SIP Calculator

A SIP calculator estimates what a monthly investment could grow to over time, based on an expected annual return. SIP — Systematic Investment Plan — means investing a fixed amount every month, which lets you benefit from compounding and rupee-cost averaging. The instalment is treated as going in at the start of each month, the convention fund houses use, so the figure sits a little above a calculator that assumes month-end. Returns from market-linked investments aren't guaranteed, and no calculator can know what a fund will actually do — treat the result as a projection built on an assumption you chose, not a forecast. It runs entirely in your browser.

How to use it

1. Enter how much you'll invest each month.
2. Enter an expected annual return and how many years you'll invest.
3. See the projected value, the amount you'll have invested, and the estimated gains.
4. Run it a second time at a lower return — 8% or 10% — and plan against that figure rather than the optimistic one.

Examples

• ₹5,000/month at 12% for 10 years → about ₹11.6 lakh (₹6 lakh invested).
• ₹10,000/month at 12% for 20 years → roughly ₹1 crore.
• ₹5,000/month at 12% for 20 years → about ₹50 lakh, of which ₹12 lakh is what you paid in.
• The same ₹5,000 held for 30 years → about ₹1.76 crore from ₹18 lakh invested; the extra decade does more than any extra rupees would.

Frequently asked questions

How are SIP returns calculated?

The calculator applies the future-value-of-a-series formula, compounding each monthly instalment at the monthly rate (annual return ÷ 12) until the end of the period. Because early instalments compound for longer, most of the final value in a long SIP is growth, not the amount you put in.

Is 12% a realistic SIP return assumption?

Equity mutual funds in India have historically averaged roughly 10–12% over long periods, but returns vary year to year and are never guaranteed. Use a conservative figure for planning and revisit it as markets change.

SIP vs lump sum — which is better?

A lump sum can win when markets rise steadily, but a SIP spreads your entry across many months, smoothing out the ups and downs. For most people investing from monthly income, a SIP is the practical and disciplined choice.

Are SIP returns guaranteed?

No. SIPs into mutual funds are market-linked, so the actual value can be higher or lower than any projection. This tool is for education and planning, not a promise of returns.

What is rupee-cost averaging, and does it actually help?

It is the mechanical effect of buying a fixed rupee amount every month: when the unit price is low your instalment buys more units, and when it is high it buys fewer. Over a long accumulation you end up holding more units bought cheaply than dearly, so a falling market while you are still buying is not your enemy — it is what lowers your average cost. The effect only works while you are buying. Once you stop and start withdrawing instead, the same swings work against you, which is why the arithmetic of retirement is a different problem.

Why can the same average return produce different amounts?

Because a SIP adds money continuously, so the order the returns arrive in matters and not only their average. Early returns act on a small balance; late ones act on a large one. Take five years of returns of −20%, +5%, +10%, +15% and +40% on ₹5,000 a month: in that order the pot ends near ₹4.73 lakh, and in exactly the reverse order near ₹2.92 lakh — the same returns and the same instalments, over ₹1.8 lakh apart. A single fixed rate, as used here, quietly assumes an order no market delivers.

Does this include expense ratio, exit load and tax?

No. It is a plain compounding of your instalments at the rate you type, so the figure is a gross one. A fund's expense ratio is already taken out of the returns it publishes, so a rate copied from a factsheet largely accounts for it — but an exit load on early redemption and capital gains tax on your profit are not modelled here at all. Both come out of what actually reaches you, so the amount in your hand will be lower than the number on this page.