SIP Calculator

A SIP calculator estimates what a monthly investment could grow into. You enter the amount you plan to invest each month, the return you expect per year and how long you will keep going, and it compounds those instalments to give a projected value at the end.

The arithmetic is exact, but the answer is only as good as the return you assume. A calculator applies the same rate every year, and markets do not work that way. A fund averaging 12% might return 30% one year and fall 15% the next. Treat the result as the middle of a range, not a forecast. That is why this calculator also shows the range around the answer.

For Indian equity mutual funds, 11% to 13% a year is a reasonable long-run assumption. Debt funds are usually modelled at 6% to 8%. Using 15% or more will produce a number that looks excellent and is unlikely to happen. If you are unsure, run the calculator twice, at 10% and at 13%, and plan against the lower one.

A step-up SIP increases your monthly instalment by a fixed percentage each year, usually in line with your salary. It matters more than most people expect: a 10% annual step-up on a ₹10,000 SIP over 20 years roughly doubles the final corpus compared with keeping the instalment flat, because the later, larger instalments still get years of compounding.

Most do not, which is why their answers feel larger than they are. ₹1 crore in 25 years buys roughly what ₹23 lakh buys today at 6% inflation. Use the 'In today's money' toggle above to convert the projection into present-day purchasing power before you decide whether the number is enough.

Yes. Gains on equity mutual fund units held longer than a year are long-term capital gains, taxed at 12.5% on the amount above the annual exemption of ₹1.25 lakh. Units held for a year or less are taxed at 20%. Because each SIP instalment buys units on a different date, each has its own holding period. The 'After tax' toggle shows an illustrative post-tax figure.

Neither is universally better. A SIP spreads your entry across many prices, which removes the risk of committing everything at a peak and makes it easier to keep investing through a fall. A lumpsum puts the whole amount to work immediately, which wins when markets rise steadily from the day you invest. If the money already exists, a lumpsum has historically won more often; if it arrives monthly from a salary, a SIP is the only option that fits.

At 12% a year, a ₹5,000 SIP run for 10 years projects to about ₹11.6 lakh, of which ₹6 lakh is your own money. Over 20 years the same instalment projects to roughly ₹50 lakh, and over 25 years to about ₹95 lakh. The table above covers the other common combinations.

It depends almost entirely on how long you have. At 12% a year you need roughly ₹43,000 a month to get there in 10 years, about ₹20,000 a month over 15 years, and about ₹10,000 a month over 20 years. Switch this calculator to goal mode and enter your target to see the exact figure for your horizon.

Most fund houses accept ₹500 a month, and several allow ₹100. The minimum is rarely the constraint that matters. What matters is picking an instalment you can keep paying through a bad year, because stopping during a fall is what actually damages long-run returns.

Yes. A SIP is an instruction, not a lock-in. You can pause it, change the amount or stop it entirely without penalty, and the units you already hold stay invested. Tax-saving ELSS funds are the exception: each instalment is locked for three years from its own purchase date.