₹1 crore is the number most Indian investors anchor to. It feels far away, but the monthly SIP needed to get there is usually smaller than people guess — provided you give it time. Here is the honest math.
The SIP needed, by time horizon
Assuming returns compound monthly and SIP instalments are invested at the start of each month:
| Time horizon | At 10% p.a. | At 12% p.a. | At 14% p.a. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 years | ₹48,400 | ₹43,000 | ₹38,200 |
| 15 years | ₹23,900 | ₹19,800 | ₹16,300 |
| 20 years | ₹13,100 | ₹10,000 | ₹7,600 |
| 25 years | ₹7,500 | ₹5,300 | ₹3,700 |
Read the 12% column from bottom to top: waiting five years (25 → 20 years) roughly doubles the required SIP. Wait another five and it doubles again. The most expensive thing about ₹1 crore is not the money — it is the delay.
Don't forget inflation
₹1 crore twenty years from now will buy what roughly ₹31 lakh buys today (at 6% inflation). If your real goal is "₹1 crore of today's purchasing power", the target becomes about ₹3.2 crore — and the 20-year SIP at 12% becomes roughly ₹32,000/month. Always plan in today's money and let the tool inflate it; our Goal Planner does this automatically.
Which return should you assume?
Nifty 50 total returns have averaged 11–13% p.a. over most long windows, but with brutal interim swings. Planning at 12% is reasonable for equity-heavy portfolios with 10+ year horizons; planning at 14–15% is optimism, not planning. If your horizon is under 5 years, much of the portfolio shouldn't be in equity at all — see asset allocation by age.
The takeaway
Pick the horizon you actually have, assume 11–12%, and let the calculator give you the number. If that number is more than you can invest, the honest options are: extend the horizon, lower the target, or increase the SIP every year as income grows. Run your own numbers in the Goal → SIP calculator — it takes thirty seconds.