What is a "realistic" expectation on carried interest as part of comp package?

Seems like once you reach the VP/Director of Acquisitions level, receiving carried interest as a portion of comp package becomes more standard.

I'm curious as to how this piece of the comp stack is quantified (which I'm assuming could be highly lucrative depending on the performance and number of deals bought/sold).

Is it typically a % of the promote piece that is sliced off and provided? I'm assuming that getting a "piece of the promote" does not require that the employee actually contribute equity to the deal, but rather gets a piece of the back end for acquiring, managing, creating value, and ultimately divesting.

My first is a fairly typical owner/operator using LP equity to capitalize every deal. Value add, generally pursuing deals in the high teens LIRR range in a 3-5 year hold scenario.

Small deal team, I am one of 4 acquisitions VPs. I am in the process of acquiring an off market deal from a group that I used to formerly work for, with the potential to buy additional deals off market from them programmatically. My company is super happy, but the reality is smiles and back patting doesn't mean jack unless there's money to be made. My thought is to ask for a % of the acquisition fee (1%) and a % of the promote. Just not sure how much is typical.

8 Comments

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
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

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...”