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It really depends on how quickly ice builds up in your case. In my freezer, a thick layer accumulates pretty fast because the humidity in my kitchen is just naturally high. Some people only need to defrost once or twice a year, others have to do it more often. A good sign is when the ice layer gets to about one or two centimeters thick - then it's time. If it gets thicker, your fridge also uses more electricity because it has to work harder to stay cold.
The most practical approach is just to check when it's necessary instead of following a fixed schedule. For me, that usually happens more often during the more humid months. If your freezer starts taking up noticeably less space or the door won't close properly anymore, that's a sign you need to get rid of a thick ice layer. It doesn't even take long - just unplug it, put your food in a cooler, wait for the ice to melt on its own (or help it along with warm water if needed), and then put everything back.
The modern fridges with automatic defrost functions take care of it themselves, thankfully, so you don't have to worry about it at all. If you've got one of those older models, the whole thing is still worth doing though, because your fridge runs more efficiently afterward and uses less energy.
The best solution is to have a freezer with automatic defrost - then you barely have to think about it yourself. With manual appliances, you should defrost once the ice layer gets thick enough that it noticeably takes up space or the door becomes hard to close, so somewhere between every two weeks and every two months depending on how often you open it. A frequently overlooked problem: if you wait too long and the ice really builds up, water can seep into the insulation during defrosting and cause damage - so it's better to defrost more often with smaller amounts than to deal with a real ice mountain once every quarter.
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