SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan) – Guide to SWP in Mutual Funds
SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan) – Guide to SWP in Mutual Funds
Sushil Bajaj |
3 October 2025 |
📅 Last Updated on: October 4, 2025
In a mutual fund investment, there is what is called SWP(Systematic Withdrawal Plan) that gives investors the option to receive a desired amount directly in bank at regular interval which could be montly, quarterly or annually.
However, how does this help?
For example, if an investor wants to receive regular returns automatically in bank for their day-to-day expenses without touching their original lump sum, or prefers to use the compounded growth of the fund itself to meet ongoing financial needs.”
What is the Systematic Withdrawal Plan, how does it work, and what are it’s benefits, and limitations? Let’s find out insightful information without wasting anymore time.
What is SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan)
Consider it this way: In technical merit, an SWP is a type of mutual fund feature to facilitate investor withdrawal of a set amount of money ideally under a certain period of time. Such duration could be quarterly, monthly, or yearly. Furthermore, the investor has the freedom to choose their convenience of how much and how often to withdraw money for their SWP offering.
This methodology is most helpful for individuals seeking to manage income, retirement planning, or benefit from the astounding value of compounding due to the disciplined nature of it.
Let Understand SWP with Examples
Scenario 1: Fixed SWP Amount of Rs. 10000/month from 16 lakhs investment
If you invest ₹16,00,000 in a mutual fund and opt for an SWP of ₹10,000 per month, assuming 12% annual returns, your capital not only sustains withdrawals but also grows over time.
Time Horizon: 10 Years (120 Months)
Monthly Withdrawal: ₹10,000
Annual Return Assumed: 12%
In this option, you withdraw a fixed amount (e.g., ₹10,000) every month irrespective of time. The withdrawals remain constant, while the corpus continues to grow based on market returns
Period
Fixed SWP Amount
Corpus after SWP ₹10,000
5 Years
₹10,000
₹20.16 Lakh
10 Years
₹10,000
₹27.50 Lakh
15 Years
₹10,000
₹40.43 Lakh
20 Years
₹10,000
₹63.22 Lakh
25 Years
₹10,000
₹1.03 Crore
Scenario 2: Increasing SWP Amount
Here, your monthly withdrawal amount increases gradually over time (e.g., starting at ₹8000 and rising 5% each year). This helps your income keep pace with inflation while the corpus still grows.
Period
Increasing SWP Amount
Corpus after Increasing SWP
5 Years
₹10,210
₹21.17 Lakh
10 Years
₹12,884
₹28.35 Lakh
15 Years
₹16,247
₹38.51 Lakh
20 Years
₹20,497
₹53.27 Lakh
25 Years
₹25,682
₹75.24 Lakh
Key Takeaways of SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan)
Here we have listed few key features of SWP that define the definition in simplified way:
It’s a disciplined approach to fetch parts of funds regularly (set duration of time)
Investors can select time, frequency, and amount of capital for withdrawal.
You have the option to withdraw either a fixed amount or just the capital appreciation.
The strategy is suitable for investors with strong compounding or seeks regular incomes.
Benefits of SWP
With the advantages of compounding, and systematic withdrawal of your money, here are some of the key benefits of the SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plans).
Regular Income: SWP takes away issues of receiving regular, steady income, by offering a regular, continual amount retirees or others wanting a systematized payout from an investment.
Flexibility: Investors have all flexibility to choose the pulling frequency of their SWP (quarterly, monthly, yearly) and the amount to pull out. Secondly, investors also have the freedom of stopping their investment at any time, or inject further capital into the investments outside of the specific SWP amount.
