SIP calculator: how much should you invest every month for a goal?
Grow what the goal costs today by inflation to the year you need it, then find the monthly investment that grows to that amount at your expected return. A ₹20 lakh goal ten years away, at 6% inflation and a 12% return, needs about ₹15,600 a month, or ₹20,100 to get there in 3 markets out of 4.
This calculator uses the same engine as the Future Goals planner inside Map My Risk, including the 5,000 simulated markets it uses to show how often a SIP actually reaches the goal.
Your figures stay in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere until you choose to start the full assessment.
Open the calculator to work out your own figure.
How the number is worked out
- Today's cost of the goal is grown by inflation, 6% a year unless you change it, to the year you need the money.
- Money you have already set aside is grown at your expected return, 12% a year unless you change it, and counted towards the goal.
- The monthly SIP is the fixed amount that, invested at the end of every month and earning the expected return, grows to what is left. This is the SIP that works if markets deliver exactly the average every year.
- Markets do not. The same SIP is run through 5,000 simulated markets whose returns swing around the average (a 15% yearly volatility). The share that reach the goal is shown, and so is the SIP that reaches it in 3 markets out of 4.
A worked example
Kavya wants to pay for her daughter's higher education in 15 years. It would cost ₹25 lakh today, and she has ₹2 lakh set aside for it.
At 6% inflation the course will cost about ₹59.91 L by then. A SIP of ₹9,600 a month gets there if markets return 12% every year, but it reaches the goal in only about 41% of simulated markets. ₹14,900 a month gets there in 3 markets out of 4.
| Cost today | ₹25 lakh |
| Cost in 15 years | ₹59.91 L |
| Already saved | ₹2 lakh |
| SIP for an average market | ₹9,600 |
| Markets where that is enough | 41% |
| SIP for 3 markets out of 4 | ₹14,900 |
Assumptions
- Unless you change them: a 12% yearly return, 6% inflation and 15% volatility, the Future Goals planner's defaults. 12% is a long-run equity-style return and is not guaranteed.
- The SIP stays the same every month; it does not step up with your salary. Stepping it up each year reaches the goal sooner or with a smaller start.
- Tax on gains, fund expenses and exit loads are not included.
- The simulated markets use a fixed starting point, so the same answers always give the same figures.
Frequently asked questions
How much SIP do I need for ₹1 crore?
At a 12% yearly return, about ₹20,000 a month for 15 years, or ₹10,100 a month for 20 years. That is ₹1 crore in the money of that year; to buy what ₹1 crore buys today you need more, which is why this calculator starts from today's cost and adds inflation.
What return should I assume for a SIP?
For a diversified equity fund held for ten years or more, 12% a year is a common planning assumption, but it is not guaranteed. For goals less than five years away, assume less and use safer funds, because a market fall near the end leaves no time to recover.
Why does the calculator add inflation?
Because a goal costs more each year. A course that costs ₹25 lakh today will cost far more in fifteen years, and a SIP sized for today’s price would fall short.
What does "3 markets out of 4" mean?
The SIP that reaches the goal at the average return succeeds in fewer than half of simulated markets, because real returns vary from year to year. The 3-in-4 SIP is the amount that reaches the goal in 75% of the 5,000 simulated markets: a higher SIP that leaves room for a bad stretch.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is an educational estimate built from the figures you enter. For advice on your whole situation, speak to a SEBI-registered investment adviser.