SIP for 15 years

Over 15 years at 12% a year, ₹10,000 a month projects to ₹50,45,760 — ₹18,00,000 of your money and ₹32.46 L from compounding, which is 64% of the total. The table below covers every common instalment.

By Sudarshan Babar · Software engineer and founder of the getinfotoyou tool network Updated

Your 15-year SIP

₹500₹1 lakh

What leaves your bank account every month. Type any amount — the slider is just a shortcut.

%
1%25%

An assumption, not a promise. Equity funds are usually modelled at 10–12%; see what rate to assume.

years
1 year40 years
%
0%12%

Set 0 to switch the "today’s money" column off. India’s CPI has averaged close to 6% over the past decade; the RBI targets 4% with a 2-point band.

What it becomes

Total you put in ₹18,00,000
Added by compounding ₹32,45,760
Share from compounding 64.3%
Worth in today’s money ₹21,05,419
Projected value ₹50,45,760
₹0₹13.75 L₹27.5 L₹41.25 L₹55 L0246810121415

What you investWhat compounding addsValue in today’s money

Year-by-year growth of a ₹10,000 monthly SIP at 12% a year.
YearMonthlyInvested so farReturnsValue at year endIn today’s money
1₹10,000₹1,20,000₹8,093₹1,28,093₹1,20,843
2₹10,000₹2,40,000₹32,432₹2,72,432₹2,42,464
3₹10,000₹3,60,000₹75,076₹4,35,076₹3,65,299
4₹10,000₹4,80,000₹1,38,348₹6,18,348₹4,89,790
5₹10,000₹6,00,000₹2,24,864₹8,24,864₹6,16,386
6₹10,000₹7,20,000₹3,37,570₹10,57,570₹7,45,545
7₹10,000₹8,40,000₹4,79,790₹13,19,790₹8,77,736
8₹10,000₹9,60,000₹6,55,266₹16,15,266₹10,13,438
9₹10,000₹10,80,000₹8,68,215₹19,48,215₹11,53,145
10₹10,000₹12,00,000₹11,23,391₹23,23,391₹12,97,369
11₹10,000₹13,20,000₹14,26,148₹27,46,148₹14,46,637
12₹10,000₹14,40,000₹17,82,522₹32,22,522₹16,01,495
13₹10,000₹15,60,000₹21,99,311₹37,59,311₹17,62,512
14₹10,000₹16,80,000₹26,84,180₹43,64,180₹19,30,281
15₹10,000₹18,00,000₹32,45,760₹50,45,760₹21,05,419

Fifteen years: compounding overtakes contribution

Somewhere around year thirteen at 12%, something crosses over: the money contributed by compounding exceeds the money contributed by you.

At ₹10,000 a month over 15 years the projection is ₹50,45,760 from ₹18,00,000 invested — so 64% of the total came from returns. Your instalments are no longer the main source of your balance.

This is the horizon where the arithmetic genuinely turns in your favour, and it explains something that otherwise looks odd: the difference between a 15-year and a 20-year SIP is much larger than the difference between a 5-year and a 10-year one, despite both being five extra years. The later years are operating on a much bigger base.

Practical consequence: if a goal is 13 years away and could plausibly be 16, the extra three years are worth more than any realistic improvement in return. Stretching the deadline is usually the cheapest lever available — see the goal planner.

Every monthly amount over 15 years

Same 15-year term, different instalments, all at 12% a year.

Different monthly amounts over 15 years at 12% a year
MonthlyYou investProjected valueIn today’s money
₹1,000₹1,80,000₹5,04,576₹2.11 L
₹2,000₹3,60,000₹10,09,152₹4.21 L
₹5,000₹9,00,000₹25,22,880₹10.53 L
₹10,000₹18,00,000₹50,45,760₹21.05 L
₹15,000₹27,00,000₹75,68,640₹31.58 L
₹25,000₹45,00,000₹1,26,14,400₹52.64 L
₹50,000₹90,00,000₹2,52,28,800₹1.05 Cr

Questions people actually ask

How much will I have after 15 years of SIP?

At 12% a year: ₹25,22,880 from ₹5,000 a month, ₹50,45,760 from ₹10,000, and ₹1,26,14,400 from ₹25,000. The full table is above.

These are projections from a rate you chose, not forecasts. Run them three points lower before relying on them.

Is 15 years long enough for equity?

Generally yes. 15 years contains multiple market cycles, which is what equity needs to work as intended.

The usual refinement is to shift progressively into debt over the final two or three years, so the outcome is not decided by whatever the market does in the month you need the money.

What is a 15-year SIP worth after inflation?

At 6% inflation, the ₹10,000-a-month projection of ₹50,45,760 is worth about ₹21.05 L in today's money.

Over 15 years that gap is 58% of the headline figure, which is why any long-horizon plan should be read in real terms.