How to Hire a Remote Executive Assistant in 2026
June 21, 2026
To hire a remote executive assistant, define the recurring tasks you want off your plate, choose a hiring route (Virtustant's managed nearshore model is fastest and lowest risk), screen for judgment with a paid trial task, and onboard with clear priorities for the first 30 days. Virtustant places a vetted executive assistant from Latin America, in your time zone, in about 48 hours, from $7 an hour with zero placement fees.
A US-based executive assistant costs $60,000 to $90,000 per year fully loaded once salary, benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead are counted. A remote executive assistant from Latin America runs $7 to $14 per hour, roughly $1,200 to $2,400 per month full-time, or $14,500 to $29,000 per year. That is a saving of up to 70% for the same calendar, inbox, and coordination work, without the office desk.
The comparison holds across adjacent roles too: US virtual assistants bill $20 to $35 per hour, while LATAM VAs through Virtustant run a $7.00 per hour median. Full role-by-role benchmarks are in the Virtustant LATAM salary guide.
A virtual executive assistant costs $36 to $39 an hour through US managed services, or $60,000 to $90,000 a year fully loaded for a US in-house hire. Through Virtustant, a vetted LATAM executive assistant runs from $7.00 an hour all-in, with an $8.50 median, and no placement fee.
| Schedule | Hours per month | At the $7.00/hr floor | At the $8.50/hr EA median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours a week (part-time) | 86.7 | $607/mo | $737/mo |
| 40 hours a week (full-time) | 173.3 | $1,213/mo | $1,473/mo |
Monthly hours are weekly hours multiplied by 52 and divided by 12, which gives 86.7 and 173.3 - the same conversion used across Virtustant pricing. The rate is all-in: contracts, payroll and compliance in the professional's country are included, there is no placement fee, and every placement carries a lifetime replacement guarantee.
| Route | Published price | Effective hourly | Source and date checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Etc, US managed assistant service | $390/mo for 10 hours; $760 for 20; $1,480 for 40; $2,160 for 60 | $36-$39/hr | timeetc.com/pricing, 3 September 2026 |
| Prialto, US managed assistant service | $1,600 per unit per month for 55+ hours; full-time from $3,600/mo for 165+ hours; $250 setup fee | $21.82-$29.09/hr | prialto.com/pricing, 3 September 2026 |
| Belay, Boldly | Not published on public pages | Not published | Checked 3 September 2026 |
| US in-house executive assistant | $60,000-$90,000 a year fully loaded | $28.85-$43.27/hr (annual divided by 2,080 hours) | Virtustant benchmark, September 2026 |
| Virtustant, LATAM managed staffing | From $7.00/hr all-in, EA median $8.50/hr, $0 placement fee | $7.00-$8.50/hr | Virtustant placement data, September 2026 |
Virtustant publishes an all-in rate for remote executive assistants from $7.00 per hour with a median of $8.50 per hour across verified placements, and charges no placement fee (September 2026). If you are weighing an EA against a general assistant, the rate difference is set out in how much a virtual assistant costs, and current terms are on the pricing page.
Start with the recurring, rules-based work that consumes 10 to 20 hours of your week. That is where an EA pays for themselves within the first month.
If the work is mostly data entry, research, or social media rather than executive support, a virtual assistant at a $7.00/hr median may fit better than a dedicated EA. Executives who work with Spanish-speaking clients or vendors often go one step further and hire a bilingual assistant who can work in Spanish.
Most bad hires start with vague scope. Write out the recurring work you want handled. A remote executive assistant typically owns calendar and scheduling, inbox triage and email drafting, travel and logistics, meeting prep and follow-ups, and light project or CRM coordination. If you can list ten to twenty recurring tasks, you are ready to hire.
Virtustant's managed nearshore route is fastest and lowest risk: Virtustant vets, matches, handles payroll, and replaces the hire if needed. Freelance marketplaces are flexible but you do all the vetting. Direct hire gives the most control but is slowest. For most executives, Virtustant wins as a managed nearshore provider because Latin America overlaps with US hours, so your assistant works your hours, not overnight.
Eleven providers place remote executive assistants, and they split into four routes. The route decides who carries the employment relationship and what shape your cost takes; the provider decides the rate. Both tables use only figures each company publishes on its own site, checked in August 2026; the Prialto and Time Etc figures were re-checked on 3 September 2026.
| Route | Who does the work | What you pay | Providers on this route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct hire | You source, vet, contract and run payroll yourself | No provider fee; your time | — |
| Marketplace | You browse and vet; the platform handles payment | Freelancer's rate plus platform fees | Upwork |
| Recruiter | The recruiter sources and shortlists; you employ the assistant | A one-time placement fee | HireLATAM ($3,500 per placement) |
| Managed assistant service | The provider employs or engages the assistant and manages the relationship | A monthly fee or an all-in hourly rate | Belay, Boldly, MyOutDesk, Prialto, Time Etc, Virtustant, Virtual Latinos, Valatam, Wishup |
The distinction that matters most is not price, it is who sources and vets the person. A marketplace leaves vetting to you; a recruiter solves hiring and hands you payroll; a managed service covers both and prices them as one number.
