SIP Calculator
Use this free SIP calculator to project the future value of a Systematic Investment Plan. Enter the fixed amount you invest each month, the annual return you expect, and how many years you plan to invest, and the calculator shows your total invested, your estimated returns, and the total value of the plan. A year-by-year table and a lump-sum comparison mode help you see exactly how regular investing builds wealth over time.
Results are mathematical estimates based on a constant return rate that you choose. Real investment returns vary year to year and are never guaranteed, and markets can fall as well as rise. This tool is not financial advice. Consult a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions.
Everything you need to plan a SIP
Six features that cover SIP projections without complexity or signups.
Live SIP formula
Results update as you type using the standard SIP future value formula. There is no Calculate button and no waiting.
Year-by-year growth table
Toggle a full table showing how your invested amount and fund value grow at the end of every year of the plan.
Lump-sum comparison mode
Switch to a one-time investment to compare a single lump sum against a steady monthly SIP at the same return rate.
Clear return breakdown
See exactly how much you put in, how much the market is estimated to add, and the total your plan reaches.
100% private, runs in browser
Every calculation happens on your device. Your investment figures are never sent to a server, stored, or shared.
Mobile-friendly layout
A clean responsive design that works on phones, tablets, and desktops so you can plan on any device.
Who uses a SIP calculator?
Anyone investing a fixed amount on a regular schedule.
Planning a monthly investment
Decide how much to invest each month by testing different amounts and seeing how the projected total value changes.
Setting a long-term goal
Work backwards from a target corpus for retirement, a house, or a child by adjusting the monthly amount and years until the total value meets your goal.
Comparing SIP with a lump sum
Use the lump-sum mode to see how a one-time investment compares with spreading the same money across monthly contributions.
Understanding compounding over time
See concretely how a longer time horizon multiplies returns, and why starting a SIP earlier matters more than the amount.
Reviewing an existing plan
Enter your current SIP details to project where the plan is heading and whether the monthly amount still fits your goal.
Teaching investing basics
Students and new investors can use the year-by-year table to visualise how small regular investments build a large corpus.
About SIP investing
A clear guide to systematic investing, the formula, and what the numbers mean.
What is a SIP?
A Systematic Investment Plan, or SIP, is a way of investing a fixed sum of money at regular intervals, almost always once a month, into a mutual fund or similar investment. Instead of trying to invest a large amount at the perfect moment, you commit to a steady, automatic contribution. Over months and years those contributions, together with the returns they earn, build into a substantial corpus. SIPs are popular because they turn investing into a simple habit and remove the pressure of timing the market.
The SIP formula explained
The future value of a SIP is calculated with the annuity formula FV = P * ((((1 + i)^n) - 1) / i) * (1 + i). Here P is the monthly investment, i is the monthly return rate (the annual rate divided by 12 and by 100), and n is the total number of monthly instalments. Each instalment is treated as compounding from the month it is invested until the end of the plan, so earlier contributions grow for longer than later ones. This calculator applies that formula directly and updates the result as you change any input.
How rupee or dollar cost averaging works
Because a SIP invests the same amount every month regardless of price, you automatically buy more units when the market is low and fewer units when it is high. Over a full cycle this averages out your purchase price, a behaviour known as cost averaging. It does not guarantee a profit, but it removes the temptation to guess market tops and bottoms, and it protects you from investing a large sum just before a downturn. For most ordinary investors, this disciplined averaging is the single biggest practical advantage of a SIP.
SIP versus a lump-sum investment
A lump sum invests all your money at once, while a SIP spreads it across many months. If markets rise steadily, a lump sum invested early can finish ahead because all the money compounds for the full period. If markets are volatile or fall early on, a SIP usually does better because cost averaging lowers the average entry price. The lump-sum mode in this calculator lets you compare both approaches with the same money and rate, so you can see the difference for your own numbers rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
The power of compounding and time
The returns your SIP earns are themselves reinvested, so they begin to earn returns of their own. This compounding effect is small in the first year or two but becomes dramatic over a decade or more. A SIP run for 20 years can end with a total value several times the amount actually invested, with most of that gain arriving in the final years. The clear lesson from the year-by-year table is that the length of time you stay invested matters more than almost any other factor.
Choosing a realistic return rate
The return rate you enter has a large effect on the projected total, so it pays to be realistic. Equity funds have historically delivered higher long-run returns than debt or hybrid funds, but with much larger swings from year to year. A conservative projection uses a modest rate; an optimistic one uses a higher rate. A sensible approach is to run the calculator two or three times with different rates to see a range of outcomes rather than a single number, and to remember that past performance never guarantees future results.
What a step-up SIP is
A step-up SIP, sometimes called a top-up SIP, increases your monthly contribution by a set percentage each year, usually in line with a rising salary. Even a small annual step-up can substantially increase the final corpus, because each year's larger contributions still get years to compound. This calculator models a fixed monthly amount, which is the standard SIP. If you plan to step up your contributions, you can re-run the calculator each year with the new monthly figure to keep your projection current.
Total invested, returns, and total value
The calculator separates three numbers that are easy to confuse. Total invested is simply your monthly amount multiplied by the number of months, the money that actually leaves your pocket. Estimated returns are the gain the market is projected to add on top. Total value is the sum of the two, the figure your plan is projected to reach. Watching how the share of returns grows relative to the amount invested, especially in the later years of the table, is the clearest way to understand why long-term SIPs are so effective.
