How much SIP do I need to accumulate ₹1 crore?

At 12% expected annual return: ₹10,000/month for ~20 years reaches ~₹99.9L (≈₹1 crore). Faster paths: ₹24,000/month for 15 years, ₹44,000/month for 10 years, ₹1.22L/month for 5 years. Longer tenures need dramatically smaller SIPs because compounding does more work. For a 30-year horizon, ~₹2,900/month reaches ₹1 Cr — the power of starting young.

What SIP amount is needed for ₹5 crore in 20 years?

At 12% expected return: ~₹50,500/month for 20 years. At 10% return: ~₹66,500/month. At 14% return: ~₹38,500/month. The return assumption matters hugely at long horizons — a 2-percentage-point difference doubles the outcome. Use the 15-year rolling median of your chosen fund category (typically 11-13% for equity) for realistic baselines.

Is ₹10 crore achievable through SIP in India?

Yes with realistic assumptions: ~₹47,000/month step-up SIP (10% annual increase) at 12% return for 25 years reaches ~₹10 crore. Flat SIP requires roughly ₹1 lakh/month for 20 years or ₹45,000/month for 30 years. The step-up is much more sustainable because it matches salary growth — you don't have to commit the full ₹1L/month on day one.

What return should I assume in my SIP calculation?

For realistic long-term projections, use the 15-year rolling median of your fund category: 11-13% for equity (large-cap, flexi-cap, index), 9-11% for hybrid, 6-8% for debt. Avoid plugging in 2022-style 25-30% bull-run figures — they'll produce unrealistic corpus projections. Better to underestimate (10%) and overshoot than overestimate (15%) and fall short.

Should I use flat SIP or step-up SIP to reach my corpus goal?

Step-up SIP (10% annual increase) is almost always the right choice for salaried earners. It matches typical annual increments, starts with a manageable initial commitment, and dramatically narrows the gap with lump-sum investing. On a ₹1 Cr goal in 20 years: flat SIP needs ~₹10,000/month; step-up SIP starting ₹6,500/month with 10% step-up reaches the same corpus. Step-up SIPs also capture inflation-adjusted income growth automatically.

Can I start SIP with ₹500/month and reach ₹1 crore?

Yes — but you need 40+ years of compounding. ₹500/month at 12% return for 40 years reaches ~₹59 lakh; at 45 years reaches ~₹1.04 crore. Practically, ₹500 SIPs are habit-forming starters — increase to ₹2,000-5,000 within a year, then annual step-ups. The key insight: starting small at age 22 beats starting large at 32, because of the 10 extra years of compounding.

How Much SIP for ₹1 Cr, ₹5 Cr, ₹10 Cr: India 2026 Maths

“How much SIP do I need to build ₹1 crore?” is the single most-googled India personal finance question. The answer depends on three things: your time horizon, your expected return, and whether you can increase the SIP amount over time. This guide gives the exact monthly SIP figures for ₹1 Cr, ₹5 Cr, ₹10 Cr, and ₹25 Cr corpus targets across six tenures and three return assumptions — plus step-up SIP scenarios that make these targets realistically achievable.

₹1 Crore SIP table — across tenures and returns

Monthly SIP needed to reach ₹1 crore corpus. All figures assume end-of-month SIP compounding monthly.

Monthly SIP amount needed to reach ₹1 crore across 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 year tenures at 10%, 12%, and 14% expected annual return.
Tenure	10% return	12% return	14% return
5 years	₹1,29,000/mo	₹1,22,400/mo	₹1,16,100/mo
10 years	₹48,800/mo	₹43,500/mo	₹38,700/mo
15 years	₹24,200/mo	₹20,000/mo	₹16,500/mo
20 years	₹13,200/mo	₹10,000/mo	₹7,600/mo
25 years	₹7,500/mo	₹5,300/mo	₹3,700/mo
30 years	₹4,400/mo	₹2,900/mo	₹1,900/mo

Key insight: extending from 15 to 30 years reduces the monthly SIP by 85% (₹20K to ₹2.9K at 12%). Starting young is the single biggest lever. Run your exact age + corpus combination on the SIP Calculator.

