Executive assistant pricing is one of those topics where the range is so wide it's almost meaningless unless you break it down by model. A virtual assistant off a marketplace costs $8–$20/hr. A top-tier New York EA costs $120,000+/yr all-in. A fractional AI-augmented partner sits somewhere between. Here's the full breakdown so you can compare apples to apples.
This is the traditional hire — a dedicated assistant on your payroll, usually based in the same city. The biggest advantage is full availability and deep context over time. The biggest cost is obvious.
| Item | US (major city) | US (mid-market) |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $70,000–$120,000 | $50,000–$75,000 |
| Payroll tax + benefits (~28%) | $20,000–$34,000 | $14,000–$21,000 |
| Equipment + software | $2,000–$4,000 | $1,500–$3,000 |
| Recruiting (one-time) | $8,000–$20,000 | $5,000–$12,000 |
| Year 1 total | $100,000–$180,000 | $70,000–$110,000 |
Right for you if: you genuinely need 35–40 hours/week of support, have management bandwidth, and are past the stage where payroll risk is a meaningful concern.
Platforms like Belay, Time Etc, or direct hires from Upwork or Fiverr. Rates range from $15–$65/hr depending on platform, experience level, and geography. The ceiling on quality is real — most marketplace VAs are generalists without the operational depth for complex founder-level support.
| Level | Hourly rate | Monthly cost (20 hrs/wk) |
|---|---|---|
| Offshore / entry-level | $8–$18/hr | $640–$1,440 |
| Mid-level US/UK virtual | $25–$45/hr | $2,000–$3,600 |
| Senior / specialist | $50–$75/hr | $4,000–$6,000 |
Right for you if: your tasks are clearly defined, relatively simple, and don't require deep strategic context or AI-augmented workflow management.
Agencies like Boldly, Worxbee, or EA-focused staffing firms offer pre-vetted assistants with a managed service layer. You pay a premium for quality assurance and faster matching — typically $2,500–$6,000/month for 20 hours/week of support.
Right for you if: you want vetting and reliability guarantees without taking on a direct hire, and budget is not the primary constraint.
This is a newer category — a senior-level operations partner who uses AI workflows to handle the high-volume, repetitive cognitive load (triage, drafting, scheduling automation, meeting summarisation) while personally managing the judgment-layer tasks that need a human. The AI multiplier means one person can cover what would otherwise require 2–3 support hires.
| Scope | Monthly cost | Effective hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Core (inbox + calendar) | $1,500–$2,500 | Effectively $15–$25/hr equivalent output |
| Full stack (+ meeting intelligence) | $2,500–$4,500 | Effectively $12–$20/hr equivalent output |
Right for you if: you need senior-level judgment and reliable execution but aren't at the volume or stage where a full-time hire makes sense. Typically the best fit for founders, solo GPs, and agency owners at the $1M–$10M revenue stage.
Before pricing out any model, answer this: how many hours per week of genuinely delegable work do you actually have? Most founders overestimate this. Track it for one week before committing to a full-time hire you'll only use at 60% capacity. If the honest answer is under 25 hours/week, a fractional or part-time model almost always wins on economics and flexibility.
If you want a clear-eyed answer to that question for your specific situation, the 15-minute Time Audit is the right starting point.
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