---
title: "How much does a virtual assistant cost in 2026? (US, UK, Canada, Australia)"
description: "Virtual assistant cost in 2026 across the US, UK, Canada and Australia: hourly rates, monthly plans, in-house comparisons and what moves a quote."
url: https://assistbpo.com/resources/how-much-does-a-virtual-assistant-cost-in-2026-us-uk-canada-australia/
updated: 2026-09-19
publisher: AssistBPO (SS Support Network LLC)
language: en-US
---

# How much does a virtual assistant cost in 2026? (US, UK, Canada, Australia)

Costs & comparisons · Data guide

By [Nimra Khalid](https://assistbpo.com/team/nimra-khalid/) · Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by [Issabela Masters](https://assistbpo.com/team/issabela-masters/)

10 min read · 2,292 words

Key takeaways

- A managed offshore virtual assistant typically costs $7 to $15 an hour, or $640 to $2,400 a month full time, per the Wishup 2026 cost guide.
- US-based assistants average $19.45 an hour on PayScale and $27.15 an hour on Indeed; premium US executive assistant services reach $65 an hour.
- An in-house assistant costs $4,700 to $9,100 a month once benefits, tax, equipment and office space are loaded in.
- UK, Canadian and Australian buyers pay more for onshore help (£25 to £45, C$25 to C$60 and A$39.90 to A$65 an hour) and less for managed offshore staff in their hours.
- Four things move a quote: hours, desks, coverage window and skill tier. Phones and compliance add to all four.
- Budget the first 90 days as an onboarding investment: month one is slower, months two and three are where the hours start paying back.

Virtual assistant cost in 2026 ranges from about $7 to $15 an hour for a managed offshore assistant to $65 an hour for a premium US executive assistant, based on the [Wishup 2026 industry report](https://www.wishup.co/blog/virtual-assistant-industry-report/) and published agency rate cards. A full-time managed assistant runs $640 to $2,400 a month. An in-house assistant costs $4,700 to $9,100 a month loaded.

## What are you paying for when you buy assistant hours?

Every quote is built from the same four parts, whichever country you are in.

1. **Where the assistant sits.** Onshore assistants in the US, UK, Canada or Australia cost two to four times more per hour than employed staff working from an offshore office in your time zone.
2. **Who employs them.** A freelancer bills you directly and carries no backup. A managed provider employs the assistant, supervises the work and covers absences. That supervision is a real cost and it shows up in the rate.
3. **How many hours.** Ad hoc hours cost the most per hour. Dedicated part-time (80 hours a month) and full-time (160 hours a month) plans cost the least per hour because the assistant is scheduled, not summoned.
4. **What the work is.** Inbox and calendar admin sits at the bottom of the range. Phones, customer support with tools like Zendesk, and specialist work such as insurance verification sit higher.

The market behind these numbers is large and still growing. The [Wishup 2026 industry report](https://www.wishup.co/blog/virtual-assistant-industry-report/) sizes human virtual assistant services at $6.5 billion in 2026, heading to $43.4 billion by 2035 at a 23.4 percent compound growth rate. Administrative assistants are the largest slice at 31.5 percent, and admin plus marketing work together make up more than 62 percent of assistant workloads. In plain terms: most buyers are paying for inbox, calendar, documents, social and content, and that is where the pricing is most competitive.

## How much does a virtual assistant cost in the United States?

The US has the widest spread because every model is on sale here: marketplaces, budget task plans, managed offshore staff, and premium onshore executive assistants.

| Option | Published range, 2026 | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US-based virtual assistant (average pay) | $19.45 an hour, range $12 to $30 | [PayScale](https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Virtual_Assistant/Hourly_Rate) |
| US-based virtual assistant (average pay) | $27.15 an hour | [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/career/virtual-assistant/salaries) |
| Managed offshore assistant | $7 to $15 an hour; $640 to $2,400 a month full time; $350 to $1,300 a month for 20 hours a week | [Wishup 2026 cost guide](https://www.wishup.co/blog/how-much-does-a-virtual-assistant-cost/) |
| Regional offshore bands | Philippines $4 to $17, Latin America $8 to $30, South Africa $4 to $15 an hour | [Wishup 2026 cost guide](https://www.wishup.co/blog/how-much-does-a-virtual-assistant-cost/) |
| Budget monthly plans | Wing from $499 a month; Zirtual from $549; Wishup $1,299 | Published plan pages, September 2026 |
| Premium US executive assistant services | Boldly $2,600 for 40 hours to $3,900 for 60 hours (about $65 an hour), $79 an hour for specialists; Athena $3,000 to $3,600 a month | Published plan pages, September 2026 |
| In-house executive assistant, loaded | $4,700 to $9,100 a month | Indeed data via the [Wishup 2026 report](https://www.wishup.co/blog/virtual-assistant-industry-report/) |
| In-house receptionist, median pay | $38,010 a year before benefits (May 2025 data) | [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/receptionists.htm) |

Three things stand out. First, “US-based” does not mean one price: PayScale and Indeed differ by almost $8 an hour on the same job title, because Indeed’s sample skews toward employed, full-time roles. Second, the offshore band is wide too, and the low end usually buys an unmanaged freelancer rather than employed staff with a backup. Third, the premium onshore services are priced close to an in-house hire, which is the point: they sell experience and US hours, not savings.

