Comparing two SIP amounts with the same tenure
Hold tenure and return fixed
To compare ₹10,000 vs ₹15,000 a month, lock the same years and the same expected return in the SIP calculator. The corpus difference is then mostly the extra principal plus compounding on that extra—not a magical rate change. If you also change tenure while you change the instalment, you no longer know which lever moved the result.
Translate the gap into take-home pain
Write the higher SIP against rent, EMI, and emergency-fund transfers. If the larger mandate only fits by deleting buffers, the bigger corpus on screen is fiction. Sometimes a middle amount plus a modest step-up beats an aggressive flat SIP you will pause in month seven—check that path in the step-up calculator.
Use scenario compare when the tool offers it
Where the SIP calculator supports side-by-side scenarios, park both amounts and read corpus vs amount invested. Past returns still are not promises; the point is sizing the habit you can keep for the full tenure.
Results from FinanceChacha are estimates for planning, not financial or tax advice. Read the disclaimer.
Try the calculators
Open a calculator this guide refers to and run your own numbers.