₹5 Crore SIP table

Monthly SIP amount needed to reach ₹5 crore across 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 year tenures.
Tenure	10% return	12% return	14% return
10 years	₹2,44,000/mo	₹2,17,500/mo	₹1,93,500/mo
15 years	₹1,21,000/mo	₹1,00,000/mo	₹82,500/mo
20 years	₹66,500/mo	₹50,500/mo	₹38,500/mo
25 years	₹37,500/mo	₹26,500/mo	₹18,500/mo
30 years	₹22,000/mo	₹14,500/mo	₹9,500/mo

₹10 Crore SIP table

Monthly SIP amount needed to reach ₹10 crore across 15, 20, 25, and 30 year tenures.
Tenure	10% return	12% return	14% return
15 years	₹2,42,000/mo	₹2,00,000/mo	₹1,65,000/mo
20 years	₹1,32,500/mo	₹1,01,000/mo	₹77,000/mo
25 years	₹75,000/mo	₹53,000/mo	₹37,000/mo
30 years	₹44,000/mo	₹29,000/mo	₹19,000/mo

₹25 Crore SIP table (fatFIRE territory)

Monthly SIP amount needed to reach ₹25 crore across 20, 25, and 30 year tenures.
Tenure	10% return	12% return	14% return
20 years	₹3,31,000/mo	₹2,52,500/mo	₹1,92,000/mo
25 years	₹1,87,500/mo	₹1,32,500/mo	₹92,500/mo
30 years	₹1,10,000/mo	₹72,500/mo	₹47,500/mo

Step-up SIP — the realistic salaried path

Flat SIPs are simple but unrealistic — nobody earning ₹15L CTC today can commit ₹50K/month forever. A 10% annual step-up SIP (matching typical salary increments) dramatically narrows the gap. Assuming 12% return:

Starting monthly SIP for step-up SIP at 10% annual increase to reach various corpus targets, at 12% expected return.
Corpus target	20-year flat SIP	20-year step-up SIP (10% annual)
₹1 Cr	₹10,000/mo flat	Start ₹6,500/mo, grows to ₹40K/mo by year 20
₹5 Cr	₹50,500/mo flat	Start ₹32,500/mo, grows to ₹2L/mo by year 20
₹10 Cr	₹1,01,000/mo flat	Start ₹65,000/mo, grows to ₹4L/mo by year 20

Step-up SIP works because it front-loads less capital but back-loads through salary-matched increases. On a ₹1 Cr goal: flat SIP requires ₹24L of total contribution; step-up SIP requires ~₹20L total contribution (slightly less) — and the starting amount is 35% lower. Run both scenarios in the Step-Up SIP Calculator.

Lump-sum + SIP combination

If you have a windfall (bonus, ESOP vesting, inheritance), pairing a one-time lumpsum with ongoing SIP accelerates the corpus dramatically. At 12% expected return over 20 years:

₹5L lumpsum alone: grows to ~₹48.2L over 20 years
₹10K/mo SIP alone: grows to ~₹99.9L (just under ₹1 Cr)
Both combined: ~₹1.48 Cr — beats ₹1 Cr target by ₹48L
₹10L lumpsum + ₹15K/mo SIP: ~₹2.46 Cr — targets ₹2.5 Cr comfortably

Lumpsum invested early sits on top of your compounding curve for the longest time. Don’t save windfalls in a savings account waiting for “the right time” to invest — that’s the single biggest wealth-destroyer in Indian personal finance.

Real vs nominal — the inflation reality check

₹1 crore in 20 years is not ₹1 crore of today’s purchasing power. At 6% inflation, ₹1 crore in year 20 has the same buying power as ₹31 lakh today. The retirement planning corollary: if you need ₹9L/year today for expenses, you’ll need ~₹29L/year in 20 years — requiring a corpus closer to ₹7-9 Cr, not ₹1 Cr.

