Mutual fund calculator: returns after costs, tax and the direct-plan difference
Most return calculators stop at a pre-tax figure. This mutual fund calculator follows your money to the day you redeem: it grows a monthly SIP, a one-time lumpsum or both (with an optional yearly step-up), subtracts the scheme’s expense ratio, applies the exit load to units bought recently, and works out capital-gains tax instalment by instalment for equity, debt or other funds. The result is what lands in your bank account, also shown in today’s money.
Every scheme in India comes in a direct plan and a regular plan. They hold the same portfolio, but the regular plan’s expense ratio includes the distributor’s commission. The calculator runs both side by side, so you can see the direct vs regular plan gap grow year by year. Switch to Plan for a goal to find the SIP or lumpsum a target needs instead.
Rules are dated and editable. Mutual funds are subject to market risk; the figures are estimates at a constant return, not investment or tax advice.
How to use the Mutual Fund Calculator
- Choose Project returns or Plan for a goal (the goal-based SIP calculator), and which plan to highlight.
- Enter a Monthly SIP, a One-time lumpsum or both, the Annual SIP step-up and the Investment period. For a goal, enter the target, any amount already invested, and whether the target is in today’s money.
- Set the Expected return before expenses and the two expense ratios from the scheme’s factsheet, plus inflation.
- Under When you redeem everything at the end, choose the fund type, your slab rate and the exit load. Open Tax rates used to change a rate.
- Read the value, gains, exit load, tax and in-hand amount, compare the plans in the table, then download the yearly figures as CSV.
Mutual Fund Calculator features
SIP + lumpsum together
Model a starting lumpsum and a step-up SIP in one projection.
Direct vs regular plan
Two expense ratios run side by side, with the rupee cost of the higher one and how much it compounds.
Tax lot by lot
Each instalment gets its own holding period, so recent SIPs are short-term while older ones are long-term — the first-in, first-out treatment used for SIP redemptions.
Exit load on recent units
Only units still inside the exit-load period are charged.
Goal planner
The monthly SIP (with step-up) or lumpsum a target needs in each plan, with the target grown by inflation if you like.
How the numbers are worked out
The return after expenses is the expected return minus the plan’s total expense ratio (TER); a fund deducts its TER from the NAV daily, so the published return of each plan is already net of it. The annual return is turned into an equivalent monthly rate, so 12% a year compounds to exactly 12%. Instalments go in at the start of each month.
Example: ₹1,00,000 invested once for 10 years in a scheme earning 12% before costs. The direct plan with a 0% TER grows to ₹3,10,585; the regular plan at a 1% TER reaches ₹2,83,942 — ₹26,643 less from one percentage point. As an equity fund held over 12 months, the direct plan’s gain of ₹2,10,585 is taxed at 12.5% above ₹1,25,000 plus 4% cess: ₹11,126, leaving ₹2,99,459.
A ₹10,000 SIP redeemed after only 12 months shows the other side: all 12 instalments are short-term and inside a 1% exit-load period, so ₹1,27,665 becomes ₹1,25,060 after ₹1,277 of exit load and ₹1,329 of tax.
Mutual fund tax rules used (as of October 2026)
These rates apply from 23 July 2024, were not changed by the 2025 or 2026 Budgets, and continue under the Income-tax Act, 2025 from 1 April 2026. Exchange-listed ETFs can have different holding periods. Health and education cess of 4% is added; surcharge on these gains is capped at 15% and is not included.
| Fund type | Long-term after | Long-term rate | Short-term rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity-oriented (65%+ Indian equity) | 12 months | 12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh a year | 20% |
| Specified debt fund (over 65% debt, bought from 1 April 2023) | Never | — | Your slab rate |
| Other funds (gold, international funds of funds, some hybrids) | 24 months | 12.5%, no indexation | Your slab rate |
Expense ratio, direct plans and goals
- In AMFI’s September 2026 expense data the median equity regular plan cost about 1.2 points more than its direct plan (most gaps 0.7–1.6).
- Since 1 April 2026 SEBI caps a base expense ratio and charges statutory levies such as GST separately, so compare the total expense ratio of both plans.
- For a goal, the planner solves the future-value formula backwards. ₹10 lakh in 10 years at 12% after expenses needs ₹4,464 a month, ₹3,059 with a 10% yearly step-up, or ₹3,21,973 invested once. Enter what you have already invested for the goal: it grows at the same return, so ₹1 lakh today cuts the SIP to ₹3,077.
- Check the real return of an existing portfolio with the XIRR calculator, or plan a plain SIP with the SIP calculator and a single investment with the lumpsum calculator.
Mutual Fund Calculator FAQ
How does a mutual fund calculator work?
It compounds each SIP instalment and lumpsum at your expected return minus the expense ratio, then subtracts exit load and capital-gains tax on redemption. This mutual fund calculator also compares the direct and regular plans of the same scheme.
How much does a regular plan cost compared with a direct plan?
The difference is the gap in expense ratio, usually around 1 percentage point a year for equity schemes. Over 15 to 20 years that compounds to several per cent of your final value — enter both TERs to see the rupee amount.
How is tax on mutual fund redemption calculated?
Each purchase has its own holding period. For equity-oriented funds, gains on units held over 12 months are taxed at 12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh a year and the rest at 20%. Specified debt funds are taxed at your slab rate, and other funds at 12.5% after 24 months.
What is exit load?
A charge, often 1% of the redemption value, for selling units within a set period after buying them — commonly 12 months for equity funds. It is deducted from what you receive and lowers the taxable gain.
How much SIP do I need for ₹1 crore?
At 12% a year after expenses, about ₹21,000 a month for 15 years or ₹10,900 for 20 years. Use goal mode with your own return, step-up and inflation to get your figure.
Are mutual fund returns guaranteed?
No. NAVs move with the market, and real returns vary from year to year. Use conservative assumptions and test lower returns.