The Company is party to an investment advisory and management agreement (the “investment advisory and management agreement”), with its investment adviser, Ares Capital Management. Subject to the overall supervision of the Company’s board of directors and in accordance with the Investment Company Act, Ares Capital Management provides investment advisory and management services to the Company. For providing these services, Ares Capital Management receives fees from the Company consisting of a base management fee, a fee based on the Company’s net investment income (“income based fee”) and a fee based on the Company’s net capital gains (“capital gains incentive fee”). The investment advisory and management agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party.

Effective June 21, 2019, in connection with the Company’s board of directors’ approval of the modification of the asset coverage requirement applicable to senior securities from 200% to 150%, the investment advisory and management agreement was amended to reduce the Company’s annual base management fee rate from 1.5% to 1.0% on all assets financed using leverage over 1.0x debt to equity. For all assets financed using leverage up to 1.0x debt to equity, the annual base management fee rate remains at 1.5%. The base management fee is based on the average value of the Company’s total assets

The income based fee is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears based on the Company’s pre-incentive fee net investment income, as defined in the investment advisory and management agreement, for the quarter. Pre-incentive fee net investment income means interest income, dividend income and any other income (including any other fees such as commitment, origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees or other fees that the Company receives from portfolio companies but excluding fees for providing managerial assistance) accrued during the calendar quarter, minus operating expenses for the quarter (including the base management fee, any expenses payable under the administration agreement, and any interest expense and dividends paid on any outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the income based fee and capital gains incentive fee accrued under GAAP). Pre-incentive fee net investment income includes, in the case of investments with a deferred income feature (such as market discount, debt instruments with PIK interest, preferred stock with PIK dividends and zero coupon securities), accrued income that the Company has not yet received in cash. The Company’s investment adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse the Company for any part of the income based fee it received that were based on accrued income that the Company never actually received.

Pre-incentive fee net investment income does not include any realized capital gains, realized capital losses, unrealized capital appreciation, unrealized capital depreciation or income tax expense related to realized gains and losses. Because of the structure of the income based fee, it is possible that the Company may pay such fees in a quarter where the Company incurs a loss. For example, if the Company earns pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the hurdle rate (as defined below) for a quarter, the Company will pay the applicable income based fee even if the Company has incurred a loss in that quarter due to realized and/or unrealized capital losses.

Pre-incentive fee net investment income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of the Company’s net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness and before taking into account any income based fee and capital gains incentive fee payable during the period) at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, is compared to a fixed “hurdle rate” of 1.75% per quarter. If market credit spreads rise, the Company may be able to invest its funds in debt instruments that provide for a higher return, which may increase the Company’s pre-incentive fee net investment income and make it easier for the Company’s investment adviser to surpass the fixed hurdle rate and receive an income based fee based on such net investment income. To the extent the Company has retained pre-incentive fee net investment income that has been used to calculate the income based fee, it is also included in the amount of the Company’s total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed funds) used to calculate the base management fee.

•100% of the Company’s pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect to that portion of such pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than 2.1875% in any calendar quarter. The Company refers to this portion of its pre-incentive fee net investment income (which exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than 2.1875%) as the “catch-up” provision. The “catch-up” is meant to provide the Company’s investment adviser with 20% of the pre-incentive fee net investment income as if a hurdle rate did not apply if this net investment income exceeded 2.1875% in any calendar quarter; and

The capital gains incentive fee is determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each calendar year (or, upon termination of the investment advisory and management agreement, as of the termination date) and is calculated at the end of each applicable year by subtracting (a) the sum of the Company’s cumulative aggregate realized capital losses and aggregate unrealized capital depreciation from (b) the Company’s cumulative aggregate realized capital gains, in each case calculated from October 8, 2004 (the date the Company completed its initial public offering). Realized capital gains and losses include gains and losses on investments and foreign currencies, gains and losses on extinguishment of debt and from other assets, as well as any income tax and other expenses related to cumulative aggregate realized gains and losses. If such amount is positive

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company is required by GAAP to record an investment at its fair value as of the time of acquisition instead of at the actual amount paid for such investment by the Company (including, for example, as a result of the application of the asset acquisition method of accounting), then solely for the purposes of calculating the capital gains incentive fee, the “accreted or amortized cost basis” of an investment shall be an amount (the “Contractual Cost Basis”) equal to (1) (x) the actual amount paid by the Company for such investment plus (y) any amounts recorded in the Company’s financial statements as required by GAAP that are attributable to the accretion of such investment plus (z) any other adjustments made to the cost basis included in the Company’s financial statements, including PIK interest or additional amounts funded (net of repayments) minus (2) any amounts recorded in the Company’s financial statements as required by GAAP that are attributable to the amortization of such investment, whether such calculated Contractual Cost Basis is higher or lower than the fair value of such investment (as determined in accordance with GAAP) at the time of acquisition.

