What is the difference between Return of Capital vs. Return of Gain?
In a private equity fund, there are two main ways you get money back: return of your original investment (return of capital) and profits made by the fund (return of gain).
Imagine you put $100,000 into a fund. If the fund gives you $20,000 back, that's a return of your original $100,000 (return of capital). Now you have $80,000 left in the fund.
If the fund makes a profit, let's say $50,000 from selling a company, and they give you $10,000 of that profit, that's a return of gain. It's like your share of the profits. So now you've got $10,000 extra in your pocket .
For taxes, return of your original investment (return of capital) is usually not taxed. It's like getting back your own money. But the profit part (return of gain) is usually taxed as capital gains.
This means you pay taxes on the profit you've made, like when you sell something for more than you bought it for.