Quick answer: To start a SIP online in India you need your PAN, an Aadhaar-linked mobile number and your bank details. Complete mutual fund KYC once (it is valid across all AMCs), choose a scheme that matches your goal and risk profile, set a monthly amount — many schemes start at ₹500 — pick a SIP date, and authorise auto-debit. The whole setup is paperless on apps like PCJ Wealth, and India now sees monthly SIP contributions of over ₹32,000 crore from 10+ crore contributing SIP accounts (Source: AMFI monthly data).
Step 1 — Keep three things handy
PAN card, your Aadhaar-linked mobile number (for OTP verification), and your bank account details — account number and IFSC. That's all the setup requires for most investors.
Step 2 — Complete KYC once
Mutual fund KYC is a one-time process. Online, it typically means verifying your PAN, confirming your details via Aadhaar OTP, and in some cases a short selfie or video verification. Once your KYC status is verified, it works across every AMC and platform in India — you never repeat it for each fund house. If you have invested in mutual funds before, you are likely already KYC-verified and can skip straight to choosing a scheme.
Step 3 — Choose where you'll invest
You can invest through a distributor's app, directly with each AMC, or via industry platforms. A distributor app has two practical advantages: all your schemes across AMCs sit in one portfolio view, and there is a human to call. Whichever route you pick, check the entity behind the platform is actually registered — an AMFI ARN for distributors (ours is ARN-63632, verifiable on amfiindia.com) or SEBI registration for brokers. Our checklist: how to choose a mutual fund app.
Step 4 — Pick a scheme for your goal, not a chart
Match the scheme category to your time horizon and comfort with ups and downs — equity funds for long horizons, hybrid or debt categories for shorter ones. Read the scheme's objective, costs (expense ratio) and riskometer in the scheme documents — not just last year's return. If you'd like help comparing, a PCJ Relationship Manager can walk you through options across 40+ AMCs; the decision stays yours.
Step 5 — Set the amount, date and auto-debit
Choose your monthly amount (many schemes accept ₹500; per-scheme minimums govern), pick a SIP date near your salary credit, and authorise the auto-debit mandate from your bank. Your first instalment may take one cycle to begin depending on mandate approval — after that it runs automatically.
Step 6 — Track, step up, review
Check your instalments and portfolio value in the app, and consider an annual step-up — increasing the SIP amount as your income grows is the single simplest upgrade to a plan. Use XIRR to read your true return, and review when your goals change rather than with every market move. Try the SIP calculator for illustrative projections (illustrations, not promised returns).
Play with the numbers before you start
An illustration of monthly investing — drag the sliders.
This is an illustration at the return rate you set above, compounded monthly for SIPs and annually for lumpsum. It is not a promise, forecast or guarantee of any return. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks; read all scheme related documents carefully.
Start your SIP on PCJ Wealth
Paperless KYC, schemes from 40+ AMCs, your whole portfolio in one view — and a dedicated RM behind the app. From PCJ Holdings, AMFI-registered distributor (ARN-63632), serving investors across India — Delhi NCR to every state — since 2006.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many schemes accept SIPs from ₹500 per month and some from as low as ₹100. Each scheme's offer document sets its own minimum.
Yes. SIPs are not lock-ins — you can pause, modify or stop them (ELSS instalments carry a 3-year lock-in per instalment; exit loads may apply on early redemption in some schemes).
No. Mutual fund units can be held in a folio with the AMC without a demat account. A demat account is needed only if you prefer holding units in demat form or invest in ETFs on the exchange.
A SIP is a way of investing, not a product — your money goes into a market-linked mutual fund scheme, so returns are not guaranteed. SIPs reduce timing risk by spreading purchases over months, but the underlying market risk remains. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks; read all scheme related documents carefully.
Pick a date comfortably after your salary credit so the auto-debit never bounces. Long-term, the specific date matters far less than staying invested.
Direct plans have lower expense ratios and no distributor service; regular plans include distribution commission in the expense ratio and come with a distributor's service and support. Which suits you depends on how much hands-on help you want — see our direct vs regular guide.
Keep reading: SIP investment guide — how SIPs work · SIP vs lumpsum · Lumpsum investing guide · The PCJ Wealth app
This article is for education only and is not investment advice or a recommendation of any scheme. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks; read all scheme related documents carefully. PCJ Holdings Pvt. Ltd. is an AMFI-registered mutual fund distributor (ARN-63632).