Entry Load was a fee charged at the time of investing in a mutual fund — deducted from your investment amount upfront. SEBI abolished entry loads in India in August 2009.
Until 2009, AMCs charged investors an entry load — typically 2.25% of the invested amount — deducted before units were allotted. So investing ₹10,000 with 2.25% entry load meant only ₹9,775 actually bought units. SEBI banned entry loads on August 1, 2009 after recognising that they incentivised distributors to churn investors' portfolios for commissions. Today, 100% of your invested amount goes directly to purchase mutual fund units.
In the old days, the moment you invested ₹10,000 in a fund, 2.25% was cut as a fee — so only ₹9,775 actually got invested. This was the entry load, and it benefited distributors. SEBI abolished this in 2009. Today, every rupee you invest goes fully into buying units. Entry load is relevant only as historical context when reading about pre-2009 mutual fund performance data.