Goal Planner
Have a target in mind — ₹1 crore for retirement, ₹25 lakh for your kid's college, ₹50 lakh for a house down payment? Enter the amount, when you need it, and your expected return. We'll solve for the monthly SIP that gets you there.
Year-by-year path to your goal
How close you'll be to ₹1.00 Cr at the end of each year.
| Year | Invested | Portfolio value | Gap to goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y1 | ₹2.38 L | ₹2.54 L | ₹97.46 L |
| Y2 | ₹4.76 L | ₹5.40 L | ₹94.60 L |
| Y3 | ₹7.13 L | ₹8.62 L | ₹91.38 L |
| Y4 | ₹9.51 L | ₹12.25 L | ₹87.75 L |
| Y5 | ₹11.89 L | ₹16.35 L | ₹83.65 L |
| Y6 | ₹14.27 L | ₹20.96 L | ₹79.04 L |
| Y7 | ₹16.65 L | ₹26.16 L | ₹73.84 L |
| Y8 | ₹19.03 L | ₹32.01 L | ₹67.99 L |
| Y9 | ₹21.40 L | ₹38.61 L | ₹61.39 L |
| Y10 | ₹23.78 L | ₹46.05 L | ₹53.95 L |
| Y11 | ₹26.16 L | ₹54.42 L | ₹45.58 L |
| Y12 | ₹28.54 L | ₹63.87 L | ₹36.13 L |
| Y13 | ₹30.92 L | ₹74.50 L | ₹25.50 L |
| Y14 | ₹33.30 L | ₹86.49 L | ₹13.51 L |
| Y15 | ₹35.67 L | ₹1.00 Cr | ✓ reached |
Projection assumes a steady return every year — real markets don't behave that way, and equity returns are especially lumpy. Use this to size your SIP, not to predict your exact final balance. For a safety margin, try the same math with a 2% lower expected return.
What this calculator actually does
Most SIP calculators are "forward" — enter an amount and see what it grows to. Goal Planner runs the math the other way: enter where you want to end up, and it tells you how much to invest each month to get there. The underlying formula is the same, just rearranged to solve for the SIP amount.
The three levers you can pull are time, rate, and starting lump sum. Doubling the horizon roughly halves the SIP. Increasing the expected rate from 10% to 12% saves about 15% on the SIP. And every ₹1 lakh you already have cuts a meaningful chunk off the required monthly amount — because that lump sum compounds for the entire period, not just the months remaining.
A worked example
Goal: ₹1 crore for retirement in 20 years. Expected return: 12% p.a. Starting lump sum: ₹0.
Required SIP: approximately ₹10,100 per month. Over 20 years you'll invest ₹24.2 lakh in total; compounding does the remaining ₹75.8 lakh of work.
If you already have ₹10 lakh saved, that drops to ~₹7,000/month — because the ₹10 lakh grows to ~₹96 lakh on its own over 20 years, leaving only ~₹4 lakh for the SIP to add.
Frequently asked
How much SIP do I need for ₹1 crore?+
At a 12% expected annual return, roughly: ₹28,000/month for 10 years, ₹14,500/month for 15 years, ₹8,500/month for 20 years, or ₹5,100/month for 25 years. The longer you stay invested, the less you need per month — compounding does the heavy lifting in the final years. Use the calculator above to adjust rate and timeline for your own case.
How is the monthly SIP calculated for a goal?+
We invert the standard SIP future-value formula. If the target is T, your expected monthly rate is i (= annual rate ÷ 12), and n = total months, then the required monthly SIP P = (T − S × (1+i)ⁿ) / ([((1+i)ⁿ − 1) / i] × (1+i)), where S is the lump sum you already have. If S is 0, the formula simplifies to P = T / ([((1+i)ⁿ − 1) / i] × (1+i)).
What expected return should I use for a long-term goal?+
For a 15–25 year horizon in Indian equity mutual funds, 10–12% is a common conservative assumption. Historical long-term CAGR of the Nifty 50 is ~12%. For hybrid funds, use 8–10%. For debt-dominant portfolios, 6–8%. The farther out your goal, the more you can lean toward the equity assumption; for goals under 5 years, lean conservative.
What if I already have some savings — how does that change my SIP?+
Add it in the 'Already saved' field. The lump sum grows on its own via compounding over the full window, which reduces the monthly SIP needed. For example, ₹5 lakh lump sum today at 12% for 20 years grows to ~₹48 lakh on its own — which is already nearly half of a ₹1 crore goal, so your SIP requirement shrinks significantly.
Should I plan in today's rupees or inflation-adjusted terms?+
If your goal is 'retirement' or 'kids' education 15 years from now', the ₹1 crore of today won't buy as much in 15 years. A rough rule: inflate your target by 6% per year to get the nominal amount you'll actually need. ₹1 crore in today's money ≈ ₹2.4 crore in 15 years at 6% inflation. Plug that inflated target into the calculator.
What if markets underperform and I fall short?+
Build a 10–20% buffer. Either increase the SIP by that margin, or use a 2% lower expected return (e.g. plug 10% instead of 12%). Equity returns can disappoint over any 10-year window — the 2000s and 2015–2019 are examples. Revisit the plan every 2 years and top up if you're behind.
Can I automate a SIP for my goal?+
Yes. Every AMC, broker (Zerodha, Groww, Upstox), and investment app lets you set up an auto-debit SIP for a fixed amount from your bank on a chosen date each month. You can stop, pause, or change the amount anytime — SIPs have no lock-in except in ELSS funds (3 years per installment).
What's a step-up SIP and should I use it?+
A step-up SIP increases your monthly amount every year — usually by 10% to match salary growth. This reduces your initial SIP commitment while hitting the same final goal. ₹10,000/month for 20 years at 12% ends at about ₹99 lakh. The same goal with a 10% annual step-up starting at only ₹5,500/month reaches the same ₹99 lakh. A separate 'step-up SIP' tool is coming to MF Gyan — this calculator assumes a flat SIP for simplicity.