If your need includes phones, add the answering-service market to your comparison. [OnceHub’s September 2026 roundup](https://www.oncehub.com/blog/answering-service-cost) puts human answering plans at roughly $235 a month for 50 minutes up to $1,095 for 500 minutes, with overage at $2.95 to $4.70 a minute, while AI receptionists sit at $25 to $300 a month flat. A dedicated assistant who also answers the phone often replaces both line items.

## How much does a virtual assistant cost in the United Kingdom?

UK buyers use different words (virtual PA, diary management, telephone answering) and see different numbers, mostly because VAT and onshore salaries push the local rate up.

| Option | Published range, 2026 | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UK-based freelance virtual PA | £25 to £45 an hour; Society of Virtual Assistants surveys put most at £28 to £35 | Industry surveys, 2026 |
| UK-based employed virtual assistant (average pay) | £15.33 an hour | [PayScale UK](https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Virtual_Assistant/Hourly_Rate) |
| UK agencies | Virtalent about £28 an hour (£1,680 for 60 hours, rollover); SmartPA from £330 for 10 hours; Pink Spaghetti £35 to £40 an hour; AVirtual from £27 an hour | Published plan pages, September 2026 |
| Managed offshore, full time | £900 to £2,000 a month | 2026 UK cost guides |
| UK-based assistant, full time | £3,000 to £5,000 a month; experienced EA salary about £46,000 a year | 2026 UK cost guides |

The VAT point matters more than it looks. Most UK agencies are VAT registered, so a non-registered client pays 20 percent on top of the quoted rate. A £28 an hour plan is £33.60 in practice. Offshore providers registered outside the UK often do not charge UK VAT, which widens the gap further for sole traders and small partnerships that cannot reclaim it.

The other UK-specific cost is compliance. Any outbound marketing calls need TPS and CTPS screening under PECR, and any data transfer outside the UK needs the right contract clauses under UK GDPR. A good provider bakes both into the plan rather than charging for them separately.

## How much does a virtual assistant cost in Canada?

Canada sits between the US and the UK: onshore rates are high, most small businesses buy managed offshore plans priced in US dollars, and CASL makes outbound email and SMS the most regulated of the four markets.

| Option | Published range, 2026 | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Canada-based virtual assistant | C$25 to C$60 an hour; Toronto and Vancouver executive assistants up to C$75 | 2026 Canadian rate roundups |
| Managed offshore plan (what most SMBs buy) | US$699 to US$899 a month | 2026 Canadian rate roundups |
| US-based assistant, for comparison | $19.45 to $27.15 an hour | [PayScale](https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Virtual_Assistant/Hourly_Rate), [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/career/virtual-assistant/salaries) |

Two cost notes for Canadian buyers. Bilingual French coverage is a genuine premium; ask whether it is native fluency or “can read a French email”, and whether it is available on request or standard. And any commercial email or text your assistant sends must meet CASL express-consent rules enforced by the [CRTC](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/com500/faq500.htm), so outbound work is always done with lawful consent and do-not-call scrubbing. Providers who already run that process save you a compliance project.

## How much does a virtual assistant cost in Australia?

Australia’s buying criterion is time zone. Offshore staff who work AEST hours are the norm, and the price gap with local hires is the largest of the four markets.

| Option | Published range, 2026 | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Offshore managed agencies | A$8 to A$35 an hour (Virtual Coworker from A$8; DotVA up to A$35 for bookkeeping) | Published plan pages, September 2026 |
| Onshore Australian virtual assistant | A$39.90 to A$65 an hour | 2026 Australian rate roundups |
| Agency retainers | A$800 to A$3,000 a month | 2026 Australian rate roundups |
| Full-time offshore staff | A$22,000 to A$35,000 a year | 2026 Australian rate roundups |
| Local employee, loaded | A$91,000 and up a year | 2026 Australian rate roundups |

An A$35,000 a year offshore assistant working staffed AEST shifts versus an A$91,000 loaded local hire is the comparison most Australian owners run. The question to ask is whether the shift is genuinely staffed in your hours or whether you are being offered a partial overlap. For phones, ask about Do Not Call Register washing under the [ACMA rules](https://www.acma.gov.au/do-not-call-register) if any outbound work is in scope.

