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Mutual Fund Expense Ratio Calculator

What a higher expense ratio costs over the years, for a SIP or a one-time investment

Investment and costs

How you invest

What the portfolio earns before the fund takes its expenses. An assumption, not a forecast.

For example a scheme's direct plan. Every fund publishes its TER on its factsheet and website.

For example the same scheme's regular plan, whose TER includes the distributor's commission.

₹10,000 a month for 20 years at 12% before costs grows to ₹93.4 lakh at a 0.5% expense ratio and ₹81.76 lakh at 1.5%: the 1.5% plan ends ₹11.64 lakh lower.

Cost of the higher expense ratio

₹11,63,698

Corpus at 0.5%
₹93,39,666
Corpus at 1.5%
₹81,75,968

12.5% of the final corpus, on ₹24,00,000 invested.

How the gap builds

Invested
₹24,00,000
Net return at 0.5%
11.5% p.a.
Net return at 1.5%
10.5% p.a.
Gap after year 5
₹22,016
Gap after year 10
₹1,28,847
Gap after year 15
₹4,32,552
Gap after year 20
₹11,63,698
Difference at the end
₹11,63,698

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How this is calculated

Formula

FV = P × [((1 + i)ⁿ − 1) / i] × (1 + i), with i = (g − TER) ÷ 12

g
= return before costs, a year
TER
= total expense ratio, a year
n
= number of monthly instalments

With your numbers

  1. 1Net return, plan Ag − TER(A)12% − 0.5% = 11.5%
  2. 2Net return, plan Bg − TER(B)12% − 1.5% = 10.5%
  3. 3Grow eachFV at each net return₹93,39,666 and ₹81,75,968
  4. 4The costFV(A) − FV(B)₹93,39,666 − ₹81,75,968 = ₹11,63,698
Cost of the higher expense ratio₹11,63,698
  • The expense ratio is taken out of the fund’s assets every day, so it comes off the return rather than being billed. Over a year that removes very nearly the TER from the return, which is the convention here.
  • Because the cost comes off the return, it compounds: the gap grows faster than the money invested.
  • Exit loads, the fund’s own trading costs and tax are not included, and a fund’s TER can change over time.

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Terms used here

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