How to use the SIP Calculator — step by step
A SIP calculator only needs three numbers, but each one deserves a moment of thought. Start with the monthly SIP — the amount you can set aside every month without straining your budget. Then the expected annual return, which is a guess about the future, not a promise. Finally the number of years you plan to keep investing. Everything else on the page follows from those three.
Reading the result
The headline number is the maturity value: what your monthly investments are worth at the end, if the return holds steady. Below it sit two numbers people skip too often — the total invested and the gain. The total invested is simply the monthly amount multiplied by the number of months. The gain is the maturity value minus that total. On a long SIP the gain can be larger than the amount you put in, which is worth seeing before you start.
Worked example
₹5,000 a month at 12% a year for 10 years grows to ₹11,61,695. You invest ₹6,00,000 over those 10 years, so the gain is ₹5,61,695. Now raise the monthly amount to ₹10,000 and the tenure to 15 years at the same return, and the maturity value jumps to ₹50,45,760 — that jump is the whole point of playing with the numbers before committing.
A habit worth building
Try at least three tenures for every SIP you consider, and write down the maturity value and the gain for each. The longest tenure you can sustain is usually the most rewarding, even though it asks for patience. If a monthly amount feels tight, that is useful information too — it means the SIP is too big, not that the calculator is wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Do I enter the return per month or per year?
Per year, as funds usually quote it. The calculator divides it by 12 internally to get the monthly rate.
Should tenure be in years or months?
Years. A 10-year SIP is 120 monthly investments, and the calculator makes that conversion for you.
Is the maturity value guaranteed?
No. It is a projection at the return you entered. Real returns vary year to year, so treat the result as an estimate, not a promise.
Enter your monthly SIP, expected return and years to get your maturity value, total invested and gains.