Mutual Fund Returns Calculator

Equity large-cap funds have delivered 11-13% over 10-year periods in India. Mid-cap 14-16%, small-cap 16-20% with higher volatility. Debt funds have delivered 6-8%. Hybrid / balanced-advantage funds have delivered 9-11%. Use these as the assumption baseline.

Yes — ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme) has a 3-year statutory lock-in from the date of each SIP / lump investment. Section 80C deduction available within the overall ₹1.5 lakh ceiling. ELSS returns are taxed at 12.5% LTCG after 1-year holding post 23 July 2024.

No — equity, hybrid and debt-fund returns are market-linked and not guaranteed. Sovereign funds (Gilt, G-Sec Constant Maturity) are low-risk but not principal-protected. The only guaranteed-return capital-protected products are bank FDs, post office schemes and PPF.

Equity funds typically levy 1% exit load for redemption within 1 year. Hybrid funds 1% within 1 year. Debt funds 0.25-1% within 6 months to 1 year. ELSS 0% (lock-in applies). Exit load reduces the effective return — calculator models this as a deduction.

From 1 April 2020, mutual fund dividends and distributions are taxed at slab rate in the hands of the investor (Section 50AA / 56). IDCW option is therefore often less tax-efficient than Growth option. Calculator shows Growth option return by default.

Direct plans are bought directly from the AMC (no distributor commission), saving 0.5-1.5% in expense ratio. Regular plans are bought through distributors / agents. For long-horizon investments, direct plans compound the difference into significant additional corpus. Calculator uses direct plan return by default.