diff --git a/tests/integration_test_10_cdsapi_era5_reanalysis.py b/tests/integration_test_10_cdsapi_era5_reanalysis.py
index d2704d9..cfeca68 100644
--- a/tests/integration_test_10_cdsapi_era5_reanalysis.py
+++ b/tests/integration_test_10_cdsapi_era5_reanalysis.py
@@ -14,6 +14,16 @@
     "time": ["00:00", "12:00"],
 }
 
+REQUEST_YEARS = {
+    "dataset": "reanalysis-era5-single-levels",
+    "product_type": ["reanalysis"],
+    "variable": ["2m_temperature"],
+    "year": ["2021", "2022", "2023"],
+    "month": ["01"],
+    "day": ["01"],
+    "time": ["00:00", "12:00"],
+}
+
 
 def test_open_dataset() -> None:
     res = xr.open_dataset(REQUEST, engine="ecmwf")  # type: ignore
@@ -195,6 +205,53 @@ def test_cds_era5_big_slice_time_month() -> None:
     assert res.size == 1
 
 
+def test_compare_chunked_no_chunked_year() -> None:
+    ds = xr.open_dataset(
+        REQUEST,  # type: ignore
+        engine="ecmwf",
+        request_chunks={"year": 1},
+        chunks={},
+    )
+    da = ds.data_vars["t2m"]
+
+    res = da.sel(time=slice("2022-07-01", "2022-07-16")).mean().compute()
+
+    assert isinstance(res, xr.DataArray)
+    assert res.size == 1
+
+
+def test_compare_chunked_no_chunked_year_n() -> None:
+    # no year chunking
+    ds0 = xr.open_dataset(REQUEST_YEARS, engine="ecmwf", chunks={})  # type: ignore
+    assert ds0.chunks["time"] == (6,)
+    res0 = ds0.data_vars["t2m"].load()
+
+    # 1 year chunking
+    ds1 = xr.open_dataset(
+        REQUEST_YEARS,  # type: ignore
+        engine="ecmwf",
+        request_chunks={"year": 1},
+        chunks={},
+    )
+    assert ds1.chunks["time"] == (2, 2, 2)
+    res1 = ds1.data_vars["t2m"].load()
+
+    # 2 years chunking
+    ds2 = xr.open_dataset(
+        REQUEST_YEARS,  # type: ignore
+        engine="ecmwf",
+        request_chunks={"year": 2},
+        chunks={},
+    )
+    assert ds2.chunks["time"] == (4, 2)
+    res2 = ds2.data_vars["t2m"].load()
+
+    assert (res0 - res1).shape == res0.shape
+    assert (res0 == res1).all()
+    assert (res0 - res2).shape == res0.shape
+    assert (res0 == res2).all()
+
+
 def test_cds_era5_small_slice_time_longitute() -> None:
     ds = xr.open_dataset(
         REQUEST,  # type: ignore
diff --git a/tests/test_10_client_common.py b/tests/test_10_client_common.py
index a60c55d..07c80b7 100644
--- a/tests/test_10_client_common.py
+++ b/tests/test_10_client_common.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def test_build_chunk_ymd_requests(
         k: v
         for k, v in filter(
             lambda x: x[1], [("year", years), ("month", months), ("day", days)]
-        )
+        )  # why this filter if they are never empty?
     }
     request["time"] = ALL_TIMES
 
