How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost? $9–$14/hr Rates & Monthly Costs (2027)
Quick answer: Virtual assistant rates vary by provider, location and skill level. Flat-rate offshore providers commonly charge about $9–$10 an hour. At Go Hire Virtual, a General VA is $12/hr and a Professional VA is $14/hr, which works out to roughly $2,080 to $2,430 a month for full-time help. Here’s what drives the price, what a VA costs per hour and per month, and the fees to check before you sign.
Updated October 2026 with 2027 pricing. Rates below are current Go Hire Virtual rates plus typical market ranges.
Virtual Assistant Cost Comparison (2027)
Here is how the main options compare for a full-time (40 hours/week) assistant. Monthly figures use 173 hours a month.
| Option | Hourly cost | Full-time monthly | Full-time yearly | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offshore flat-rate provider | About $9–$10/hr | About $1,560–$1,730 | About $18,700–$20,800 | Lower rate; management, training and time-zone overlap vary by provider |
| Go Hire Virtual General VA | $12/hr | About $2,080 | $24,960 | Calls, scheduling, inbox, data entry, invoicing; U.S.-managed, no long-term contract |
| Go Hire Virtual Professional VA | $14/hr | About $2,430 | $29,120 | Bookkeeping, office management, healthcare admin, marketing |
| In-house receptionist (U.S. median) | $18.27/hr wages* | About $3,170 + taxes & benefits | About $38,000 + taxes & benefits | On-site; you also pay payroll taxes, benefits, PTO, equipment and recruiting |
*U.S. median hourly wage for receptionists and information clerks, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. In-house totals exclude payroll taxes, benefits, PTO, equipment and recruiting costs.
Virtual Assistant Cost Calculator
Pick a tier and hours per week to estimate your monthly and yearly cost, and how it compares with an in-house hire’s wages.
$2,080
$24,960
$38,002
$13,042
Based on 52 weeks. In-house figure is wages only, so real savings are typically higher once payroll taxes, benefits and PTO are included.
Virtual Assistant Cost per Hour
Hourly rates usually depend on two things: how the provider prices its VAs, and how specialized the work is.
| Pricing model | Typical hourly rate | What you usually get |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-rate providers | About $9–$10/hr | One general skill level for every task |
| Go Hire Virtual General VA | $12/hr | Admin, scheduling, data entry, and email, chat and customer support |
| Go Hire Virtual Professional VA | $14/hr | Marketing, design, tech support, bookkeeping and specialized healthcare admin |
A flat rate is simple and predictable, but it usually assumes one general skill level. Tiered pricing costs a little more for specialized work because those VAs have deeper training in a specific discipline.
How Much Does a Full-Time Virtual Assistant Cost per Month?
A full-time VA works about 40 hours a week, or roughly 173 hours a month. These are planning estimates:
| Go Hire Virtual plan | Hourly rate | Full-time monthly cost | Full-time yearly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| General VA | $12/hr | About $2,080 | About $24,960 |
| Professional VA | $14/hr | About $2,430 | About $29,120 |
Part-time help costs proportionally less. You pay only for the hours you use.
Virtual Assistant Cost vs. an In-House Employee
An in-house receptionist at the U.S. median wage of $18.27/hr (BLS, May 2025) costs about $38,002 a year in wages alone. A full-time General VA costs about $24,960, a difference of about $13,000 before you add payroll taxes, benefits, PTO, equipment and recruiting for the employee. For the full comparison, see our virtual assistant vs. in-house hire cost and ROI guide.
What Drives the Price Difference Between VA Providers
- Vetting depth. How carefully the provider tests skills, communication and reliability before you meet a candidate.
- Training. Whether VAs are trained for your industry and software, or only for general admin work.
- Dedicated vs. shared. A dedicated assistant who learns your business usually costs more than a rotating pool.
- Management and support. Whether you get an account manager, backup coverage and help during onboarding.