## Which pricing model fits your workload?

Match the model to the shape of the work, not to the headline rate.

| Model | Best for | Watch out for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hourly, pay as you go | Under 10 hours a month, irregular tasks | Highest rate per hour; no continuity |
| Hour bundles with rollover | 10 to 40 hours a month, variable | Unused hours often expire; check the rollover window |
| Dedicated part time (80 hours a month) | A steady half day of admin, inbox and calendar | Fixed schedule; make sure the hours match your peak |
| Dedicated full time (160 hours a month) | Admin plus phones or support, one named person | The best value per hour, so plan the work to fill it |
| Per minute or per call (phones only) | Low call volumes, overflow, after hours | Overage rates of $2.95 to $4.70 a minute add up fast |
| Team pod with a lead | Support queues, 24/7 coverage, seasonal peaks | Priced per seat; ask what the lead’s time covers |

A useful rule: if you are already spending more than 20 hours a month on hourly help, price a dedicated part-time plan. If your assistant would also answer calls, price the dedicated plan against your current answering-service bill, because one person can usually do both.

## What changes a quote? A checklist to send every provider

Send the same brief to every provider so the quotes line up. Copy this list.

- **Hours a month:** 40, 80 or 160, and whether they must be fixed or can float.
- **Desks:** admin only, or admin plus phones, support, sales follow-up, marketing, e-commerce or data.
- **Coverage window:** your local business hours, plus evenings, weekends or 24/7.
- **Time zone:** the exact overlap you need, in your local time.
- **Phones:** inbound answering, outbound reminders (with lawful consent and do-not-call scrubbing), or none.
- **Tools:** the CRM, help desk, phone system and calendar the assistant will work in.
- **Compliance:** HIPAA-trained staff and a BAA for healthcare, a data processing agreement for UK and EU data, CASL consent capture for Canadian outreach.
- **Languages:** English only, or bilingual on request.
- **Continuity:** a named assistant, a backup and a team lead, and what happens when someone is off.
- **Start date:** how quickly you need someone proposed and onboarded.

AssistBPO staffs dedicated, employed assistants with a backup and a team lead, in your hours; see [how pricing works](https://assistbpo.com/pricing/). Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day.

## How does a managed assistant compare with an in-house hire?

The in-house number is the one most owners underestimate. Salary is only the start; payroll tax, benefits, a laptop, software seats, a desk and the management time to supervise all land on top. Indeed data cited in the [Wishup 2026 report](https://www.wishup.co/blog/virtual-assistant-industry-report/) puts the loaded cost of a US in-house executive assistant at $4,700 to $9,100 a month. The [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/receptionists.htm) gives a median receptionist wage of $38,010 a year (May 2025 data), which is about $3,170 a month before any of those extras.

Against that, a managed full-time assistant at $640 to $2,400 a month looks cheap, and it is, but only if the provider is doing the employer’s job. That means recruiting, training, quality checks, cover for sick days and a manager who reads the end-of-day report. If a provider cannot describe who supervises your assistant and what happens when they are off, you are buying a freelancer with a logo.

Freelancer turnover is the hidden line item. Cost roundups from Zedtreeo and Catalyst Outsourcing (2026) estimate that losing a freelance assistant costs two to three months of their pay in lost productivity while you find and train the next person. Over two years, one replacement wipes out most of the rate difference between a marketplace hire and a managed one.

## How do you budget the first 90 days?

Treat the first quarter as an onboarding investment, not a steady-state cost. Here is a simple template you can adapt. The figures are illustrative placeholders, not a quote.

| Month | What happens | Hours that pay back | Your time in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Month 1 | Access set up, SOPs written, assistant shadows you, daily reports start | About half the hours are productive | 3 to 5 hours a week of briefing and review |
| Month 2 | Assistant owns inbox, calendar and one recurring process; weekly review in place | Most hours are productive | 1 to 2 hours a week |
| Month 3 | Second process added (phones, support or reporting); KPIs tracked on a scorecard | Full hours productive | 30 minutes a week plus the weekly review |

Two practical notes. Write the first three SOPs yourself in month one, even badly; the assistant will tidy them and the rest will come from the daily rhythm. And decide the KPIs before you start: inbox to zero by 5pm, calls answered within 20 seconds, tickets closed within your target. A plan without numbers cannot be reviewed, and a plan that cannot be reviewed drifts.