@@ -106,6 +106,99 @@ def test_build_chunk_ymd_requests(
         client_common.build_chunk_ymd_requests(request, request_chunks)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "years, months, days",
+    [
+        (["2022"], ALL_MONTHS, ALL_DAYS),
+        (["2020"], ALL_MONTHS, ALL_DAYS),  # leap year
+        (
+            [str(y) for y in range(2015, 2020)],
+            ALL_MONTHS,
+            ALL_DAYS,
+        ),  # consecutive years
+        (["2010", "2015", "2020"], ALL_MONTHS, ALL_DAYS),
+        (["2010", "2015", "2020"], ["01", "02", "09"], ALL_DAYS),
+        (["2010", "2015", "2020"], ["01", "02", "09"], ["01", "29", "30", "31"]),
+    ],
+)
+def test_build_chunk_ymd_year_requests(
+    years: list[str], months: list[str], days: list[str]
+) -> None:
+    request_chunks = {"year": 1}
+    request = {
+        "year": years,
+        "month": months,
+        "day": days,
+        "time": ALL_TIMES,
+    }
+
+    (
+        time,
+        time_chunk,
+        time_chunk_requests,
+    ) = client_common.build_chunk_ymd_requests(request, request_chunks)
+    total_days = 0
+    for year, month, day in itertools.product(
+        map(int, request["year"]),
+        map(int, request["month"]),
+        map(int, request["day"]),
+    ):
+        if day <= calendar.monthrange(year, month)[1]:
+            total_days += 1
+
+    assert len(time) == 24 * total_days  # 24h default value
+    assert len(time_chunk_requests) == len(years)
+    assert isinstance(time_chunk, tuple)
+    assert sum(time_chunk) == len(time)
+
+    offset = 0
+    for (start, chunk_request), year_str, size in zip(
+        time_chunk_requests, years, time_chunk
+    ):
+        assert start == offset
+        assert chunk_request == {"year": [year_str]}
+        offset += size
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "year_chunk, expected_year_groups",
+    [
+        (1, [["2015"], ["2016"], ["2017"]]),
+        (2, [["2015", "2016"], ["2017"]]),  # leftover chunk
+        (5, [["2015", "2016", "2017"]]),  # N larger than n years
+    ],
+)
+def test_build_chunk_ymd_year_requests_groups_years(
+    year_chunk: int, expected_year_groups: list[list[str]]
+) -> None:
+    request = {
+        "year": ["2015", "2016", "2017"],
+        "month": ["01"],
+        "day": ["01"],
+        "time": ["00:00"],
+    }  # one time stamp per year
+    request_chunks = {"year": year_chunk}
+    time, time_chunk, time_chunk_requests = client_common.build_chunk_ymd_requests(
+        request, request_chunks
+    )
+    assert len(time) == 3
+    assert [chunk_request["year"] for _, chunk_request in time_chunk_requests] == (
+        expected_year_groups
+    )
+    assert time_chunk == tuple(len(group) for group in expected_year_groups)
+
+
+def test_build_chunk_ymd_year_requests_invalid() -> None:
+    request = {
+        "year": ["2022"],
+        "month": ["01"],
+        "day": ["01"],
+        "time": ["00:00"],
+    }
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        client_common.build_chunk_ymd_requests(request, {"year": 0})
+
+
 def test_build_chunk_request() -> None:
     coord, chunk, chunk_request = client_common.build_chunks_header_requests(
         dim="x",
diff --git a/xarray_ecmwf/client_common.py b/xarray_ecmwf/client_common.py
index 99ca461..37519c0 100644
--- a/xarray_ecmwf/client_common.py
+++ b/xarray_ecmwf/client_common.py
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ def build_chunk_ymd_month_requests(
     list[tuple[int, dict[str, Any]]],
 ]:
     if request_chunks["month"] != 1:
-        raise ValueError("split on day values != 1 not supported")
+        raise ValueError("split on month values != 1 not supported")
 
     datetimes: list[np.datetime64] = []
     chunk_requests = []
@@ -189,12 +189,14 @@ def build_chunk_ymd_requests(
 
     assert len(time_chunk_keys) == 1
     time_chunk_key = time_chunk_keys[0]
-    assert time_chunk_key in set(["day", "month"])
+    assert time_chunk_key in set(["day", "month", "year"])  # this check is redundant
 
     if time_chunk_key == "month":
         out = build_chunk_ymd_month_requests(request, request_chunks)
     elif time_chunk_key == "day":
         out = build_chunk_ymd_day_requests(request, request_chunks)
+    elif time_chunk_key == "year":
+        out = build_chunk_ymd_year_requests(request, request_chunks)
     return out
 
 
@@ -230,6 +232,47 @@ def build_chunk_ymd_day_requests(
     return np.array(times), len(request["time"]), chunk_requests
 
 
+def build_chunk_ymd_year_requests(
+    request: dict[str, Any], request_chunks: dict[str, int]
+) -> tuple[
+    np.typing.NDArray[np.datetime64],
+    int | tuple[int, ...],
+    list[tuple[int, dict[str, Any]]],
+]:
+    year_chunk_size = request_chunks["year"]
+    if year_chunk_size < 1:
+        raise ValueError("split on year values < 1 not supported")
+
+    datetimes: list[np.datetime64] = []
+    chunk_requests: list[tuple[int, dict[str, Any]]] = []
+    chunks: list[int] = []
+    years = request["year"]
+    istart = 0
+    while istart < len(years):
+        istop = min(istart + year_chunk_size, len(years))
+        year_values = years[istart:istop]
+        start = len(datetimes)
+        chunk = 0
+        for year in year_values:
+            assert len(year) == 4
+            for month in request["month"]:
+                assert len(month) == 2
+                ndays = calendar.monthrange(int(year), int(month))[1]
+                for day in request["day"]:
+                    assert len(day) == 2
+                    if int(day) > ndays:
+                        break
+                    for time in request["time"]:
+                        assert len(time) == 5
+                        chunk += 1
+                        datetime = np.datetime64(f"{year}-{month}-{day}T{time}", "ns")
+                        datetimes.append(datetime)
+        chunks.append(chunk)
+        chunk_requests.append((start, {"year": year_values}))
+        istart += year_chunk_size
+    return np.array(datetimes), tuple(chunks), chunk_requests
+
+
 def build_time_chunk_requests(
     request: dict[str, Any], request_chunks: dict[str, int], sep: str = "/"
 ) -> tuple[