Eyeing Rs 1 crore in 10 years? See what it really takes

Summary: One investor asked if a Rs 15,000 SIP could reach Rs 1 crore in 10 years. We ran the numbers, tested the returns and uncovered insights that might surprise even seasoned investors. So, before you plan your path to a crore, read this. A curious investor recently asked: “Where and how much should I invest to target a corpus of Rs 1 crore in 10 years? I have started recently and invest Rs 15,000 every month in SIPs.” This is the kind of question that pops up everywhere, from dinner tables to office chai breaks. Who does not dream of seeing seven zeroes in their portfolio in just a decade? But whether this ambitious goal stands on firm ground depends on three critical levers: time, the amount invested and, of course, the returns earned. Let’s peel the layers to see if this dream is within striking distance. The 10-year reality check To keep things realistic—and steer clear of wishful thinking—the past decade was closely examined using 10-year rolling returns across various mutual fund categories. For each, a straightforward approach was tested: a monthly SIP of Rs 15,000, once with no annual increase and once with a 10 per cent annual step-up. This helped estimate the corpus one might expect based on category average returns over the last 10 years. The outcomes are captured in the table below. How far does Rs 15,000 SIP go in 10 years? Category 10-year average return Corpus after 10 years (no step-up) Corpus after 10 years (10 % step-up) Large Cap 11.6% ~32.9 lakh ~48.1 lakh Mid Cap 15.1% ~39.7 lakh ~56.7 lakh Small Cap 16.1% ~41.9 lakh ~59.4 lakh Flexi Cap 12.6% ~34.7 lakh ~50.4 lakh Large & MidCap 13.3% ~36 lakh ~52.1 lakh Value Oriented 14.2% ~37.8 lakh ~54.3 lakh 10-year category average rolling returns considered over the last 10-year period Turns out, even the top performers (small-cap funds) would have taken this investment to only around Rs 42 lakh without any step-ups. With a 10 per cent step-up, the most generous scenario nudges close to Rs 59 lakh. So, how much longer to reach that crore? Below is how long it would typically take (based on past average returns) to hit Rs 1 crore with a Rs 15,000 SIP, both without any step-up and with a 10 per cent annual step-up. How many years to reach Rs 1 crore? Cate

This article was originally published on July 09, 2025.