2022/23 Associate Compensation (All)

Other thread was focused on 1st Yrs, was earlier on in 2022 and felt a bit unspecific. Odyssey Report is out as well but presumably a lot of blending here across lower COL cities, etc and so am interested in seeing individual data points.

Please list in this format (feel free to exclude any lines you feel uncomfortable divulging) -

Size - MF/UMM/MM/LMM/Pension(SWE)/Growth/VC
Vertical - Generalist/Tech/Energy(Infra)/FIG/Consumer(Retail)/Industrials/RE
Deal Type - Buyout/Credit/SS(Opportunistic)/Secondaries
City - T1/T2/T3 
All-In Cash Comp (incl. Carry separately if you have it) - $x (y bps carry)
Level - AS1/AS2/AS3/SrAS1/SrAS2
MBA Promote Req? - Y/N
% Certainty - Confirmed/Guidance/LTM Data Point

I will start it off -

Size - MF
Deal Type - Buyout
City - T1
All-In Cash Comp (incl. Carry separately if you have it) - $350k
Level - AS1
MBA Promote Req? - N
% Certainty - LTM Data Point

123 Comments
 

Size: LMM

Vertical: HC

Strategy: Buyout/Roll-Up

City: T3

All-in Cash Comp: 90+10, 5% carry in one deal

Level - AS1 (early A2A)

MBA Promote req: N

% Certainty: 100%

 

Basically when I got my offer the HR person told me target comp is $300k and then insinuated it's usually higher but they didn't want to put that in writing. Folks on the desk confirmed I should expect closer to $350k. 

Ignore my title, I just started the gig after 2 years in banking. 

Also worth saying that we get paid a stub in December / January and then a full-year bonus the following year, hence me characterizing as AS0. I think that's the case with most PE funds so personally am careful when people say $350k all-in comp first year because I imagine that's really the LTM figure 1.5 years in. 

 

Very nice. Super curious on what culture is like at places that allow individual deal co-invest as opposed to fund... do you find that type of structure to actually be incentive-aligning at your workplace?

Specifically:

1. Does anyone @ IC ever ask "who's co-investing, show of hands" and have it be perceived as a negative if there isn't much interest?

2. Post-investment, do you find that deals w/ large co-invest interest take money off the table quicker than deals that do not? Re: re-financing in y2-3 to take out sponsor equity, special dividends, etc on cap table side and/or larger cost cuts & more consolidation on operating side. AKA stuff that returns initial capital quicker to de-risk, and/or stuff that inflates IRR in shortened-window but may cut down on overall MOIC

 
Most Helpful

At the end of the day, the carry is where all the real money is at. Don't get me wrong, co-invest is still something I appreciate a lot and it does help a bit with incentive alignment but it doesn't justify slaving away on deals for partners who don't really respect you or your time.

1. No. To be fair our ICs are typically contained to the deal team so you'd just be asking 1-2 associates and I could imagine that conversation could get kinda awkward. I think all VPs and above are required to co-invest in all deals.

2. I don't think so. I'd say co-invest interest is typically high. Many associates just invest in every deal because they figure it's better not to try betting on individual companies and you get better diversification on your portfolio. Can't speak to co-invest level of VP+. Our firm probably does a dividend recap every year or two (not that common). We are always trying to find ways to improve our IRR but I think that is typically in the context of the broader portfolio in general rather than a few companies with higher co-invest. 

 

Size - MF

Deal Type - Buyout

City - London 

All-In Cash Comp ( Carry separate) -£700k base+bonus

Level - VP

MBA Promote Req? - N

% Certainty - 90% it will be this number or higher

 

do you have any insight into if MF REPE pays the same as MF corp PE? Current senior in college who's trying to get as much info as possible on what field I should go into.  Thank you!

 

Good. Hours are still up there... 55-65? The important thing for me is flexibility. I'm not required to be in the office at any given time unless there is someone who needs me there, or a meeting, or something similar. But if I want to dip out early one day and I've gotten all my shit done? I just roll out, and they're generally respective of my time. Due to recruiting season (and a number of deals that I'm on which have been sitting at 98% now for weeks), I can't say the same about my time flexibility now, but overall they seem to actually encourage ASO+ to have a life. Analysts I can't speak for LOL

 

Size - MF
Deal Type - Credit
City - T2
All-In Cash Comp (incl. Carry separately if you have it) - $290k + $35k in mandatory 401k contribution + levered coinvest allocation (not needle-moving)
Level - AS1
MBA Promote Req? - N
% Certainty - 95%, with informal upside to wage inflation

 

Size - UMM
Vertical - Real Estate
Deal Type - Across The Spectrum
City - T1
All-In Cash Comp ($350K: $150K Base + $200K Bonus) | Received ~$1.5MM Worth Of Long-Term Carry With Year-End Promotion to SNAS1
Level - AS1
MBA Promote Req? - N
% Certainty - Confirmed

I need to get out of Dev.  Think the equivalent comp at my shop is in the 225-250 range. 350k is new VP money for us

How much YOE?

 

Interesting trend I noticed was only 1 of all the responses said their firm required an MBA for promote.

Don't break yourself on the way to making yourself
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Are you able to negotiate comp as an associate 1 at MF, or is it standardised? Also, do all funds give signing bonuses, or is that rare?

 

Sed ea exercitationem animi fugit quo adipisci. Qui repellat officiis dolor rerum ea veritatis accusamus. Labore vel quibusdam unde. Ducimus eius omnis vel ducimus. Pariatur corporis blanditiis ut architecto nam.

Pariatur deleniti cumque nobis et. Vel nostrum quo iste dolorem. Voluptatem reprehenderit dicta non assumenda rerum. Aliquid nostrum rerum accusamus. Accusantium tempore corporis consequatur ea. Voluptatem pariatur quia minima.

Provident laboriosam nostrum architecto rem vel dicta autem libero. Consectetur et voluptatibus aliquam. Natus voluptate nihil voluptas eius. Ad iste eveniet ex et rem facilis.

 

Qui aliquam quo laborum. Dolor minus nam explicabo recusandae culpa odit. Vel ea unde tempora quibusdam atque ut. Magni occaecati eveniet culpa sed in voluptate hic tempora. In qui aliquam et modi nobis. Sed delectus et voluptates cum.

Maiores hic dolorem et rerum ab inventore. Voluptatem modi voluptatem hic in et labore. Et enim itaque ut molestias dolores vel ut.

Fugiat sit id consequatur tempora sapiente. Et possimus hic consectetur similique consequatur error animi autem.

 

Quis et quia laboriosam modi animi consequatur. Facilis a voluptas ut ea. Qui id eveniet hic cum omnis quasi iure. Unde architecto vero quam. Optio quod quis quisquam dolor.

Laboriosam aut rerum nam ea. Aliquid sapiente fugiat consequatur facere eveniet iusto. Nostrum laborum commodi fugiat libero adipisci et. Dolore optio nobis ut blanditiis nam eius quidem. Fugit mollitia molestias molestiae unde.

 

Qui beatae nulla voluptas totam ea. Eos maiores molestiae neque ullam cumque quibusdam. Ut ipsum qui aut qui eaque mollitia. Voluptatum et et velit id aliquid ut. Dolor et deleniti illo tempora voluptas. Id autem fugit repellendus rerum dolorum commodi labore. Beatae expedita dolor voluptates consequatur et tempora.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.2%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (273) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”