Three numbers people argue about
Monthly amount, expected return, years. Everything else, inflation and step-up, is how you stop lying to yourself about lifestyle creep and purchasing power. I kept the knobs visible because hiding inflation is how “₹1 crore” posters sell mutual fund apps.
Worked example: ₹5,000 for 10 years at 12%
Total invested ≈ ₹6 lakh. Nominal corpus lands near the classic illustration band around ₹11–12 lakh depending on compounding convention. Flip inflation to 6% and the real corpus shrinks. That smaller number is the one that pays rent in 2036. If a distributor’s PDF only shows the nominal line, they are selling a poster, not a plan.
Worked example: step-up 10%
Same start, raise SIP 10% each year. The later contributions do heavy lifting. People underestimate this because year-1 feels heroic and year-8 feels invisible. Step-up only happens if you actually instruct the platform. January optimism is not a standing instruction.
Worked example: lump sum envy
Compare a one-shot investment of the first year’s cash versus patience via SIP. In a steadily rising chart, lump sum often wins on paper. In a jagged chart, SIP’s averaging is the emotional technology that keeps humans investing. This calculator will not predict next year’s index. It will show you how contribution math and inflation drag interact.
Mistakes
Using 15% forever after reading one bull year. Ignoring expense ratios (they compound against you quietly). Treating the chart CDN load as “my money left the device”: your inputs stay local; the library bytes are separate. Taxes on redemption can rearrange the ranking between debt and equity products. This page ignores that on purpose.
Not SEBI-registered advice. Read the scheme document for anything you might actually buy. If the corpus is large enough that 1% fees matter in rupees, bring a professional, not a browser graph.
Questions
How is SIP future value estimated?
Monthly contributions compounded at the expected annual rate you enter, with optional step-ups and inflation deflating the ending corpus to today’s rupees.
Is 12% realistic?
It is a common illustration rate for equity-oriented SIPs, not a guarantee. Debt-heavy funds will not behave like that.
What does inflation adjustment show?
A rough real corpus: nominal future value discounted by your inflation assumption.
Does step-up change the formula?
Yes — contributions rise each year by the step percentage, which dominates long horizons.
Are taxes modeled?
No. Equity LTCG, debt taxation, and surcharge are ignored. Ask a tax professional for realized gains.
Is this SEBI-registered advice?
No. Educational math only.
Can I keep these SIP knobs?
Remember on this device stores them in this browser. Save JSON worksheet downloads a file. Neither is an account.