₹5,000 SIP per Month — What It Becomes in 10 to 25 Years

All figures assume ₹5,000 is invested at the start of every month and the annual return stays constant, which real markets never do. Values are rounded.

At an assumed 12% return

• 10 years: invested ₹6 lakh · value about ₹11.6 lakh · gain about ₹5.6 lakh
• 15 years: invested ₹9 lakh · value about ₹25.2 lakh · gain about ₹16.2 lakh
• 20 years: invested ₹12 lakh · value about ₹50 lakh · gain about ₹38 lakh
• 25 years: invested ₹15 lakh · value about ₹94.9 lakh · gain about ₹79.9 lakh

At an assumed 10% return

• 10 years: about ₹10.3 lakh
• 15 years: about ₹20.9 lakh
• 20 years: about ₹38.3 lakh
• 25 years: about ₹66.9 lakh

The year-by-year schedule for this amount is on the ₹5,000 per month SIP page.

Look at the jump from 20 to 25 years at 12%: the value nearly doubles, from about ₹50 lakh to ₹94.9 lakh, even though you add only ₹3 lakh more of your own money. That is compounding — returns earn returns, and the base they work on is largest at the end. The flip side is the cost of delay. Starting five years later and stopping at the same date means ending with roughly ₹50 lakh instead of ₹95 lakh. If you can only change one thing, starting early usually beats chasing a higher return.

Over 25 years, the difference between an assumed 10% and 12% is about ₹28 lakh on the same ₹15 lakh invested. At a more conservative 8%, the 25-year value falls to about ₹47.9 lakh. Equity returns vary widely from year to year and can be negative for long stretches, so it is sensible to plan with a range rather than a single number. For goals that are fixed in time — school fees, a down payment — many people move money out of equity into safer options in the last few years before the goal.

• Costs: a fund's expense ratio comes out of returns every year. Direct plans generally have lower expense ratios than regular plans of the same scheme.
• Tax: equity fund gains held over 12 months are taxed at 12.5% on gains above ₹1.25 lakh a year; short-term gains at 20%. Our guide to SIP vs lumpsum covers when each approach suits.

Salaries usually rise, so a fixed ₹5,000 becomes a smaller share of income over time. A step-up SIP raises the amount each year. Starting at ₹5,000 and increasing it by 10% every year for 20 years, at an assumed 12% return, builds about ₹93.5 lakh on total investment of about ₹34.4 lakh — close to the 25-year flat SIP value, five years sooner. Try your own increment in the Step-Up SIP calculator.

A future rupee buys less than today's. At 6% inflation, ₹50 lakh in 20 years has the purchasing power of roughly ₹15.6 lakh today. That does not make the SIP pointless — the same ₹12 lakh kept in cash would have lost value instead — but it is a reason to set goals in future rupees. Our inflation guide explains the adjustment. If you have a specific target, such as ₹1 crore, work backwards with the Goal SIP calculator.

• Keep an emergency fund of a few months' expenses outside equity so you are not forced to redeem in a market fall.
• Pick a fund category that matches your horizon and risk tolerance; past performance does not guarantee future returns.
• Do not stop the SIP when markets fall — buying at lower prices is part of how SIPs average out cost.
• Review once a year, and raise the SIP when your income rises.

Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk; read all scheme-related documents carefully. CoinCalc is not a SEBI-registered adviser and does not recommend specific funds. Change the amount, years and assumed return in the SIP calculator to see your own projection.