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Pricing & profit / Virtual Assistant Rate Calculator

Virtual Assistant Rate Calculator

Set your virtual assistant hourly rate and monthly package price from the income you want to keep, the hours you can bill, your expenses, any platform cut and self-employment tax.
$

Enter a number of at least 0

After expenses and self-employment tax, before income tax.

h

Enter a number from 0 to 80

Only client work you can bill. Leave out admin, marketing and finding clients.

Whole number, 0–52

Leave out vacation, holidays and sick days.

$

Enter a number of at least 0

Software, computer, phone and internet share, training, insurance and website.

%

Enter a number from 0 to 90%

Fee a freelance marketplace or VA agency keeps. 0 if clients pay you directly.

h

Enter a number from 0 to 200

For a retainer: the hours a client buys each month. 0 to skip.

Adds the 15.3% Social Security and Medicare tax on 92.35% of profit that self-employed VAs pay.

Hourly rate to charge
$42.59
$851.86for a 20-hour monthly package
1,150billable hours a year
$48,981.80fees to bill a year
$0yearly fees $48,981.80
  • You keep
  • Self-employment tax
  • Expenses
Income you keep$40,000.00
Self-employment tax · 15.3% of 92.35% of profit+$6,581.80
Expenses+$2,400.00
Platform or agency cut · none+$0.00
Fees to bill per year$48,981.80
Billable hours per year · 25 h 00 min a week × 46 weeks1,150
Hourly rate$42.59
Monthly package price · 20 hours × $42.59$851.86
Package clients to fill your hours · 95.8 billable hours a month4.8

Bill unused package hours as expired or roll over a few at most, so the package still pays your rate. Income tax is not included; set some of what you keep aside for it.

See breakdown

How the virtual assistant rate calculation works

  1. Start with what you want to keep

    Say $40,000 a year after expenses and self-employment tax. Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of profit, so keeping $40,000 takes about $46,582 of profit.

  2. Add expenses and any platform cut

    With $2,400 of software, equipment and insurance, you need about $48,982 in fees. If a marketplace keeps 10%, divide by 0.9.

  3. Count only billable hours

    25 billable hours a week for 46 weeks is 1,150 hours. Time spent on admin and finding clients isn't billable, so leave it out.

  4. Divide fees by hours, then price the package

    $48,982 ÷ 1,150 is $42.59 an hour. A 20-hour monthly package at that rate is $851.86.

Worked example. To keep $40,000 a year from 25 billable hours a week over 46 weeks, with $2,400 of expenses and no platform cut, charge $42.59 an hour. A 20-hour monthly package is $851.86, and about 4.8 package clients fill your hours.

Virtual Assistant Rate FAQ

How much should I charge as a virtual assistant?

Divide the yearly fees you need (the income you want, plus expenses and self-employment tax) by the hours you can really bill in a year. Then compare it with what VAs offering the same services charge.

Should a virtual assistant charge hourly or by package?

Hourly is simplest when you start. Monthly packages (retainers) give steady income; price them from your hourly rate times the hours included, as the calculator shows.

What should a virtual assistant charge per hour?

It depends on the work: general admin usually earns less than bookkeeping, social media management or technical work. Use your own income goal and billable hours rather than an average.

How much do virtual assistants make?

BLS doesn't count virtual assistants separately. The closest group, secretaries and administrative assistants (SOC 43-6014), had a median wage of $22.86 an hour ($47,540 a year) in May 2025. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (SOC 43-6011) had a median of $36.82 an hour. These are employee wages: the employer pays their payroll tax, benefits and paid time off, and a freelance VA has to cover those from the rate, so self-employed rates run higher.

How much does a virtual assistant cost?

For a client, the cost is the VA's hourly rate times the hours worked, or the flat monthly package price. With this page's example, a 20-hour monthly package at $42.59 an hour costs $851.86 a month. Agency VAs cost more than the VA earns, because the agency keeps a share.

Why are my billable hours lower than my working hours?

Finding clients, invoicing, training and email you can't bill take time every week. Many freelancers bill well under 40 hours, so price from the hours you can actually invoice.

Do virtual assistants pay self-employment tax?

Yes. Self-employed VAs owe self-employment tax on profit of $400 or more a year, plus income tax. This calculator covers self-employment tax; set aside extra for income tax.

Sources: IRS: Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes) · BLS OEWS May 2025: Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (43-6014) · BLS OEWS May 2025: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (43-6011)

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