Mutual Fund Calculator
Project your mutual fund returns including SIP contributions, expense ratio impact, and CAGR.
| Scenario | Final Value | Total Returns | Difference |
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Project how a lump-sum investment plus monthly SIP contributions could grow in a mutual fund, and see exactly how much the expense ratio and exit load eat into your final return.
How Mutual Fund Calculator Works
The calculator grows your initial investment using standard monthly compounding, and adds the future value of your recurring SIP contributions using the future-value-of-an-annuity formula. It runs this calculation twice — once using the gross annual return rate, and once using a "net" rate equal to the return rate minus your expense ratio — so the gap between the two results isolates exactly what the ongoing fund fee costs you in dollar terms.
Once the net (post-expense) value is calculated, an exit load — a one-time redemption fee some funds charge if you sell within a certain holding period — is deducted as a percentage of that net value to arrive at your final payout. Total returns are simply that final value minus everything you actually put in (initial investment plus all SIP contributions).
CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is then derived by solving (final value ÷ total invested)^(1/years) − 1, giving you a single annualized percentage that reflects the real return you earned after fees — comparable directly against other investments' quoted returns. A comparison table reruns the same numbers at 0% (no fees), your entered expense ratio, a high-cost 1.5% fund, and a low-cost 0.05% index fund, so you can see the long-run cost of fees side by side.
See It In Action
Who Uses Mutual Fund Calculator and Why
- Projecting how a lump-sum investment plus a monthly SIP could grow over a specific number of years toward a goal.
- Seeing in dollar terms how much a fund\'s expense ratio actually costs you over a long holding period, not just as a percentage.
- Comparing a low-cost index fund against a higher-cost actively managed fund using the same contribution and return assumptions.
- Estimating the impact of an exit load if you might redeem the investment before the fund\'s minimum holding period.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Comparing two funds\' "total returns" without running both through the same net-of-fee calculation — a fund with a higher headline return but a much higher expense ratio can leave you with less money after fees than a cheaper fund with a slightly lower gross return.
- Forgetting the exit load is deducted only once, at redemption, from the net (post-expense-ratio) value — not applied annually like the expense ratio.
- Assuming the CAGR shown is the fund\'s advertised return — it\'s calculated on your actual net result after both the expense ratio and exit load, so it will typically be lower than the gross annual return rate you entered.
Tips for Best Results
- Use the built-in 0.05% and 1.5% comparison rows to get a feel for how much of a difference expense ratio alone makes over your specific time horizon, independent of which fund you\'re actually considering.
- If you\'re unsure how long you\'ll hold the investment, check the exit load impact at a shorter time horizon too — some funds only charge it if redeemed within the first year.
Fixing Common Problems
My final value seems much lower than a simple compound-interest estimate. — That gap is very likely the expense ratio and exit load — both directly reduce your net result compared to the gross return rate, and the calculator\'s breakdown shows exactly how much each one costs in dollars.
Terms Explained
SIP (Systematic Investment Plan): A fixed amount invested into a mutual fund on a regular schedule, typically monthly, rather than as one lump sum.
Expense ratio: The fund\'s ongoing annual management fee, expressed as a percentage of assets, that\'s subtracted from your effective return every year it\'s held.
Exit load: A one-time redemption fee some funds charge if you sell your holding, often only if you sell before a minimum holding period.