How Common is it to Get Carry at the VP level in Credit??

As it says in the title, how common is it to get carry at the VP level on the credit side of a PE fund? I've been talking to a few recruiters and it seems to be a bit all over the place - surprisingly more notable firms haven't offered it while smaller ones have. Curious if it's moreso because I'm looking on the credit side rather than the PE side or if it's just generally all over the map as a VP. 

17 Comments
 

Got it. I've been talking to one that is not offering carry. Is there a good way to figure out the equivalent when negotiating comp? Or is there any flexibility to push for it? It's a somewhat known name so I was a bit surprised when they said it's not on offer. I'm just not really sure how to account for that when evaluating an offer. 

 
Most Helpful

Can share that for a VP1 it's around 50bps standard carry - the carry pool is roughly ~0.75% of AUM. So on a $10B AUM fund, annual carry could be ~375k range, vesting over 3 years (vesting varies across shops, but def haven't seen anything in DL longer than 5 years).I've seen VPs grow their carry to 100bps or more over time depending on the relationship they have with Partners and how much of a role they play in each fund (if there are multiple pockets of capital they're investing out of). Every fund has different economics. As far as I know, Partners are allocated a certain amount of carry (500-750 bps, for example), that they can allocate to their VPs. But idk, it doesn't feel like it's that standardized overall.Having said that, some shops (ie Ares) don't even give out carry to VPs anymore - they just make up for it with higher total comp. There are benefits and drawbacks to each. Personally, I think the carry model does a good job of aligning incentives. My sense is that shops that focus on the carry aspect of comp are more long-term minded, versus origination machines that pay purely on production.

 

Corporis qui dolores aut et. Amet exercitationem repellendus tempore tempora esse molestias. Reiciendis cum nisi provident veniam. Fuga pariatur eveniet non voluptatem. Neque eos eum dolores consequatur dolores nisi voluptatum. Et voluptas ut omnis minima non quas.

Delectus facilis nam sed quo explicabo veritatis rerum. Temporibus doloremque deserunt ut esse nobis sunt. Optio quae sit qui ratione mollitia officiis et. Doloribus maiores eum perferendis dolor vel ut libero. Ut incidunt modi eius aut rerum iure.

Et eum architecto a facilis. Culpa et iste facilis dicta assumenda consequatur quia. Eaque atque quam laborum. Inventore ipsa atque aliquam voluptas.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”