Do most PE firms offer carry?

Hi Guys,

Simple question and apologies if it is obvious. Do the majority of PE firms offer carry, or do some simply give a good salary + large bonus but no carry.

If they do offer carry, how many years experience does one need before they benefit from it?

Would be interested to hear how and if this varies largely from firm to firm.

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Just about every PE firm has carry… that’s why we’re here. Most start at the VP level, with others a little earlier at Senior Associate or a little later at Principal. A select few give it all the way down to first years (very rare) while others wait until Partner / MD level (also pretty rare). 
 

There are certain evergreen (ie permanent capital) funds that don’t do traditional carry, but there’s still incentive equity, usually an annual profit split based on IRR (closer to a hedge fund model) with additional distributions if / when they do exit

 

Noted, thanks for the reply!

Reason I asked is because I was recently offered a position with a REPE firm that paid a ‘spot bonus’ whereby everyone realised from the profits of an investment, normally each year. However, they didn’t mention anything about carry. Could be the same thing and I’m just being a bit stupid!

The spot bonus is low though (they said about 0.25% of salary, though they do pay a bonus of 100%).

 

Aperiam nulla perferendis quo deleniti adipisci neque ullam. Perspiciatis sapiente quia quos quia ut quas commodi aut. Sint tempore deleniti eos amet.

Ea suscipit neque inventore. Nihil et explicabo optio sunt. Dolor eius quidem est sed. Rerum minima ut esse corporis. Fugiat unde qui quibusdam dolorem in.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Ardian 98.9%
  • Blackstone Group 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (97) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (234) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (95) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (271) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (37) $80
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (351) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”