How this calculation works
Choose your target date as a number of years from today, then compare investing now with a later start. The delayed SIP ends on that original target date, so it has fewer contributions. The catch-up amount divides the start-now target by the growth factor available during the shorter period. This is a contribution-planning comparison; it does not assume the money you did not invest disappeared or earned nothing elsewhere.
Worked example
This example uses illustrative inputs. Your current result is shown above.
At zero return, ₹5,000 a month over 10 years produces ₹6,00,000. Waiting 3 years leaves 84 contributions and ₹4,20,000. Reaching the same ₹6,00,000 target in those 84 months requires approximately ₹7,142.86 a month.
Assumptions and limits
- Contributions are fixed and made at the start of each month; both scenarios finish on the same date.
- The delay has no investment contributions. Money not contributed during the delay is outside this comparison; the corpus gap includes missed contributions.
- The annual return is an assumption and can be negative. No inflation, tax, exit load or investment fees are deducted separately.
- A delay reaching or exceeding the whole period leaves no contribution months. A positive target is then unreachable through a monthly SIP.
Questions people ask
Does the corpus difference mean I lost that much investment growth?
No. It includes the contributions you did not make during the delay as well as their modelled growth. Compare the contribution totals before interpreting the difference.
What happens if I delay until the target date?
There are no SIP instalments left. A positive start-now target cannot be reached by increasing a monthly SIP with no months remaining. A zero contribution produces a zero target.
Why is the return converted to a monthly rate?
The entered return is effective over a full year. Its monthly equivalent is (1 + annual return / 100)^(1/12) − 1, so twelve months reproduce that same annual assumption.