
A ₹5,000 monthly SIP looks small on day one, but time and compounding can turn it into a serious long-term corpus. Below is a simple, numbers first view of how long it can take to approach ₹1 crore under different annualised return assumptions. This is for informational purposes only.
At a 10% annualised return assumption, the SIP journey is longer, but the compounding still does the heavy lifting over time.
What stands out here is the gap between what is invested and what the corpus becomes. The invested amount is ₹17.40 lakh, while the remainder is growth over time.
A small increase in annualised return can shorten the timeline meaningfully, because compounding accelerates faster in later years.
Here, the time required drops to 26 years, and the invested amount is lower than Scenario 1 because the horizon is shorter. Yet the final corpus is higher in your numbers.
At a 15% annualised return assumption, the compounding curve steepens further and the time to approach ₹1 crore reduces again.
This scenario highlights the strongest time advantage. The invested amount is ₹13.20 lakh, while the rest is growth, achieved over a shorter period compared with the other scenarios. The calculation is done using SIP Calculator.
Read More: 30% Saving Rule and SIP Calculator: Targeting A ₹1.5 Crore Retirement Corpus!
These are illustration-based timelines using the figures provided and are meant only for informational understanding.
A Systematic Investment Plan works on a straightforward idea. You invest a fixed amount every month, and each contribution gets time to grow. The longer the period, the more the compounding effect begins to dominate the outcome. That is why the same ₹5,000 SIP can land at very different end values depending on return and time.
To keep the illustration clean and comparable across scenarios, the following are assumed:
A SIP calculator is a helpful tool to visualise how compounding can work across time. However, returns are not fixed year after year, and real world outcomes can differ from assumed annualised rates. Use such calculations as a planning reference, not as a certainty.
Disclaimer: This blog has been written exclusively for educational purposes. The securities or companies mentioned are only examples and not recommendations. This does not constitute a personal recommendation or investment advice. It does not aim to influence any individual or entity to make investment decisions. Recipients should conduct their own research and assessments to form an independent opinion about investment decisions.
Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme-related documents carefully.
Published on: Feb 13, 2026, 4:22 PM IST

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