Question 1

How much SIP per month is needed to accumulate ₹1 crore in 20 years?

Accepted Answer

To accumulate ₹1 crore in 20 years, you need a monthly SIP of approximately ₹7,189 at a 12% annual return, ₹9,650 at 10%, or ₹5,318 at 14%. The most commonly cited figure — ₹7,000 to ₹7,500 per month — is based on the historical 12% CAGR of Indian equity markets over long periods. At 12% for exactly 20 years, ₹7,189/month invested as a SIP grows to ₹1 crore. This makes a ₹1 crore target achievable on a middle-class income — ₹7,189 is less than 15% of a ₹50,000 monthly salary. The key is starting early and maintaining the SIP without interruption through market corrections, which is where most investors fail to stay the course.

Question 2

Can I reach ₹1 crore with a ₹5,000 SIP?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it requires more time. A ₹5,000 monthly SIP at 12% annual return reaches ₹1 crore in approximately 25 to 26 years. At 14%, it takes around 23 years. At 15%, approximately 22 years. If you cannot invest ₹7,000 to ₹8,000 per month now, starting with ₹5,000 is far better than not starting at all — and using a Step-Up SIP that increases your investment by 10% annually each year significantly accelerates the timeline. A ₹5,000 SIP with a 10% annual step-up at 12% crosses ₹1 crore in approximately 20 years rather than 26, because the growing investment amount in later years dramatically increases the compounding base.

Question 3

Is 12% return rate realistic for a 20-year SIP?

Accepted Answer

For a diversified equity mutual fund SIP held over 20 years, a 12% CAGR is a reasonable planning assumption based on Indian market history. The Nifty 50 index has delivered approximately 12 to 14% CAGR over most 15 to 20 year rolling periods since its inception. However, this is not guaranteed — actual returns depend on market conditions during your investment period and the specific fund you choose. For conservative planning, using 10% to 11% as your return assumption ensures your goal remains achievable even in below-average market conditions. Index funds, which have delivered close to benchmark returns at the lowest possible cost (expense ratio below 0.2%), are a reliable way to capture the market CAGR without active fund selection risk.

Question 4

How does starting age affect my SIP to reach ₹1 crore?

Accepted Answer

Starting age has a dramatic impact because of compounding. If you start investing at 25 to reach your target by 55 (30-year horizon), you need only ₹1,435 per month at 12% to accumulate ₹1 crore. Starting at 35 for the same retirement age (20-year horizon) requires ₹7,189 per month — five times more. Starting at 45 for retirement at 60 (15-year horizon) requires ₹17,330 per month. The monthly SIP required roughly doubles every 5 years you delay starting. This is the single most powerful argument for beginning a SIP in your 20s, even with a small amount. A 25-year-old investing ₹1,435 per month for 30 years builds the same ₹1 crore corpus as a 45-year-old investing ₹17,330 per month for 15 years — investing 12 times more per month.

Question 5

What happens if I pause or stop my SIP midway?

Accepted Answer

Pausing a SIP for a few months has a relatively minor impact on the final corpus if you resume quickly. The invested units continue to grow during the pause — only new purchases stop. However, stopping a SIP permanently midway is far more damaging than most investors realise. The impact is not just the missing monthly contributions — it is the loss of compounding on all future contributions that the paused amount would have generated. If you stop a 20-year SIP after 10 years, you lose not just 10 years of contributions but also the compounding on those contributions over the remaining decade. The corpus that was on an exponential growth trajectory in years 11 to 20 — when compounding accelerates most dramatically — is frozen at its year-10 value.

Question 6

Should I start a SIP with a goal of ₹1 crore or set a different target?

Accepted Answer

₹1 crore is a round-number goal that is meaningful today but may not account for inflation over a long SIP horizon. In 20 years at 6% inflation, ₹1 crore will have the purchasing power of approximately ₹31 lakh today. For retirement planning, a more realistic target is ₹3 to ₹5 crore if you are starting today and retiring in 20 to 25 years. Instead of targeting a specific rupee amount, consider targeting a monthly corpus withdrawal — for example, aiming for a corpus that sustains ₹50,000 per month in real terms at retirement. Use the SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan) calculator alongside this SIP calculator to reverse-engineer the corpus you actually need and then set your monthly SIP amount accordingly.

Tenure	At 10%	At 12%	At 14%	At 15%
10 years	₹48,820	₹43,471	₹38,614	₹36,318
12 years	₹35,745	₹30,861	₹26,569	₹24,680
15 years	₹21,247	₹17,330	₹14,080	₹12,697
18 years	₹12,948	₹9,933	₹7,573	₹6,692
20 years	₹9,650	₹7,189	₹5,318	₹4,622
25 years	₹4,762	₹3,168	₹2,085	₹1,726
30 years	₹2,418	₹1,435	₹841	₹663

Monthly SIP to Get 1 Crore — Crorepati SIP Calculator 2026

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Monthly SIP Needed to Accumulate ₹1 Crore

How to Reach ₹1 Crore Through SIP

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