Simple enough question.
what do you consider a good bonus as a % of base salary at analyst, associate and VP levels. I guess beyond that becomes very specific to deals being brought in by the directors and MD.
Also whatever is considered good now; how did it compare to the 2000s as well as the 2010s in your opinion.
| +196 | Americas M&A League Table Q2 Updated | 77 | 18h |
| +142 | New Article: Dramatic Slide as UBS #22 (US) & New Leadership Desperately Needed | 37 | 6h |
| +128 | Restructuring: Anti-climactic Experience | 34 | 16h |
| +93 | IB Net Worth / Savings Check | 43 | 18h |
| +83 | Woman who emptied Knicks trashcan on street then stole it was DEI exec, worked at JPMorgan Chase | 22 | 43m |
| +78 | A COMPLETE GUIDE TO SUMMER INTERNSHIP RECRUITING | 12 | 3d |
| +56 | Stop sleeping on UBS - it’s pretty good | 15 | 3h |
| +50 | 2026 VAULT PRESTIGE RANKINGS | 29 | 2h |
| +39 | Investment Banking is Hard | 17 | 2d |
| +35 | AI + Financial Modelling | 12 | 39m |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Zero? Anything more than that is ... well, a bonus
Zero is the wrong answer. The bonus is part of your compensation, not some “extra” pat on the back. It is meant as an incentive, a way to differentiate those who had outsized impact, and a way to manage cash flows (from the firm’s perspective).
While you should not count on a bonus for something very important in your life, a no bonus is a sign that something is very wrong (with you or the firm), this isn’t a standard corporate job where most of your pay is in your salary.
As for the question above I would say “good/solid” is about 60-70% of your salary at the analyst level (so about $50-60k)
For associate I would go with 80-100%
At VP at many firms there starts to be differentiation (group dependent and cash/equity split). So you can end up with similar to associate or go significantly higher (I’ve seen people at VP get stuck at $330-350 all in due to group performance).
Keep in mind that the % can change as banks figure out how much they want to guarantee vs put in bonus. So mostly anchor to the total comp numbers (edit: I’m holding total comp ~150 for 1st yr analyst and ~300 for 1st yr associate as “good/fine”).
That would take away the whole point of IB since you can find many corporate jobs with similar base pays to IB but with a fraction of the hours and stress.
100% of base - EB Analyst
150% - 160% of base - EB associate
Is this a ‘good’ bonus or a top bucket/on the high end bonus? 1.5x salary for an EB Associate seems amazing ..
could you please provide some insight into what a mid bucket/good bonus for an Analyst and an Associate would be at a BB?
Harum dolorem nam sequi. Porro omnis omnis qui perferendis aut velit voluptatem. Consequuntur expedita explicabo vitae voluptatum.
Voluptas at beatae sapiente qui maxime earum architecto. Nemo dolor consequatur saepe et eligendi. Enim aspernatur animi delectus magni dolorum error magnam. Dicta repellat quis porro aperiam neque.
Praesentium voluptatem nostrum facilis consequatur voluptates. Ratione architecto quibusdam quas omnis rem. Placeat blanditiis modi corrupti iure consequuntur. Voluptas magni sint sapiente. Exercitationem laborum fugit nobis autem non sunt.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...