SIP Calculator

Project what a monthly systematic investment adds up to over time, and how much of the total is growth rather than what you put in. Free.

How it works

A SIP is a systematic investment plan. The same amount is invested every month, and each contribution grows for the months left until the end of the term.

The calculator invests at the start of the month. With no step-up the plan collapses into one formula:

Future value = P * ((1 + r)^n - 1) / r * (1 + r)

P is the monthly investment. r is the expected annual return divided by 100 and then by 12. n is the number of months, which is the duration in years multiplied by 12. The trailing (1 + r) is the extra month of growth from arriving at the start.

  1. Enter the monthly investment.
  2. Enter the expected annual return and the duration in years.
  3. Enter an annual step-up, or 0 to keep the monthly amount fixed.
  4. Read the future value, the total invested and the gain.

With a step-up above zero the calculator walks the plan month by month. The monthly amount rises by the step-up percentage after each completed year. Total invested is then the sum of every contribution actually made.

Estimated gain is the future value minus the total invested. Amounts follow the currency and the number format you choose in settings, and the calculation runs in your browser.

Worked examples

10,000 a month for 10 years at 12 percent

The estimated future value is 2,323,390.76 after 120 contributions. The total invested is 1,200,000.00 and the estimated gain is 1,123,390.76.

The balance is 128,093.28 after one year and 824,863.67 after five. The second half of the term adds far more than the first, although the same amount is paid in every month.

5,000 a month for 20 years at 12 percent with a 10 percent annual step-up

The estimated future value is 9,944,357.74. The total invested is 3,436,499.97 and the gain is 6,507,857.77.

Hold the amount at 5,000 for all 20 years and the future value is 4,995,739.60 on 1,200,000.00 invested. The step-up about doubles the future value and nearly triples the money paid in.

Frequently asked questions

What does the annual step-up do?

It raises the monthly amount by that percentage after every completed year. 10,000 a month for 10 years at 12 percent gives 2,323,390.76 with no step-up, 2,786,942.32 with a 5 percent step-up, and 3,374,326.26 with a 10 percent step-up. The total invested rises with it, to 1,509,347.10 and 1,912,490.95.

Which changes the result more, a larger amount or a longer term?

The term, in this example. 10,000 a month for 10 years at 12 percent reaches 2,323,390.76. Raise the amount by a fifth, to 12,000, and it is 2,788,068.92. Keep 10,000 and add five years instead, and it is 5,045,760.00.

When in the month is the money invested?

At the start, so each contribution earns a return in the month it is paid. The Compound Interest Calculator adds its contributions at the end of the period instead. 10,000 a month for 10 years at 12 percent gives 2,300,386.89 there and 2,323,390.76 here, and the whole gap is one month of growth.

Is the future value a prediction?

No. The calculator applies the rate you enter to every month of the term without change. A real return moves up and down, and the order of those moves changes the outcome.

What if I enter a return of zero?

The future value equals the total invested. 10,000 a month for 10 years gives 1,200,000.00 and no gain.

Is anything I type stored?

No. There is no account, nothing you type is sent to a server, and no result is written down. The page works with no internet connection.

Good to know

The duration must contain a whole number of months. 10.5 years works, because that is 126 months, and gives 2,528,461.47 at 10,000 a month and 12 percent. 10.1 years is refused.

With a step-up, the total invested is summed month by month, so it lands on an odd figure such as 3,436,499.97.

To turn a plan back into a single annual rate, use the CAGR Calculator. To grow one amount with no monthly additions, use the Future Value Calculator.