How to use this SIP calculator
Enter the amount you can comfortably invest each month, the annual return you expect from your fund, and the number of years you plan to stay invested. The three result cards update instantly. Open the year-by-year table to see the balance climb, and switch to lump-sum mode to compare a one-time investment of the same total. Because nothing is sent to a server, you can test as many scenarios as you like in complete privacy until you find a plan that fits your budget and your goal.
Frequently asked questions
If you don't find your question here, ask us directly.
A Systematic Investment Plan, or SIP, is a method of investing a fixed amount of money at regular intervals, typically monthly, into a mutual fund or similar investment vehicle. Instead of trying to time the market with a large lump sum, you invest consistently regardless of market conditions. SIPs are popular because they instill financial discipline, require no market-timing skill, and allow investors to start with small amounts. Over time, the combination of regular contributions and compound growth can build substantial wealth.
A SIP return is calculated using the future value of a series of equal periodic payments, each compounding independently from the date it is invested. The standard SIP formula accounts for the fact that each monthly instalment has a different compounding period. The result gives the total corpus at the end of the investment period. This calculator uses that formula and assumes a constant annual return rate, which is a simplification of real-world markets where returns vary each period.
With monthly rate i = annualReturn / 12 / 100 and total months n = years x 12, the future value is FV = P x (((1 + i)^n - 1) / i) x (1 + i), where P is the monthly investment amount. The extra multiplication by (1 + i) treats each instalment as invested at the start of the month rather than the end, which is how most SIP providers operate. If the annual return rate is zero, the formula simplifies to FV = P x n.
In SIP investing you invest a fixed amount every month, spreading your entry points across different market levels. In lump sum investing you commit the entire amount at one time, so the result depends heavily on when you enter the market. SIPs reduce timing risk through cost averaging, making them better suited for salaried investors with a regular cash flow. Lump sum investing can outperform SIP when markets are consistently rising, but it can also underperform badly if you invest just before a downturn.
Rupee cost averaging (or dollar cost averaging in USD-based markets) is the effect of buying more units of an investment when prices are low and fewer units when prices are high, simply because you invest the same fixed amount each period. Over time this can lower your average cost per unit compared to a single lump-sum purchase at a random point. It does not guarantee profit or protect against loss in a declining market, but it removes the psychological pressure of trying to pick the perfect entry point.
A commonly used assumption for equity mutual funds over a long horizon is 10 to 12 percent per year, based on historical averages of broad market indices in many countries. For balanced or hybrid funds, 8 to 10 percent is a more conservative estimate. For debt or bond funds, 6 to 8 percent is reasonable. These are historical averages, not guarantees. It is sensible to run the calculator at a lower rate (say 8 percent) and a higher rate (say 12 percent) to see a range of possible outcomes before making any decision.
No, SIP returns are not guaranteed. Mutual funds and other market-linked investments carry risk, and their value can fall as well as rise. The annual return rate you enter in this calculator is an assumption, not a promise. Past performance of market indices or funds does not guarantee similar future performance. This tool is for educational and planning purposes only. Always read the scheme information document of any fund and consider speaking with a registered financial adviser before investing.
Yes, this SIP calculator is completely free. There is no signup, no account, and no software to install. All calculations run in your browser using JavaScript, so your data never leaves your device. You can use it as many times as you like, try different scenarios, and share the page with anyone who needs to plan their investments. The tool is funded by non-intrusive advertising so it can remain free for everyone.
A step-up SIP, also called a top-up SIP, is a plan where you increase your monthly contribution by a fixed amount or a fixed percentage each year as your income grows. For example, you might start with a monthly investment of 5,000 and increase it by 10 percent each year. The compounding effect of both growing contributions and growing returns can significantly boost your final corpus compared to a flat SIP. This calculator models a flat SIP, but you can approximate a step-up by running multiple scenarios.
Yes, most SIPs offered by mutual funds can be paused or stopped without a penalty, though the specific rules depend on the fund house and scheme. If you stop investing early, the money already in the fund continues to grow at market rates until you redeem it. Stopping a SIP does not automatically redeem your units. This calculator assumes you invest for the full period you enter, so if you plan to stop earlier, you can re-run the calculation with the shorter duration to see what your corpus would look like.
A common guideline is to stay invested for at least five to seven years for equity-oriented funds, and ideally ten years or more to ride out market cycles and benefit most from compounding. The year-by-year table in this calculator makes it easy to see how dramatically the corpus grows in the later years compared to the early years, a phenomenon driven by compound interest. Short horizons of one or two years are generally not well suited to equity SIPs due to market volatility.
This calculator uses the standard SIP future-value formula with a constant annual return rate. It is accurate for that mathematical model but it is a simplification of reality for two main reasons. First, real mutual fund returns vary each month and year, they are not constant. Second, the calculator does not account for expense ratios, exit loads, taxes on gains, or inflation. The results are useful for planning and comparison, but treat them as estimates rather than precise forecasts.
The lump sum mode calculates the future value of a single one-time investment rather than monthly contributions. The formula is FV = Principal x (1 + annualRate / 100)^years, which applies compound interest at the stated annual rate for the chosen number of years. This is useful for comparing whether to invest a large amount all at once or spread it out as a SIP over time, or for projecting the growth of an existing savings balance.
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