How much should independent virtual assistants charge?
Independent VAs usually start with an hourly rate, then convert it into a monthly retainer once a client wants ongoing hours — retainers typically run 10-15% below the equivalent hourly total as a loyalty discount for guaranteed monthly hours, so get your hourly number right first.
Estimate your rate
A starting point for virtual assistant services — adjust to your own numbers.
~$61.30 / hour
Formula: (target income + expenses) ÷ (billable hours/week × 50 working weeks). This is a starting estimate, not a guarantee — adjust for local market rates.
What moves the rate
- Specialization (general admin/inbox management sits at the low end; executive assistance, project management, or niche skills like real estate transaction coordination or bookkeeping support command a premium)
- Client location and market (US-based clients paying a US-based VA typically budget well above offshore-VA rates, since they're comparing against a US in-house hire, not an offshore agency)
- Task complexity and tools required (managing a CRM, running paid ad accounts, or handling e-commerce order fulfillment justifies a higher rate than calendar scheduling and data entry)
- Availability and responsiveness expectations (same-day turnaround or overlapping business-hours availability commands more than async, flexible-schedule work)
- Pricing model (hourly gives clients budget uncertainty; a monthly retainer for a set number of hours is more predictable for both sides and is what most established VAs move toward)
- Experience and reliability track record (a VA with client testimonials and 2+ years of steady contract work can charge meaningfully more than someone taking their first client)
Base rate set at $35/hr, inside the $25-60/hr band reported for US-based independent VAs doing general-to-specialized admin work (general admin runs $15-25/hr, but that figure is dominated by offshore agency pricing rather than independent US contractors; specialized/executive-level VAs run $35-75/hr). typicalRateRange (25-65) spans a new US-based generalist VA's starting rate to an experienced specialist's ceiling, deliberately excluding sub-$15 offshore-agency pricing since that's not the audience setting their own rate here. The $1,300/yr expense default covers a project-management/time-tracking tool and a scheduling/invoicing tool (~$400-600/yr combined), a reliable high-speed internet and computer/headset setup amortized annually (~$400-500/yr), and optional professional liability insurance or a contractor-focused business bank account fee (~$200-300/yr) — this is a low-overhead, laptop-based business with no vehicle or physical equipment costs, similar in structure to bookkeeping.