Goal SIP Calculator — How Much Monthly SIP Do You Need?
Work backwards from your goal. Enter the amount you need and by when, and this reverse SIP calculator tells you the exact monthly investment required — with step-up and inflation adjustment built in.
₹1.00 Cr
10-12% is realistic for long-term equity funds
Starting from zero
Required monthly SIP
₹19,819
Fixed for 15 years at 12% expected return
Target
₹1.00 Cr
You Invest
₹35.67 Lakh
Compounding Adds
₹64.33 Lakh
Flat SIP vs step-up SIP
Flat SIP
₹19,819
same every month
Step-up 10%
₹11,516
start lower, grow yearly
A 10% annual step-up lets you start ₹8.30 K lower per month and still reach the same goal.
Year-by-year projection
| Year | Invested | Value | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹2,37,823 | ₹2,53,863 | ₹16,040 |
| 2 | ₹4,75,647 | ₹5,39,923 | ₹64,276 |
| 3 | ₹7,13,470 | ₹8,62,262 | ₹1,48,791 |
| 4 | ₹9,51,294 | ₹12,25,481 | ₹2,74,187 |
| 5 | ₹11,89,117 | ₹16,34,766 | ₹4,45,649 |
| 6 | ₹14,26,941 | ₹20,95,958 | ₹6,69,018 |
| 7 | ₹16,64,764 | ₹26,15,642 | ₹9,50,878 |
| 8 | ₹19,02,588 | ₹32,01,234 | ₹12,98,646 |
| 9 | ₹21,40,411 | ₹38,61,093 | ₹17,20,682 |
| 10 | ₹23,78,234 | ₹46,04,640 | ₹22,26,405 |
| 11 | ₹26,16,058 | ₹54,42,487 | ₹28,26,429 |
| 12 | ₹28,53,881 | ₹63,86,593 | ₹35,32,712 |
| 13 | ₹30,91,705 | ₹74,50,437 | ₹43,58,732 |
| 14 | ₹33,29,528 | ₹86,49,202 | ₹53,19,673 |
| 15 | ₹35,67,352 | ₹1,00,00,000 | ₹64,32,648 |
What is a goal-based SIP calculator?
A normal SIP calculator asks "I invest ₹X, what do I get?". This one works the other way round: you state the goal, it tells you the SIP. That is usually the more useful question, because real financial goals — a house deposit, your child's college fees, retirement — come with a fixed amount and a fixed deadline.
The formula solves the standard SIP future-value equation for the monthly amount:
P = FV / [((1+r)ⁿ − 1) / r × (1+r)]
where FV is your target, r is the monthly return and n the number of months.
How much SIP for ₹1 crore?
At an assumed 12% annual return:
- 10 years — about ₹43,000 per month
- 15 years — about ₹19,800 per month
- 20 years — about ₹10,000 per month
- 25 years — about ₹5,300 per month
Notice the pattern: doubling the time horizon cuts the required SIP by roughly four times, not two. That is compounding working exponentially in time, and it is the single strongest argument for starting early rather than starting big.
Why a step-up SIP is easier
Committing ₹20,000 a month today may be impossible, but ₹12,000 rising 10% each year is very achievable if your salary also rises. Since your later contributions are much larger, a step-up SIP reaches the same target with a noticeably smaller starting amount.
Set the step-up percentage to match your realistic annual hike and toggle it above to compare both approaches side by side.
Do not forget inflation
If your child's engineering degree costs ₹20 lakh today, at 8% education inflation it will cost roughly ₹43 lakh in 10 years. Planning for ₹20 lakh means falling short by more than half. Switch on inflation adjustment above so the target grows to preserve today's purchasing power.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much SIP do I need for ₹1 crore in 15 years?
At a 12% expected return you need roughly ₹19,800 per month for 15 years to reach ₹1 crore. Total invested would be about ₹35.6 lakh, with the remaining ₹64 lakh coming from compounding. Shorten the horizon to 10 years and the requirement jumps to about ₹43,000 a month.
What is a step-up SIP and why does it help so much?
A step-up SIP increases your monthly investment by a fixed percentage every year, usually matching your salary hike. Starting at ₹10,000 with a 10% annual step-up beats a flat ₹10,000 SIP by a very wide margin over 15 years, because the later contributions are far larger while still getting years of compounding.
What return rate should I assume for planning?
Use 10-12% for a diversified equity mutual fund portfolio over 10+ years, which is broadly in line with long-term Indian equity history. Use 8% if you want a conservative plan, and never assume above 15% — planning on an optimistic rate means under-saving for the actual goal.
Why does the calculator ask about inflation?
Because ₹1 crore in 20 years will not buy what ₹1 crore buys today. At 6% inflation it has the purchasing power of roughly ₹31 lakh in today's money. For goals like child education or retirement you should target the inflation-adjusted amount, not the number that sounds nice today.
Should I count my existing savings?
Yes. Enter your current corpus and the calculator projects its growth and subtracts it from the target, so you only fund the remaining gap. Existing investments do a lot of the work, especially over long horizons.
What if I cannot afford the required SIP?
You have four levers: extend the time horizon, lower the target, increase the assumed return by taking more equity risk, or start smaller and use a step-up SIP. Extending the horizon is by far the most powerful because compounding is exponential in time.
Is a goal-based SIP better than just investing randomly?
Yes, for two reasons. It tells you the exact amount required rather than a vague "save more", and it makes you far less likely to stop the SIP during a market fall because the money is attached to something concrete.
Related free calculators
SIP Calculator
Project what a given monthly SIP will grow into.
Lumpsum Calculator
Deploying a bonus or windfall instead?
SWP Calculator
Once the corpus is built, plan withdrawals.
PPF Calculator
Add a guaranteed tax-free debt component.
Income Tax Calculator
ELSS SIPs qualify for 80C under the old regime.
EMI Calculator
Balance loan EMIs against your SIP capacity.