Virtual Assistant Rate Calculator
Find the right rate for virtual assistant work — general admin, executive support, social media, bookkeeping, and beyond. Includes hourly, retainer, and package pricing benchmarks across experience levels and locations.
Calculate Your Rate
Inbox management, calendar coordination, travel booking, basic research.
Recommended hourly rate
$18 — $50/hr
Midpoint: $30/hr | General Admin (email, scheduling, data entry)
Rates by Service Type (US, mid-level)
| Service | Hourly Range | Monthly (20 hrs/wk) |
|---|---|---|
| General Admin (email, scheduling, data entry) | $18-$50/hr | $1,403-$3,897/mo |
| Executive Assistant | $35-$100/hr | $2,728-$7,794/mo |
| Social Media VA | $25-$75/hr | $1,949-$5,846/mo |
| Bookkeeping / Finance | $30-$85/hr | $2,338-$6,625/mo |
| E-commerce VA (Shopify, Amazon) | $25-$75/hr | $1,949-$5,846/mo |
| Project Management | $35-$95/hr | $2,728-$7,404/mo |
| Technical / Operations VA | $35-$100/hr | $2,728-$7,794/mo |
US-based VAs. Offshore rates (Philippines/SE Asia) typically run 30-40% of US rates.
Hourly vs Retainer vs Package
Hourly
Best for: ad-hoc work, new clients, undefined scope. Track every minute. No income predictability.
Monthly Retainer
Best for: established clients with consistent ongoing needs. Predictable income; usually 5-10% discount for commitment.
Package (e.g. 20 hrs)
Best for: clients testing the waters. Sell blocks of hours that expire monthly — protects against scope creep.
How to Set Your VA Rate
Virtual assistant rates vary more by service category than by hours worked. A general admin VA charges very differently from an executive assistant or a technical operations VA. Here's how to price the work:
- Price the specialty, not the task— "Inbox management for a CEO" is executive-assistant work ($50-$100/hr), not general admin ($18-$50/hr). Charge for the responsibility, not the keystroke.
- Retainers stabilize income — Once you have consistent ongoing clients, move them to monthly retainers with a 5-10% discount. Predictable income is worth giving up a small margin.
- Specialized tools = higher rates — Familiarity with QuickBooks, Zapier, HubSpot, Shopify, or Notion lets you charge 30-50% more than a generalist. Specialize early.
- Location sets the baseline, not the ceiling— US-based clients with US-based VAs pay $30-$75/hr. Offshore VAs often charge $8-$20/hr. If you're offshore but deliver US-equivalent quality, position yourself at $25-$40/hr — well above market, still a bargain for the client.
VA Rates by Service Type (US, mid-level)
General admin VA ($18-$50/hr) — Email, scheduling, data entry, travel booking, basic research. Entry-level work; high competition from offshore.
Executive assistant ($35-$100/hr) — C-suite support, board prep, complex calendar work, stakeholder coordination. Requires discretion and judgment; commands a major premium.
Social media VA ($25-$75/hr)— Content scheduling, community engagement, basic graphic design (Canva), monthly reporting. Not strategy — that's a social media manager.
Bookkeeping VA ($30-$85/hr) — QuickBooks/Xero, invoicing, expense categorization, reconciliation. Higher rates for VAs who also handle payroll or sales tax.
E-commerce VA ($25-$75/hr) — Shopify/Amazon listings, order processing, customer service tickets, inventory tracking. Platform-specific certifications boost rates.
Technical / operations VA ($35-$100/hr) — Zapier/Make automations, CRM admin, SOP documentation, light tech setup. Closer to operations consulting than admin work.
How to Move from $20/hr to $60+/hr
- Niche down— "VA for real estate agents" or "VA for podcasters" earns 2-3x more than "general VA". Niche knowledge means less training and faster output.
- Learn one specialized tool well — Zapier, Notion, HubSpot, Airtable, or QuickBooks. Tool fluency is a hard skill clients pay for.
- Build SOPs and document outcomes — Show clients how you saved them hours per week. Position yourself as a force multiplier, not labor.
- Move from tasks to outcomes— Instead of "I'll handle email," sell "inbox zero by 5pm daily." Outcome pricing supports higher rates.
- Stop hourly when you can — Retainers reward speed. The faster you finish, the higher your effective rate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a virtual assistant charge per hour?
US-based virtual assistants typically charge $18-$75/hr depending on specialty and experience. General admin VAs earn $18-$50/hr, social media and e-commerce VAs $25-$75/hr, and executive assistants or technical VAs $35-$100/hr. Offshore VAs (Philippines, Latin America) usually charge 30-50% of US rates.
Is it better to charge hourly or by retainer as a VA?
Retainers are better once you have a reliable ongoing relationship — they stabilize your income and reward you for getting faster. Hourly works best for new clients, ad-hoc projects, and undefined scope. Most established VAs run a mix: hourly for new clients, retainers for proven ongoing engagements (usually with a 5-10% discount).
What is a typical VA package?
Common packages are 10, 20, and 40 hours per month, billed up front and used within the month. A 10-hour package at $40/hr midpoint runs ~$380, a 20-hour package ~$720, and a 40-hour package ~$1,360 — each tier typically gets a steeper discount (5%/10%/15%) to reward larger commitments.
How do I justify charging $60+/hr as a VA?
Specialize in a niche (real estate, podcasting, SaaS founders), master one or two specialized tools (Zapier, HubSpot, QuickBooks), and sell outcomes rather than tasks. Clients paying premium rates aren't buying admin support — they're buying a fractional operations hire who removes work from their plate predictably.
Do offshore VAs really make $5-$10/hr?
Many do, especially on marketplaces like Upwork and Onlinejobs.ph. But experienced offshore VAs who position themselves as specialists (not generalists) regularly earn $15-$30/hr. The ceiling for offshore VAs has risen significantly as remote work has normalized — quality, communication, and tool fluency now matter more than location.