Taxation: Based on the type of investment account and tax circumstance, SWP investors can avail tax relaxation benefits. If one chooses to opt out for an SWP, investors get relief on the tax deducted at source. However, capital gains tax will be applied according to the withdrawal amount and mutual fund type. Here is a brief overview at the capital gains tax applied on different types of mutual funds:
Type
Short-Term Capital Gains Tax
Long-Term Capital Gains Tax
Equity Mutual Funds
20%
12.5% tax after 1.25 Lac ecemption limit
Balanced Mutual Funds
20%
12.5% tax after 1.25 Lac ecemption limit
Debt Mutual Funds
As per tax slab
20% after Indexation
Rupee Cost-Averaging: For investors who focus on withdrawing a specific amount, SWP can help in averaging out the impact of market fluctuations. To gain good profit, it is super important to redeem units during the uptrend of the market. Markets do not always remain in an upward or downward trend, hence if you redeem your units during the good market time, it can potentially minimise the risk of selling during the market downturns.
Convenience: SWP sets the fixed amount of redemption within a fixed period of time, automating the complete process, making it easy for investors to receive regular payout without any fuss.
Limitations of SWP
Let’s study few limitations of Systematic Withdrawal Plans (SWP) consists of:
Market Risk: Aforesaid during the rupee averaging, during the selling of units for withdrawals, SWP is exposed to market risks. If the investors square off and place withdrawals during the downturn, it can cause loss in the investment.
Timing Risk: The timing is vital when considering SWP. If the redemption is opted out when the market is down, it can lock in losses. After all, if it’s not profitable, it is a loss-loss deal.
Tax Implications: Although if the market is up during the time of SWP withdrawal, investors can reap several benefits. However, as per the nature of investment and holding period, withdrawals may attract capital gains tax that can cause loss in overall net returns.
Inflation Risk: If, in case, the withdrawal amount does not keep up with the inflation, the withdrawal amount may lose its value over time.
Fund Selection Risk: Selecting the right mutual fund for Systematic Withdrawal Planning is super important. Investing in a fund with low returns or high expenses can affect the success of the SWP strategy.
Perks and Setbacks of Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP)
Here let’s make a comparison between both benefits and limitations of SWP in simplified way:
Factors
Benefits of SWP
Limitations of SWP
Market Risk
Provides regular income
Exposure to market fluctuations can impact corpus
Timing Risk
Allows flexibility in withdrawals
Poor timing of withdrawals can lock in losses
Impact on Returns
Enables customization of withdrawal frequency and amount
Regular withdrawals may reduce overall returns
Tax Implications
Tax-efficient compared to other income sources
Withdrawals may attract capital gains tax
Inflation Risk
Offers potential for inflation-adjusted income
Failure to adjust withdrawal amount for inflation can erode purchasing power
Fund Selection
Can be used to manage cash flow efficiently
Choosing the wrong fund can impact returns and effectiveness of SWP
How does SWP Mutual Fund work?
Systematic Withdrawal Plan, also abbreviated as SWP, is a feature offered by mutual funds that helps investors reap their interests on their invested amount via offering a choice of withdrawing specific amounts. Investors can easily select the time, frequency, and amount of withdrawal as per their needs, keeping it as a secondary source of income.
Here we have listed step-by-step guide on how SW mutual fund works:
The investors research and select a mutual fund.
In the next phase, open an account with the fund house, broker, or demat account.
Start with investing a lump sum amount in a mutual fund scheme and specify the amount of withdrawals along with other components such as frequency (annually, monthly or quarterly).
The plan will withdraw a fixed number of units from your investment periodically, as per your plan selection.
The redeemed amount is transferred to your bank account.
With every withdrawal, the remaining amount stays invested in the mutual fund scheme.
The mutual fund will keep selling some of your investment units regularly to give you the money you want, until you stop the withdrawals or you run out of money in your investment.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan or SWP is a very handy and useful tool for mutual term investment, especially if you’re looking for a constant income source or strong source of compounding. Whether you are an experienced investor or amateur trader, investing in SWP is like keeping a retirement plan, useful when you have nothing in hand. Majorly there are no risks associated per se with SWPs, however with the underlying fund, there are few risks included.
Disclaimer:- Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, please read scheme related documents carefully before investing.
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