Setup Fees, Contracts and Other Costs to Check
Before you compare hourly rates, ask every provider about setup fees, minimum terms and switching charges. Here’s how Go Hire Virtual plans work:
| Plan | Setup fee | Credit back | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month to month | $500 | None | 30-day notice |
| 3-month | $500 | $250 on first billing cycle | 30-day notice after 3 months |
| 6-month | $500 | $500 on first billing cycle | 30-day notice after 6 months |
| 12-month | $500 | $960 on third billing cycle | 30-day notice after 12 months |
Billing is every two weeks, paid in advance. See current plans on our virtual assistant pricing page.
Virtual Assistant Costs for Medical and Specialty Practices
Medical, dental and therapy practices often need VAs trained in patient scheduling, insurance verification and HIPAA-aware workflows. That work usually falls in the Professional tier. See our medical virtual assistants and HIPAA-compliant virtual assistant pages. See our HIPAA-compliant virtual assistant services for healthcare pricing and safeguards.
Monthly Cost Examples by Hours per Week
Most clients start part time and add hours as they hand off more work. These examples use about 4.33 weeks per month.
| Hours per week | General VA ($12/hr), per month | Professional VA ($14/hr), per month |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | About $520 | About $610 |
| 20 | About $1,040 | About $1,210 |
| 30 | About $1,560 | About $1,820 |
| 40 (full time) | About $2,080 | About $2,430 |
The Hidden Costs of a Cheap Virtual Assistant
A $5 or $6 an hour freelancer can look like the better deal on paper. The real cost usually shows up later, in four places:
- Turnover. Low-paid freelancers often leave for better-paying clients. Each time that happens, the training you put in walks out the door and you start over.
- Rehiring time. Posting the job, screening applicants and running interviews again can eat days of an owner’s time, which often costs more than the rate difference saved.
- No backup coverage. When a solo freelancer is sick, on vacation or offline, your phones and inbox go unanswered.
- No training or oversight. Without a manager checking quality, mistakes in scheduling, billing or customer messages land on you to catch and fix.
Go Hire Virtual VAs are trained before they start and managed by a U.S. team in South Salt Lake, Utah, so you have one point of contact when something needs to change. For the full employer-cost math, see our virtual assistant vs. in-house hire cost breakdown.
How to Get the Best Value From a Virtual Assistant
- List the recurring tasks you want to hand off and how many hours they take each week.
- Match the tier to the task. Use a General VA for admin and support, and a Professional VA for specialized work.
- Ask about setup fees, minimum terms and replacement policies before you sign.
- Read our 10 questions to ask before hiring a virtual assistant company.
Ready to price your own role? Book a free 15-minute task audit or learn how to hire a virtual assistant.
In Utah? See virtual assistant pricing in Salt Lake City from our South Salt Lake team.
How Virtual Assistant Companies Compare on Price
Pricing models vary widely: hourly rates, monthly hour packages, full-time monthly plans, one-time placement fees and per-call answering. See our virtual assistant company comparisons for side-by-side breakdowns, including Go Hire Virtual vs. Time Etc, Go Hire Virtual vs. Wishup and Go Hire Virtual vs. HireSmart.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a virtual assistant cost per hour?
It depends on the provider, location and skill level. Flat-rate offshore providers commonly charge about $9–$10 an hour. Go Hire Virtual VAs are $12/hr for general admin and support, and $14/hr for specialized work.
How much does a full-time virtual assistant cost per month?
About $2,080 a month for a General VA at $12/hr and about $2,430 a month for a Professional VA at $14/hr, based on roughly 173 hours.
Are there setup fees or contracts?
It varies by provider. Go Hire Virtual charges a $500 setup and onboarding fee on every plan. The 3-, 6- and 12-month plans credit part or all of it back, and month-to-month plans need 30 days’ notice to cancel.
Is a higher hourly rate always better?
Not always. Pay for specialized skills only when the task needs them. General admin work rarely needs a higher tier.
Can I mix General and Professional VA support?
Yes. Many businesses use a General VA for daily admin and a Professional VA for marketing, bookkeeping or healthcare documentation.
Can I start with part-time hours?
Yes. Many clients start with 10 to 20 hours a week and add hours as they delegate more. Part-time support uses the same $12/hr (General) or $14/hr (Professional) rate.