The short version: pick the market band that matches where you want the assistant to sit, price a dedicated plan if you have more than 20 hours a month of work, send every provider the same checklist, and budget 90 days to reach full speed.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does a virtual assistant cost per hour in 2026?

It depends on where the assistant sits and who employs them. PayScale puts the average US virtual assistant at $19.45 an hour with a range of $12 to $30, and Indeed reports $27.15. Managed offshore assistants typically cost $7 to $15 an hour according to the Wishup 2026 cost guide. Premium US executive assistant services such as Boldly publish rates around $65 an hour. In the UK, onshore virtual PAs charge £25 to £45 an hour, and in Australia onshore assistants run A$39.90 to A$65.

### Is a monthly plan cheaper than paying hourly?

Usually, once you pass about 20 hours a week. Hourly billing suits a few tasks a month. A dedicated part-time (80 hours) or full-time (160 hours) plan buys a named person who learns your tools and your preferences, which is where the real savings sit: less re-explaining, fewer errors and no rebriefing each time. Wishup's 2026 cost guide puts full-time managed assistants at $640 to $2,400 a month, which is well under an hourly onshore rate for the same hours.

### What does an in-house assistant really cost compared with a virtual one?

Indeed data cited in the Wishup 2026 report puts a loaded in-house executive assistant at $4,700 to $9,100 a month in the US, once you add payroll tax, benefits, equipment, software seats and desk space to salary. A managed remote assistant for the same hours runs $640 to $2,400. The gap is even wider in the UK, where a UK-based full-time assistant costs £3,000 to £5,000 a month against £900 to £2,000 for managed offshore staff.

### Why do quotes for the same role vary so much?

Because a quote bundles four things: the hours you need, the desks (admin only, or admin plus phones plus support), the coverage window (your business hours, evenings, weekends or 24/7) and the skill tier (general admin, specialist, or a licensed-adjacent role such as insurance verification). A phone-heavy front desk in US Pacific hours with HIPAA-trained staff and a BAA costs more than an inbox-only assistant working a five-hour overlap. Ask every provider to price the same scope so you can compare.

### Are freelancer marketplaces cheaper than a managed service?

On paper, yes. In practice, the difference narrows once you account for your own time recruiting, briefing and replacing people. Cost roundups from Zedtreeo and Catalyst Outsourcing (2026) estimate that losing a freelance assistant costs two to three months of their pay in lost productivity. A managed service employs the assistant, provides a backup and a team lead, and handles replacement, which is what most buyers are paying the premium for.

### Do UK prices include VAT?

Often not. Most UK agencies are VAT registered, so a non-registered client pays a 20 percent uplift on the quoted rate. A £28 an hour agency rate becomes £33.60. Offshore providers registered outside the UK may not charge UK VAT, which is one reason the offshore gap looks larger than the headline rate suggests. Always ask whether the figure you are looking at is inclusive or exclusive of VAT before comparing.

## Sources

1. [Wishup, The 2026 Virtual Assistant Industry Report](https://www.wishup.co/blog/virtual-assistant-industry-report/)
2. [Wishup, How much does a virtual assistant cost (2026 cost guide)](https://www.wishup.co/blog/how-much-does-a-virtual-assistant-cost/)
3. [PayScale, Virtual Assistant hourly rate, United States, 2026](https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Virtual_Assistant/Hourly_Rate)
4. [PayScale, Virtual Assistant hourly pay, United Kingdom, 2026](https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Virtual_Assistant/Hourly_Rate)
5. [Indeed, Virtual assistant salary in United States](https://www.indeed.com/career/virtual-assistant/salaries)
6. [US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Receptionists](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/receptionists.htm)
7. [OnceHub, Answering service cost in 2026](https://www.oncehub.com/blog/answering-service-cost)

AssistBPO data on this subject

- [Virtual Assistant Rate Index](https://assistbpo.com/research/virtual-assistant-rate-index/) Published rate ranges by market and segment, every source named.

The report publishes its method and a CSV under CC BY 4.0. [All research and data](https://assistbpo.com/research/).

About the author

**[Nimra Khalid](https://assistbpo.com/team/nimra-khalid/)**, Chief Operating Officer. Nimra Khalid is Chief Operating Officer at SS Support Network LLC, overseeing delivery teams across the US, UK, Canada and Australia. She owns the AssistBPO operating model: the 72-hour match, the named assistant plus backup plus team lead desk, the daily rhythm with its end-of-day report, the weekly review and the monthly QA scorecard for calls and tickets.

Reviewed by [Issabela Masters](https://assistbpo.com/team/issabela-masters/) on September 19, 2026. See our [editorial policy](https://assistbpo.com/editorial-policy/).

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