SIP Calculator

Enter the monthly SIP, the return you expect, the number of years and, if you plan to raise the SIP every year, the step-up percentage. The table shows the invested amount and the projected value at the end of each year.

How to use the SIP calculator

1. Monthly investment: your SIP amount. Most mutual funds accept SIPs from ₹500 or even ₹100 a month.
2. Expected return: the average yearly return you want to test. The default is 12%. Try a few values instead of relying on one.
3. Investment period: the number of years you plan to keep the SIP running, up to 40.
4. Yearly step-up: the percentage by which you raise the SIP each year. Leave it at 0% for a flat SIP. Many fund houses let you set an automatic top-up when you register the SIP.

The result shows the estimated value, the total amount invested and the estimated gains. The year-by-year table shows the SIP in each year, the total invested so far, the projected value and the gains.

How the projection is calculated

The calculator adds your SIP at the start of each month and grows the balance by one month of return (the yearly rate divided by 12). It repeats this for every month. With a step-up, the SIP rises by the chosen percentage at the start of each new year.

With the defaults, ₹10,000 a month at 12% for 10 years:

• Total invested: ₹12,00,000
• Estimated value: about ₹23.23 lakh
• Estimated gains: about ₹11.23 lakh

Most of the gains come late. After five years the value is about ₹8.25 lakh, with ₹2.25 lakh of gains. In the next five years the gains grow by about ₹9 lakh. The first SIP instalment compounds for 120 months, the last for one month, and the larger the balance, the more each month’s return adds.

Why the length of the SIP matters most

The same ₹10,000 a month at 12%:

Years	Invested	Estimated value	Gains
10	₹12 lakh	₹23.23 lakh	₹11.23 lakh
20	₹24 lakh	₹99.91 lakh	₹75.91 lakh
30	₹36 lakh	₹3.53 crore	₹3.17 crore

Doubling the period from 10 to 20 years more than quadruples the value. At 30 years, gains are almost nine times what you put in. Someone who starts a ₹5,000 SIP at 25 and continues it for 25 years ends with about ₹94.9 lakh at 12%, from ₹15 lakh invested. Starting early matters more than starting big.

Choosing a return rate

The return is the input that matters most and the one nobody controls. Points to keep in mind:

• Indian equity indices have delivered double-digit average returns over long periods, but with deep falls along the way, such as in 2008 and 2020. Ten-year returns from equity funds have varied widely depending on the start date.
• Debt funds return less and fluctuate less. Hybrid funds sit in between.
• Expense ratios reduce your return. Direct plans have lower expense ratios than regular plans, often by 0.5% to 1% a year, which adds up over decades.
• Inflation reduces what the money will buy. For the value in today’s rupees, enter the return minus expected inflation, for example 12% minus 6%, so 6%.

Run the calculator at 10%, 12% and 14% to see a range. On ₹10,000 a month for 10 years, that gives about ₹20.66 lakh, ₹23.23 lakh and ₹26.21 lakh. Plan around the lower figure.

What a step-up does

Raising the SIP every year in line with your salary has a large effect. With a 10% yearly step-up, ₹10,000 a month at 12% for 10 years grows to about ₹33.74 lakh instead of ₹23.23 lakh. You invest ₹19.12 lakh instead of ₹12 lakh, and the extra contributions also have years to grow. Over 20 years, the same step-up takes the value to about ₹1.99 crore against ₹99.91 lakh without it.

A step-up that matches your raises is easy to sustain, because the SIP never takes a bigger share of your pay than it does today.

Reading the year-by-year table

The table is useful for milestones. With ₹10,000 a month at 12%, the value crosses ₹10 lakh in year 6 and ₹20 lakh in year 10. Compare it with your fund statements each year. If you are behind because the market had a bad year, the plan has not failed; the order of returns has been unkind so far. If you are behind because you paused the SIP, the table shows how much to add to catch up.

You can also use it backward. For ₹50 lakh in 15 years, try SIP amounts until the last row reaches the target at a return you are comfortable with.

Setting up a SIP that lasts

A SIP works only if it keeps running through good and bad markets. A few practical choices help:

• Pick a SIP date two or three days after your salary is credited, so the auto-debit never bounces.
• Register a bank mandate (NACH or UPI AutoPay) with a limit higher than your current SIP, so step-ups do not need new paperwork.
• Choose direct plans if you are comfortable picking funds yourself. The lower expense ratio adds to every year’s return.
• Keep the number of funds small. Two to four well-diversified funds are easier to track than ten overlapping ones.
• Add a nominee to your folios. SEBI requires either a nomination or a signed opt-out for new folios.

Review once a year rather than every month. Frequent checking tends to lead to stopping SIPs at exactly the wrong time.

Tax on mutual fund gains

The projection is before tax. For equity-oriented funds, gains on units held more than a year are long-term capital gains, taxed at 12.5% on gains above ₹1.25 lakh in a financial year. Units held a year or less are taxed at 20% as short-term gains. Each SIP instalment counts as a separate purchase with its own holding period. Debt fund gains on investments made from April 2023 are taxed at your slab rate. ELSS funds have a three-year lock-in and qualify for the Section 80C deduction in the old tax regime only.

SIP or something else?

• For a guaranteed return over a few years, a recurring deposit is simpler. The RD calculator shows what a monthly deposit earns.
• For safe, tax-free long-term savings, the PPF calculator shows how a 15-year PPF builds up.
• If you have a lump sum instead of monthly money, compare an FD with investing it gradually through a systematic transfer plan.

Many investors combine them: PPF and FDs for the safe part, and equity SIPs for long-term growth.

Limits of any projection

Real returns come in an uneven order. Two investors with the same average return can end with different amounts depending on when the good and bad years fall, especially near the end of the period. A SIP helps by buying more units when prices are low, an effect called rupee cost averaging, but it does not remove the risk. Treat the result as one scenario and review your plan each year with your actual portfolio value. As a goal gets within two or three years, consider moving the money gradually into debt funds or deposits.

The projection runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

How much will a ₹5,000 SIP grow to in 15 years?

At 12% a year, about ₹25.2 lakh, of which ₹9 lakh is what you invested. At 10% it is lower and at 14% higher. Enter ₹5,000 and 15 years with a few return rates to see the range. Mutual fund returns are not guaranteed.

What return should I assume for an equity SIP?

For a diversified equity fund held 10 years or more, 10% to 12% is a cautious planning range. Use less for hybrid or debt funds and for shorter periods. Do not use the last year’s return as your assumption, since one good or bad year says little about the next decade.

Is SIP better than a lump sum?

If you already have a lump sum, investing it at once has often done better over long periods, since markets rise more often than they fall. A SIP spreads the risk of investing just before a fall and fits how most people earn money. For regular savings from a salary, a SIP is the natural route.

Can I stop or pause a SIP?

Yes. Most fund houses let you pause a SIP for a few months or cancel it at any time without a penalty, except for ELSS units, which stay locked for three years from each instalment. Stopping during a market fall is usually a mistake, because those are the months when your SIP buys the most units.

Does the calculator include expense ratio and exit load?

No. Subtract the expense ratio from the expected return: if you expect 12% and the fund charges 0.7%, enter 11.3%. Exit loads apply only if you redeem early, usually within a year, and the projection assumes you hold to the end.

What is a step-up SIP?

A step-up or top-up SIP increases your monthly amount by a fixed percentage or rupee amount every year. It lets your investments grow with your income. With a 10% step-up, ₹10,000 a month at 12% for 10 years grows to about ₹33.7 lakh instead of ₹23.2 lakh.