There was no capital gains incentive fee payable to the Company’s investment adviser as calculated under the investment advisory and management agreement for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024. In addition, in accordance with GAAP, the Company had cumulatively accrued a capital gains incentive fee of $84 as of June 30, 2025. GAAP requires that the capital gains incentive fee accrual consider the cumulative aggregate unrealized capital appreciation in the calculation, as a capital gains incentive fee would be payable if such unrealized capital appreciation were realized, even though such unrealized capital appreciation is not permitted to be considered in calculating the fee actually payable under the investment advisory and management agreement. This GAAP accrual is calculated using the aggregate cumulative realized capital gains and losses and aggregate cumulative unrealized capital depreciation included in the calculation of the capital gains incentive fee plus the aggregate cumulative unrealized capital appreciation, net of any expense associated with cumulative unrealized capital depreciation or appreciation. If such amount is positive at the end of a period, then GAAP requires the Company to record a capital gains incentive fee equal to 20% of such cumulative amount, less the aggregate amount of actual capital gains incentive fee paid or capital gains incentive fee accrued under GAAP in all prior periods. As of June 30, 2025, the Company has paid capital gains incentive fee since inception totaling $133. The resulting accrual for any capital gains incentive fee under GAAP in a given period may result in an additional expense if such cumulative amount is greater than in the prior period or a reversal of previously recorded expense if such cumulative amount is less than in the prior period. If such cumulative amount is negative, then there is no accrual. There can be no assurance that such unrealized capital appreciation will be realized in the future.

Cash payment of any income based fee and capital gains incentive fee otherwise earned by the Company’s investment adviser is deferred if during the most recent four full calendar quarter period ending on or prior to the date such payment is to be made the sum of (a) the aggregate distributions to the Company’s stockholders and (b) the change in net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness and before taking into account any income based fee and capital gains incentive fee payable during the period) is less than 7.0% of the Company’s net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness) at the beginning of such period. These calculations will be adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases. Any income based fee and capital gains incentive fee deferred for payment are carried over for payment in subsequent calculation periods to the extent such fees are payable under the terms of the investment advisory and management agreement.

The services of all investment professionals and staff of the Company’s investment adviser, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services to the Company, and the compensation and routine overhead expenses of such personnel allocable to such services, are provided and paid for by the Company’s investment adviser. Under the investment advisory and management agreement, the Company bears all other costs and expenses of its operations and transactions, including, but not limited to, those relating to: organization; calculation of the Company’s net asset value (including, but not limited to, the cost and expenses of any IVP); expenses incurred by the Company’s investment adviser payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, in monitoring the Company’s financial and legal affairs and in monitoring the Company’s investments (including the cost of consultants hired to develop information technology systems designed to monitor the Company’s investments) and performing due diligence on the Company’s prospective portfolio companies; interest payable on indebtedness, if any, incurred to finance the Company’s investments (including, but not limited to, payments to third party vendors for financial information services); offerings of the Company’s common stock and other securities (including, but not limited to, costs of rating agencies); investment advisory and management fees; administration fees payable under the administration agreement; fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, relating to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments in portfolio companies, regardless of whether such transactions are ultimately consummated (including, but not limited to, payments to third party vendors for financial information services); transfer agent and custodial fees; registration fees; listing fees; taxes; independent directors’ fees and expenses; costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents required by governmental bodies (including the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)); the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs; to the extent the Company is covered by any joint insurance policies, the Company’s allocable portion of the insurance premiums for such policies; direct costs and expenses of administration, including auditor and legal costs; and all other expenses incurred by the Company or its administrator in connection with administering the Company’s business as described in more detail under “Administration Agreement” below.

The Company is party to an administration agreement (the “administration agreement”) with its administrator, Ares Operations. Pursuant to the administration agreement, Ares Operations furnishes the Company with office equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services at the Company’s office facilities. Under the administration agreement, Ares Operations also performs, or oversees the performance of, the Company’s required administrative services, which include, among other things, providing assistance in accounting, legal, compliance, operations, technology and investor relations, being responsible for the financial and other records that the Company is required to maintain and preparing all reports and other materials required to be filed with the SEC or any other regulatory authority, including reports to stockholders. In addition, Ares Operations assists the Company in determining and publishing its net asset value, assists the Company in providing managerial assistance to its portfolio companies, oversees the preparation and filing of the Company’s tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to its stockholders, and generally oversees the payment of its expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to the Company by others. Payments under the administration agreement are equal to an amount based upon the Company’s allocable portion of Ares Operations’ overhead and other expenses (including travel expenses) incurred by Ares Operations in performing its obligations under the administration agreement, including the Company’s allocable portion of the compensation, rent and other expenses of certain of the Company’s officers (including the Company’s chief compliance officer, chief financial officer, chief accounting officer, general counsel, secretary, treasurer and assistant treasurer) and their respective staffs. The administration agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party.