Real (today’s rupees) value of a nominal corpus across horizons, at 6% long-run Indian inflation.
Nominal corpus in year N	10 years from now	20 years from now	30 years from now
₹1 Cr	₹55.8L today	₹31.2L today	₹17.4L today
₹5 Cr	₹2.79 Cr today	₹1.56 Cr today	₹87.1L today
₹10 Cr	₹5.58 Cr today	₹3.12 Cr today	₹1.74 Cr today

When someone says “I want ₹1 crore to retire”, always ask whether they mean today’s purchasing power (in which case the nominal target is much higher) or the nominal number (which won’t buy what they think). The Retirement Calculator handles this translation automatically.

Decision framework — which SIP strategy for which goal?

Goal: First ₹1 crore (3-5 years away)

Aggressive 5-year target requires ~₹1.2L/month at 12% return — unrealistic for most. Better: extend horizon to 10 years, SIP ₹43K/month; or pair ₹20L lumpsum with ₹20K SIP for 10 years.

Goal: Child’s higher education (15-18 years away)

Medical/engineering today costs ₹40-60L; inflated 18 years forward at 8% (education inflation runs higher than general) = ₹1.6-2.4 Cr. Monthly SIP needed: ₹30-45K at 12%. Start immediately at child’s birth; every year of delay adds ~15% to the required monthly outflow.

Goal: Retirement corpus (20-30 years away)

Use the Retirement / FIRE Calculator to back-out your target based on expected retirement-age expenses, then pick SIP amount from the ₹5Cr / ₹10Cr tables above. Combine with EPF (automatic) and PPF (₹1.5L/year) for tax-advantaged compounding in parallel with SIP.

Goal: Home down payment (5-10 years away)

Shorter horizon + capital-preservation priority = hybrid fund (9-11% expected, less volatile) or conservative aggressive fund. For ₹20L down payment in 7 years: ~₹16K/mo SIP at 10% return. Don’t put down-payment-horizon money in pure equity — 2008 and 2020-style drawdowns would shift your purchase timeline by 2-3 years.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming 15-20% return based on last bull cycle. Use 15-year rolling median (11-13% for equity) for projections. Overshooting at planning means undershooting at retirement.
Not indexing to inflation. ₹1 Cr in 30 years is worth ₹17L today. Always convert to real (today’s) terms before anchoring goals.
Committing to flat ₹50K SIP on day one. If your salary is ₹10L, committing 50% to SIP is unsustainable. Start at 20-25% of income and use step-up SIP to scale as salary grows.
Stopping SIPs during market drawdowns. 2008, 2020 COVID — exactly the times when SIPs buy the most units. Stopping is the single biggest wealth-destroyer.
Mixing goal horizons. Don’t put retirement money in a 3-year goal fund. Align category to horizon: equity for 10+ yrs, hybrid for 5-10, debt for 3-5, liquid for < 1.
Forgetting tax on redemption. LTCG on equity MF is 12.5% above ₹1.25L/year exemption. On a ₹5 Cr corpus redemption, tax could be ₹50L+. Plan annual SWPs staying under exemption to minimise this.
Not stepping up the SIP. Flat ₹10K SIP 20 years from now is ₹3K of today’s purchasing power. Always use step-up SIP, even at 5-7% annual increase.

Bottom line

The “how much SIP for ₹1 crore” question has a simple answer: depends on tenure and return. At 12% return: ~₹10K/month for 20 years, ~₹2,900/month for 30 years. Starting young is 10× more powerful than starting with more money. Use step-up SIP to match salary growth. Pair with lumpsums when windfalls land. Don’t forget inflation when setting goals.

Run your exact numbers on the SIP Calculator or the SIP Goal Calculator. For retirement-specific planning with inflation-adjusted real expense targets, use the Retirement / FIRE Calculator. For step-up variant modelling (the most realistic for salaried earners), try the Step-Up SIP Calculator.