SIP for a down payment with a hard date
Write the booking month before the return
“Buy a house someday” is not a SIP brief. “Need about ₹15 lakh by June 2029 for down payment and registration buffer” is. Count the months, set that tenure in the SIP calculator, and solve for the monthly amount at a return you would defend if markets are dull—not a brochure peak.
De-risk as the date nears
Equity SIP maths for a token due in under three years is fragile. Prefer a larger savings/FD share for near dates; use equity-leaning SIPs only when the horizon is long enough that you can shift to safer parking in the last 12–24 months. The FD calculator helps size the parking bucket once you stop fresh equity instalments.
Do not borrow the emergency fund for the token
If the only way the SIP “works” is emptying the emergency corpus the week you book, the date or the budget is wrong. Keep EMI affordability and the down-payment SIP on the same salary worksheet so the home does not create a second crisis.
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.