating oil | Order 1–2 months before you run low — oil is dearest midwinter |
| Car insurance | 21–26 days before renewal |
| Vehicle tax | At renewal |
| Breakdown cover | At renewal — compare annually |
| Car warranty | 30–60 days before expiry |
| Parking permit | Before the current permit expires |
| Home insurance | 15–25 days before renewal |
| TV licence | At annual renewal |
| Flights | 3–6 months ahead |
| Accommodation | 2–6 months ahead |
| Travel insurance | When you book the trip |
| Car hire | 1–3 months ahead |
| Airport parking / transfers | 2–8 weeks ahead |
| Passport | Before your next trip, or before it expires |
| School uniform | Before the new school year |
| Pet insurance | 21–26 days before renewal |
| Software subscriptions | Before the annual renewal |
| Streaming subscriptions | Before the annual renewal |
| Cloud storage | Before the annual renewal |
| Antivirus / security | Before the annual renewal |
| Gym / sports memberships | At renewal |
| Professional memberships | About a month before renewal |
The 11 things that aren’t bills
Replacement funds are not bills. Nothing arrives, nothing renews, and there is nothing to shop around for — you are saving toward the cost of the next one before the current one gives up. Enter roughly what the replacement costs and roughly when you expect to need it, and it spreads exactly like a bill.
Turn the list into one monthly number
Pick the ones that apply to you, add what each costs and when it lands, and Annualiser works out what to put aside each month for the lot.
Get started — it’s freeOr read how the monthly figure is worked out.