Couple+What Is a Monthsary? Meaning and How to Count It
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A monthsary, also called a monthiversary, is the monthly version of an anniversary. It falls on the same day of each month as the day you got together, so together since 14 March means the 14th of every month. The only hard part is starting on the 29th, 30th or 31st, because some months do not have that date. The usual convention is to celebrate on the last day of any shorter month and go back to your real date the next month.
A monthsary is the day each month that matches the date you got together. Together since 14 March? Your monthsaries are 14 April, 14 May, 14 June, and the 14th of every month after that.
The word is a blend of month and anniversary, and it means the same thing as monthiversary. It is used most in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia, where marking each month of a relationship is a common and much-loved tradition, and it has travelled well beyond that through social media.
Most of the time a monthsary needs no calculation at all. The exception is the couple who got together near the end of a month, and that exception is what most of this page is about.
How to count a monthsary
For any start date from the 1st to the 28th, the rule is simple: the same day number, every month.
| Start date | 1st monthsary | 2nd | 3rd | 6th | 12th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 March | 14 April | 14 May | 14 June | 14 September | 14 March (first anniversary) |
| 2 November | 2 December | 2 January | 2 February | 2 May | 2 November (first anniversary) |
Every month has at least 28 days, so a date from the 1st to the 28th always exists. The 12th monthsary is your first anniversary, which is why most couples switch to counting years at that point.
Starting on the 29th, 30th or 31st
Here the calendar gets in the way. Not every month has a 29th, 30th or 31st:
- February has 28 days, or 29 in a leap year. The next leap Februaries are in 2028 and 2032.
- April, June, September and November have 30 days.
- Every other month has 31.
So a couple who got together on 31 January have no 31 February, no 31 April and no 31 June to celebrate on.
The usual convention: the last day of the short month
When the date does not exist, celebrate on the last day of that month. The next month, go back to your real date. A short month moves one monthsary, not all the ones after it.
Together since 31 January 2026:
| Monthsary | Date |
|---|---|
| 1st | 28 February 2026 |
| 2nd | 31 March 2026 |
| 3rd | 30 April 2026 |
| 4th | 31 May 2026 |
| 5th | 30 June 2026 |
| 6th | 31 July 2026 |
| 7th | 31 August 2026 |
| 8th | 30 September 2026 |
Together since 30 January 2026:
| Monthsary | Date |
|---|---|
| 1st | 28 February 2026 |
| 2nd | 30 March 2026 |
| 3rd | 30 April 2026 |
Together since 29 January 2027, the first monthsary is 28 February 2027, but a couple who started on 29 January 2028 get a real 29 February 2028, because 2028 is a leap year.
The other convention: the first day of the next month
Some couples would rather wait than celebrate early, and mark the short month on the 1st of the following month instead: 1 March rather than 28 February. It works, but it has a drawback worth knowing. In a month like March, you end up with two monthsaries a few weeks apart: one on 1 March for February and one on 31 March for March itself.
Pick one convention and keep it. Like the counting method for days together, it matters less which one you choose than that you both use the same one.
Monthsary or day count?
The two are different milestones, and it is common to mix them up.
- A monthsary follows the calendar: the 14th of each month.
- A day count follows the number: day 100, day 500, day 1,000.
Day 100 is not the third monthsary. For a couple together since 14 March, the third monthsary is 14 June, and day 100 (counting the first day as day 1) is 21 June. If you like marking both, put both in your calendar rather than working them out as they come.
How couples celebrate a monthsary
A monthsary is a small occasion by design. It happens twelve times a year, so the whole point is that it costs little and still gets noticed. Ideas that fit the scale:
- Write the month down. One short entry about what happened this month, in a place you both read. After a year it is twelve entries that tell the story of your first year.
- Repeat something small. The same café, the same dessert, the same walk. A tradition is more memorable than a surprise.
- Swap a question. Each of you answers something you have not asked before: what surprised you this month, what you want to do next month.
- Take the monthly photo. Same place, same pose, once a month. It is only interesting after twelve of them, which is exactly why it works.
- For long-distance couples, a video call at the same time each month, or a note timed to arrive on the day. See staying close as a long-distance couple.
What turns a monthsary sour is expecting a gift every month. If one of you wants to mark it and the other does not, talk about it early. It is a much easier conversation in month two than in month nine.
Remembering it
Twelve dates a year is enough to forget one. Put them somewhere you will both be reminded, not just in one person’s head. The guide to not forgetting anniversaries covers how to set that up.
Where Couple+ fits
Couple+ counts your monthsaries from the start date you set, and shows the next one coming. It keeps anniversaries, birthdays and trips in a couple calendar with countdowns you can both see, so the monthsary is not something only one of you is tracking. It is free on iPhone and Android.