Pricing virtual assistant services and support

Who this is for

This page is for a virtual assistant or solo operations specialist preparing an offer for a real client.

The pricing question

Which recurring tasks, service hours, systems, response times, and approval limits belong in the support package?

What to decide before you send the price

Ask before quoting: Which tasks recur? Which tasks are occasional? How much volume exists? Which systems are used? What access is required? Which actions need approval? Who sets priorities? What response time is expected? Are fixed coverage hours needed? Who handles urgent issues? Also confirm data sensitivity, customer contact, languages, meeting load, documentation quality, reporting needs, holiday cover, handover rules, and purchasing authority.

A defined scope can include inbox triage, calendar coordination, research, data entry, document formatting, meeting preparation, travel research, and weekly status reporting. Assume working access, documented processes, a named priority owner, and timely approvals. Exclude bookkeeping, legal work, specialist design, sales closing, personal errands, round-the-clock coverage, cash handling, account ownership, complex automation, and tasks requiring unapproved purchases unless specifically included.

Offer a Task Block for a fixed list and capacity, an Operations Support option adding recurring coordination and reporting, and a Coverage option with agreed daily windows. Use one onboarding review for process corrections and require feedback on completed task samples. Unclear priorities, fragmented instructions, repeated context switching, extra meetings, shared passwords, urgent weekend requests, and approval bottlenecks can reduce usable capacity.

A weak scope says, "Provide flexible admin help as needed." A clear scope says, "Use the monthly capacity for the named inbox, calendar, research, and document tasks during agreed service hours, report remaining capacity weekly, and request approval before external commitments or purchases." Define whether unused hours expire and how urgent work is queued. Capacity reserves time; it does not create unlimited availability.

• Group recurring tasks by system, volume, and approval level.
• Set service hours, response targets, and urgent-work rules.
• Use named client accounts and secure access methods.
• Track capacity and report remaining time consistently.
• Require approval before purchases and external commitments.

FAQ

Pricing for other services

Useful glossary terms

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