Expense Ratio

6 Mins

What is Expense Ratio in Mutual Fund?

The expense ratio or annual fund operating expenses is a ratio that measures the per-unit cost of managing a fund. Simply put, it is a ratio of the fund’s total expenses and it’s an asset under management. Say, an expense ratio of 2% per annum means that each year 2% of the fund’s total assets will be used to cover the operating expenses of the funds.

As per SEBI regulations, mutual funds are permitted to charge certain operating expenses for managing a fund. In order to manage a fund, in-depth knowledge of the market is required. A group of people, being fund managers, analysts, etc. manages the fund in order to generate better returns for the investors. These guys track the markets and the companies in the fund’s portfolio.

The expense ratio will be higher in a case where the asset under management of a fund is lower. Alternatively, the ratio will be lower in case the fund has a higher asset under management.

Components of Expense Ratio

The cost incurred by the fund house is recovered from the investor on a day-to-day basis. This is informed to the investors on a six-monthly basis. The expense ratio has an impact on your take-home return.

Management Fee: Investments made by the fund are dependent on the decisions taken by the fund managers. Fund managers are professionals and possess decades of experience in the same field.
The management fee is basically compensation for these managers for their expertise. Generally, .5% – 1% is deducted as a management fee of the total asset under management.
Administrative Charges: These are the costs incurred for managing the fund. This includes customer support, client communication, etc. and is dependent on the total assets of the fund.
12-1B Distribution Fee: A 12-1B fee is an annual marketing or distribution fee on a mutual fund. This is considered as a part of the operational expenses of the fund and is included in the total expense ratio.

How to Calculate Expense Ratio?

The ratio is calculated by dividing the total expenses incurred by the average value of the portfolio.

Expense Ratio Formula

Expense Ratio = Total expenses ÷ Average value of the portfolio

Lets’ understand the same with the help of an example :

Suppose there is a fund house that has an asset under management worth Rs. 5 crores. In order to manage the fund, the fund house charges management fee, administrative fee along with some other expenses amounting to Rs. 5 lakhs.

The TER for this fund would be calculated as below :

TER = 5 lakhs/5 crores = 1%

To clarify the above further, 1% is basically the amount of the total assets that need to be paid out in order to manage the fund.

Of course, the return earned on the above investments by the fund house has to be more in order for you to not lose any money.

Suppose the fund has earned a return of 15% on the investment and if 1% is the expense ratio, then you would earn a return of 14%.

Importance of Expense Ratio

Expense-ratio indicates the per-unit cost of managing the funds which are calculated by dividing the total expenses by the total assets under management.

The higher the ratio, the higher the funds are being incurred in-order to manage the fund. A lower ratio indicates that lower resources are being used to manage the same assets.

If there is a higher expenseratio, the take-home return will be lower and vice versa.

Recommended Read: Mutual Fund Charges

Impact of Expense Ratio on Fund Returns?

The expense ratio indicates how much the fund house charges annually to manage the investment portfolio. Before distribution to the investors, these charges are deducted from the revenue earned by the fund house.

Since this has a direct relation with the return that is earned, it is important to carefully analyze the mutual funds before investing.

Suppose if you have invested Rs. 50,000 in a fund that has an expense ratio of 2%, that means you need to Rs. 1000 to the fund house to manage your investments.

Implications of Expense Ratio

Since the it is a charge against the return earned by you, it is important to analyze the implications of the same carefully.

A higher ratio means a lower take-home return for you. It is to be noted here that it has to direct relation with the management of the fund. Simply put, a higher ratio does not necessarily mean that the fund is managed better and hence higher profits are generated. Mutual funds which have lower ratio who have trained professionals as a part of their team can yield higher return as well.

In the direct plan of the mutual fund, one buys the funds directly from the mutual fund company. In case of a regular plan, one buys through an advisor and is paid a commission by the mutual fund company. This is then recovered as a part of the expense ratio of the plan. Hence it is important to evaluate the funds carefully.

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Expense Ratio Limit by SEBI

AUM (In INR Crore)	TER for equity funds	TER for debt funds
0 – 500	2.25%	2%
500 – 750	2%	1.75%
750 – 2,000	1.75%	1.5%
2,000 – 5,000	1.6%	1.35%
5,000 – 10,000	1.5%	1.25%
10,000 – 50,000	Starts at 1.5% and goes down by 0.05% for every rise of INR 5000 cr in AUM	Starts at 1.25% and goes down by 0.05% for every rise of INR 5000 cr in AUM
>50,000	1.05%	0.80%

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the expense ratio deducted daily?

The NAV is calculated after deducting the expense ratio. And NAV is published daily by the fund houses. Hence this ratio is deducted daily from the NAV of the fund. If the fund’s TER is 2.25%, then this means that the fund will charge 2.25% for managing your investment. Since the NAV is published every day, the fund house will deduct 2.25% from the NAV.

Does expense ratio matter?

It is a fee that fund houses charge for managing mutual funds. It includes brokerage, commission, registrar fee, transaction costs, selling and marketing expenses, and management and advisory fee. SEBI has capped the TER for all mutual funds. For equity funds, the maximum TER that can be charged is 2.25%. For debt funds, the maximum is 1.75%. If the TER of a fund is 1.25%, then this means that the fund will charge 1.25% for managing your investment. This ratio is deducted from the NAV. Hence the profits are reduced to the extent of the TER. Therefore ratio is also an important parameter to consider while investing in mutual funds.

What is a good expense ratio for a mutual fund?

There is no definite number that qualifies as a good ratio. However, a fund with a lower TER may generate higher returns for the capital.

Are expense ratios deducted automatically?

Yes, the TER is deducted automatically.

Can I avoid expense ratio?

No, you cannot avoid TER. Managing a mutual fund comes with a cost. The fund management charges for managing the investor’s assets. Thus, if you are investing in a mutual fund you cannot avoid the expense ratio.

Does NAV include a fund’s expense ratio?

NAV is calculated after deducting the expense ratio.