Monthly Income Scheme – A Quick Guide To Monthly Income Plan

Every month your salary is credited. You pay for expenses and save some of them. But what happens when that income stops? Or is your primary income enough for emergencies? The immediate response may be a term plan, but they pay a lump sum to the nominee at maturity or upon death. But one must look past them and invest in mutual funds via Monthly Income Plan. Monthly income from mutual funds provides regular cash inflow to investors for an extended period even after retirement. Let us see how they work.

What are Mutual Fund Monthly Income Plans?

Monthly Income Plans (MIPs) are investment schemes designed to provide regular income to investors. These plans typically invest in a mix of debt and equity instruments, offering a balance between stability and potential growth. 

MIP mutual funds invest money in low-risk securities like preference shares, dividend stocks, and fixed-income securities. MIPs are ideal for those seeking consistent income with relatively lower risk compared to equity investments.

Key Features and Benefits of a Mutual Fund Monthly Income Plan

1. Regular Income: MIPs aim to provide a steady stream of income, usually on a monthly basis, making them suitable for retirees or those seeking supplementary income.

2. Low Risk: With a significant portion of investments in debt instruments, MIPs offer relatively lower risk compared to equity-focused funds

3. Open-ended scheme: MIP is an open-ended scheme, meaning you don’t have to pay any processing or entry fee while investing in a Monthly Income Plan. Further, it features an exit fee of less than 1% of the total investment amount. 

4. High liquidity: MIPs don’t carry a lock-in period, which allows you to withdraw your investment to meet any financial emergency.

5. No investment limit: Unlike many other investments, Monthly Income Plans don’t have an upper limit on the amount that you can invest. You can invest any amount that fits your financial goals.

Types of Mutual Fund Monthly Income Plan

There are two types of Monthly Income Plans that one can invest in:

• Dividend-based MIP Mutual Funds

These monthly income schemes pay monthly dividends to the investors. However, the fund house has to pay taxes on dividends, so the amount investors receive is dividend minus dividend distribution tax. These are ideal for investors looking for regular pay-outs.

• Growth-based MIP Mutual Funds

These MIPs do not make regular payments to the investors. Instead, the fund house adds all profits to the capital. Investors receive their share of capital and profits when they redeem their fund units. Growth-based MIPs are best for investors looking to create wealth over the long term.

Mutual Fund Monthly Income Plan Terms and Conditions

A Monthly Income Plan’s terms vary depending on the insurer. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Minimum and Maximum Entry Age

The minimum age to enter a MIP is 18 years, but some insurance providers have minimum age set to 0 years. The maximum age to get a MIP range from 50 to 65 years.

• Maturity Age

You can easily get a MIP for 60 to 80 years.

• Premium Tenure

Premium payment tenure is generally between 5 to 15 years.

• Policy Tenure

Policy tenure ranges from 10 to 30 years.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Investing in Mutual Fund Monthly Income Plan

Before you go ahead and invest in MIP mutual funds, there are some things you should note:

• Dividend Payments

Investors only receive dividends if the fund makes profits. Also, investors receive only a part of their share in dividends because AMCs keep the rest for future payments in case of negative performance.

• Growth

If you want to build a corpus over time, you can opt for growth option. Any profit would be added to the NAV of mutual funds instead of being distributed as dividend.

• Taxation

Income from MIP is taxable under short-term and long-term laws for capital gains. If you redeem units before three years, you pay short-term gains tax in your bracket. Long-term gains tax applies on units’ redemption after three years.

On the other hand, dividends are not taxable for investors because the fund house already pays dividend distribution tax. 

Wrapping Up

Monthly Income Plans provide monthly income from mutual funds, which makes them great for investors looking for a stable source of income. MIPs are particularly a life-saver for senior citizens and retirees as they get to invest in mutual funds with monthly returns giving a cash inflow to meet their expenses in old age. 

MIPs are also a perfect monthly income scheme in mutual funds to leave behind a legacy for your family. Upon death, nominee family members continue to receive monthly income from mutual funds till the term expires.

If you plan to invest your money completely online, check out Moneyfy by Tata Capital. Moneyfy is a one-stop platform for you to invest in mutual funds, FDs, insurance plans, and pension schemes. Visit the Moneyfy website, register, and start investing today.