Hours and budget · Updated November 2026
Part-time vs full-time virtual assistant: the cost
Hired directly in the Philippines, a part-time VA at 80 hours a month costs $400–$800, and full-time at 160 hours costs $554–$1,384. So doubling the hours multiplies the bill by about 1.6, not 2, because published full-time pay works out lower per hour than hourly rates.
What the hours cost, three ways
Published by Outsourcing Insider, a VA MASTERS company. The agency column uses VA MASTERS' published rate card as one example, because it's public; other agencies' prices vary. About us
| Hours a month | Hired directly, Philippines | Agency example | Employee in the US, with benefits | Run it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours | $200–$400 | $260–$400 VA MASTERS Parent company | $1,009–$1,507 | Open in the calculator |
| 80 hours | $400–$800 | $520–$800 VA MASTERS Parent company | $2,018–$3,014 | Open in the calculator |
| 160 hours | $554–$1,384 | $1,040–$1,600 VA MASTERS Parent company | $4,035–$6,028 | Open in the calculator |
Why the hourly figure moves
Hourly work is flexible for both sides. The worker can lose the hours next month and often juggles several clients, so they price that in. A full-time role replaces all of that with one steady income, and people accept a lower hourly figure for it. That's general reasoning, but the published numbers line up with it in the Philippines: the VA hourly range is $5.00–$10.00, and full-time pay comes to $3.46–$8.65 an hour.
Two things can make that vanish:
- An agency's rate card. The example above is one range whatever the hours ($6.50–$10.00 an hour), so 160 hours costs 2 times 80 hours. Where a hire lands in the range depends on experience and skills, not on how many hours you buy.
- A more senior job. In Colombia, full-time VA figures read higher than hourly ones ($7.00–$9.00 hourly against $11.54–$17.31 full-time), because the published full-time ads there are for executive assistants.
Every role, part-time against full-time
In the Philippines, where we have both levels for all 8 roles, the middle of the full-time figure is below the middle of the hourly range in 5 of them. It's higher for customer support agents, digital marketers and graphic designers, so don't assume a full-time discount in every role.
| Role | Hourly rate | 80 hours a month | Full-time, per hour | 160 hours a month | Hourly figure at full-time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual assistant | $5.00–$10.00 | $400–$800 | $3.46–$8.65 | $554–$1,384 | 19% lower |
| Customer support agent | $3.00–$10.00 | $240–$800 | $2.65–$20.19 | $424–$3,230 | 76% higher |
| Bookkeeper | $5.00–$15.00 | $400–$1,200 | $6.20–$8.08 | $992–$1,293 | 29% lower |
| Digital marketer | $4.00–$20.00 | $320–$1,600 | $2.31–$23.08 | $370–$3,693 | 6% higher |
| Social media manager | $4.00–$15.00 | $320–$1,200 | $2.88–$9.81 | $461–$1,570 | 33% lower |
| Graphic designer | $3.00–$10.00 | $240–$800 | $3.75–$9.81 | $600–$1,570 | 4% higher |
| Web developer | $5.31–$14.00 | $425–$1,120 | $2.88–$8.65 | $461–$1,384 | 40% lower |
| Software developer | $7.00–$30.00 | $560–$2,400 | $4.50–$14.42 | $720–$2,307 | 49% lower |
What changes besides the price
| You get | Part-time | Full-time |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Set windows, and they may have other clients | Your whole working day |
| Reply time | Slower outside their hours for you | Quick during the agreed shift |
| What they can own | Defined tasks with clear edges | A whole function, such as support or ops |
| Learning your business | Slower, with fewer hours each week | Faster, with more context every day |
| If the work dries up | Easy to absorb | You're paying for idle time |
| Your own time | Less to manage | Needs a steady queue of work from you |
How many hours do you actually need?
Don't guess. Log it for one week, then do the arithmetic:
- Write down every task you'd hand over, using the tasks to delegate checklist and its one-week time audit.
- Note the minutes each one takes you, and how often it comes up.
- Add it up per week, then multiply by 4.33 for a month.
- Leave some slack in the first month: a new person is slower, and questions take time.
- 5 hours a weekabout 22 hours a monthA small slot of inbox and calendar work. Check that the person you're hiring takes work this small.
- 10 hours a weekabout 43 hours a monthA steady part-time role, usually a few hours on set days.
- 20 hours a weekabout 87 hours a monthHalf-days. Enough for someone to own a couple of areas.
- 40 hours a weekabout 173 hours a monthA full-time role. Have a queue of work for all of it before you commit.
If you land between two levels, start with the lower one. It's easier to add hours to a role that's working than to find tasks for someone who's waiting. Write the tasks down as SOPs as you hand them over, and raising the hours later is mostly a matter of adding another document.
FAQ
Is a full-time virtual assistant cheaper per hour than a part-time one?
In the Philippines, yes, on published figures: hourly rates for VAs run $5.00–$10.00, while full-time pay works out to $3.46–$8.65 an hour. Steady full-time income is worth something to the worker, so the hourly figure tends to fall. It doesn't hold everywhere, and it doesn't apply to an agency's published rate card, which doesn't change with hours.
How many hours is a part-time virtual assistant?
There's no fixed number. On this site we price 40 and 80 hours a month as part-time, which is about 9 and 18 hours a week, and 160 hours as full-time. Whatever you agree, write down the hours and when they fall.
How much does a part-time virtual assistant cost per month?
Hired directly in the Philippines, $200–$400 a month for 40 hours and $400–$800 for 80 hours, in pay. An employee in the US costs $2,018–$3,014 for 80 hours, with benefits and payroll taxes at the small-employer average.
Should I start part-time and move to full-time?
Usually yes, if the tasks aren't fully mapped yet. It's cheaper to find out what the job really is at 40 or 80 hours. The risk is that a good part-timer has other clients and may not be free when you want more hours, so ask about that at the interview.
Is it better to have one full-time VA or two part-time VAs?
One full-time VA means one person to manage, and a single point of failure when they're away. Two part-timers give you cover and a wider skill set, but you write twice the handover notes and pay the part-time rate. Split it only when the work really divides into two different jobs.