Which free calculator should I start with?

If you are still investing, start with the SIP calculator: it shows what a monthly SIP grows to and how much of that is tax and inflation. If you are planning to retire early, the FIRE number calculator tells you the corpus to aim for. If you already have a corpus, the withdrawal rate simulator shows how long it lasts at 4%, 5% or 6% a year.

How much will a ₹10,000 monthly SIP be worth in 20 years?

At a 12% annual return, ₹10,000 a month for 20 years grows to about ₹99.9 lakh, of which ₹24 lakh is your own money. After long-term capital-gains tax it is about ₹90.6 lakh, and at 6% inflation that is worth roughly ₹28 lakh in today’s rupees.

How do I calculate my FIRE number in India?

Take your yearly expenses at the date you plan to retire, inflated from today, and divide by your withdrawal rate: at 4% that is 25 times the expenses. Then add big costs that come on top, like a house or children’s education, at their future cost. ₹80,000 a month today, 15 years out at 6% inflation, needs a core corpus of about ₹5.75 crore at 4%.

Is the 4% withdrawal rule safe for Indian retirees?

It depends on the gap between your return and inflation. On a ₹5 crore corpus earning 9% with 6% inflation, a 4% withdrawal lasts the full 30 years with about ₹11.7 crore left, while 5% runs out in year 29 and 6% in year 22. Indian inflation is higher than the US data the rule came from, so many early retirees plan on 3% to 3.5%.

Do these calculators include tax?

The SIP calculator estimates long-term capital-gains tax on equity mutual funds at 12.5% above the ₹1.25 lakh yearly exemption. The FIRE and withdrawal tools work in pre-tax rupees, so keep a margin for tax on what you withdraw.

Worked answers

SIP, FIRE and the 4% rule: six questions, worked out

Vishal Wealth View · Educational, not advice

These are the questions people ask most about our free calculators. Each answer uses the same formulas as the calculators themselves, so you can put in your own numbers and check it.

In this post

Which calculator should I start with?
What will ₹10,000 a month be worth in 20 years?
How do I work out my FIRE number?
Is the 4% withdrawal rule safe in India?
Are the calculators free, and do they include tax?

Which calculator should I start with?

It depends on where you are. Each calculator answers one question, so start with the one that matches yours.

Where you are	Start with	What it tells you
Still investing every month	SIP calculator	What your SIP grows to, after tax and inflation
Planning to retire early	FIRE number calculator	The corpus to aim for, big costs included
Retired, or close to it	Withdrawal rate simulator	How long your corpus lasts at 4%, 5% or 6%

What will ₹10,000 a month be worth in 20 years?

At 12% a year, ₹10,000 a month for 20 years grows to about ₹99.9 lakh. That is where most calculators stop. Two things come off it before it is money you can spend.

₹24 lakhYour own money, over 240 months

₹99.9 lakhWhat it grows to at 12% a year

₹28 lakhAfter tax, in today’s rupees

Step	Amount
You invest (240 × ₹10,000)	₹24.0 lakh
Value at 12% a year	₹99.9 lakh
LTCG tax, 12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh	−₹9.3 lakh
After tax	₹90.6 lakh
In today’s rupees (6% inflation)	₹28.2 lakh

Tax takes about a tenth of the final value. Inflation takes far more: at 6% a year, prices more than triple in 20 years, so ₹90.6 lakh then buys roughly what ₹28 lakh buys today. That last line is the one to plan with.

The SIP calculator runs the same sums on your own amount, return, years and inflation.

How do I work out my FIRE number?

Your FIRE number is the corpus that can pay your expenses for the rest of your life. It takes three steps.

Inflate today’s expenses to the year you retire. ₹80,000 a month is ₹9.6 lakh a year today. At 6% inflation, in 15 years that is about ₹23 lakh a year.
Divide by your withdrawal rate. At 4% that is 25 times your yearly expenses: ₹23 lakh × 25 is about ₹5.75 crore.
Add the big costs that come on top, such as a house or children’s education, at what they will cost when you pay for them, not what they cost today.

The withdrawal rate moves the answer more than anything else. The same ₹23 lakh a year needs:

Withdrawal rate	Multiple of yearly expenses	Core FIRE number
4%	25×	₹5.75 crore
3.5%	28.6×	₹6.57 crore
3%	33.3×	₹7.67 crore

The FIRE number calculator does all three steps, with a house and children’s costs at future prices.

Is the 4% withdrawal rule safe in India?

It depends on the gap between what your money earns and inflation, not on the return alone. Take a ₹5 crore corpus earning 9% a year, with each year’s withdrawal rising 6% to keep your lifestyle the same, over 30 years:

Rate	First year	After 30 years
3%	₹15 lakh	₹25.3 crore left
3.5%	₹17.5 lakh	₹18.5 crore left
4%	₹20 lakh	₹11.7 crore left
5%	₹25 lakh	Runs out in year 29
6%	₹30 lakh	Runs out in year 22

One percentage point is the difference between a corpus that keeps growing and one that runs out. The rule came from US data, where inflation was lower than India’s, and it was built for 30-year retirements. Retire at 40 and the money may need to last 50 years. That is why many Indian early retirees plan on 3% to 3.5%.

These are fixed-return projections. Real returns arrive unevenly, and a crash in the first years of retirement does more damage than the same crash later on. Read the table as the shape of the problem, not a promise.

Try your own corpus in the withdrawal rate simulator, or read where the 4% rule came from.

Are the calculators free, and do they include tax?

Are they really free?

Yes. Every calculator runs in your browser, needs no sign-up, and stores nothing you type.

Do they include tax?

The SIP calculator takes off long-term capital-gains tax on equity mutual funds: 12.5% on gains above the ₹1.25 lakh yearly exemption. The FIRE and withdrawal tools work in pre-tax rupees, so keep a margin for the tax on what you withdraw.

Nothing here is investment advice. See the disclaimer.

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