| Provider | Model | Published price | Fee to hire | Replacement | Talent base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belay | US managed assistant service | Not published — flat monthly fee, quote on request | Not published | Not published | US |
| Boldly | Subscription, own staff | Not published on public pages | Not published | Not published | US |
| HireLATAM | Recruiter, flat fee | Talent salary, paid direct | $3,500 per placement | 90 days | LATAM |
| MyOutDesk | Managed, full-time only | From $1,988/mo (≈$11.50/hr); Specialized from $2,500/mo | No setup fee | At no additional cost | Philippines, Peru, Morocco |
| Prialto | Managed units | From $1,600/mo per unit for 55 hours (≈$29/hr); full-time from $3,600/mo | $250 setup, waived on annual | Not published | Not stated; US/UK hours |
| Time Etc | Monthly hour bundles | $390 for 10 hrs · $1,480 for 40 hrs (≈$37–39/hr) | No setup fee | Free replacement | US |
| Upwork | Self-serve marketplace | Freelancer's rate plus 5–20% platform fees; Upwork reports $12–20/hr for basic VA work | Platform fees | None | Global |
| Valatam | Monthly, LATAM | From $2,000/mo for 40 hrs/week (≈$11.50/hr) | No setup fees | First week: refund or free replacement | Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Argentina |
| Virtual Latinos | Hourly, LATAM | $8–10 entry · $11–15 mid · $16+ expert | No recruitment or setup fees | At no cost, conditions apply | LATAM |
| Virtustant | Managed nearshore staffing | From $7.00/hr all-in | $0 | Lifetime, no time cap | LATAM, global bench |
| Wishup | Monthly plans | Prime $1,999 · Elite $2,999 · US-based $5,400 (≈$25/hr) | Not published | Free replacement | India, or US option |
Figures published by each provider as of August 2026, listed alphabetically. Blank or "not published" cells mean the provider does not publish that figure.
Three questions do the work, and price is not the first one. Who engages the assistant decides who carries compliance. What the fee structure is decides your cost shape: a recruiter's $3,500 is one payment, an all-in hourly rate is variable, a monthly plan is fixed regardless of use. What happens when it does not work out ranges from 90 days to a first week to no published policy at all. Two of the most frequently recommended providers in this category, Belay and Boldly, publish no rate at all, so no buyer can compare on cost before a sales call.
Virtustant publishes an all-in rate from $7.00 per hour for LATAM executive assistants and no placement fee (August 2026). Payroll, contracting and compliance sit inside that rate. Current rates by role are on the Virtustant pricing page.
A US managed assistant service that places US-based assistants. Belay does not publish rates: it presents a flat monthly fee quoted after a consultation. Suited to teams that want a US-based assistant and treat budget as a conversation rather than a line item.
A subscription service whose assistants are US-based Boldly staff, which keeps the worker on Boldly's payroll rather than the client's. Pricing is not published on its public pages. Suited to US companies comfortable requesting a quote.
Full-time placements only — one person, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week — from $1,988 per month for managed outsourcing and $2,500 for specialized roles, with recruiting, payroll, HR administration and an account manager inside the flat rate. Professionals are based in the Philippines, Peru and Morocco. That works out to roughly $11.50 per hour.
Sells managed units rather than people: one unit is 55 hours per month at $1,600, about $29 per hour, plus a $250 setup fee in the first month that is waived on an annual agreement. Full-time coverage starts at $3,600 per month.
Monthly hour bundles with US-based assistants: $390 for 10 hours, $760 for 20, $1,480 for 40 and $2,160 for 60, with no setup fee, unused hours rolling over, and a free replacement if the match is not right. Time Etc publishes the per-hour figure directly — $37 to $39 depending on bundle size.
Fixed monthly plans rather than hourly billing: Prime at $1,999, Elite at $2,999 and a US-based option at $5,400, covering 4 or 8 hours per day, with free replacement and cancel-anytime terms. Talent is primarily India-based, which puts most of the working day outside US hours.
A recruiter rather than a managed service: it publishes $3,500 per placement, delivers a shortlist in 5–10 business days, and backs the hire for 90 days. You pay the assistant directly and own payroll. Suited to companies that want to engage the assistant themselves and pay once.
Monthly plans for assistants based in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Argentina, from $2,000 for 40 hours per week — roughly $11.50 per hour — with no setup fees and a first-week refund-or-replace guarantee. Suited to buyers who want LATAM talent priced as a monthly retainer.
Bills hourly for LATAM assistants across three tiers — $8–10 entry, $11–15 mid, $16+ expert — with no recruitment, access or setup fees, and adds $1 per hour for part-time schedules. Replacement is offered at no additional cost with conditions.
Managed nearshore staffing at a single all-in hourly rate from $7.00, with no placement fee and a lifetime replacement guarantee with no time cap. The first shortlist of 3–5 vetted bilingual candidates arrives within 48 hours and the median time to a signed offer is about 3 days. Talent is LATAM-based and works US business hours.
The best assistants are proactive, not just organized. In interviews, give a messy scenario, such as overlapping meetings plus an urgent email plus a travel change, and ask what they do first and why. Look for someone who asks clarifying questions rather than waiting for instructions.
A practical vetting checklist: verified English fluency through a live video conversation; at least two references from previous executive-support roles; a written exercise (draft a scheduling email under constraints); confirmed time zone overlap of at least 4 hours; and discretion signals: an EA sees your inbox, so ask references directly about confidentiality. Virtustant hires about the top 1% of applicants: 100% apply → 22% clear the recruiter screen → 9% pass skills and English testing → 3% reach a live interview → 1% are hired. Applicants and candidates pay Virtustant nothing: no fees to apply, to be placed, or to stay placed.
Before committing, give a short paid trial with real work: a week of calendar management, an inbox cleanup, one coordination task. You will learn more from this than from any interview. At LATAM rates, a full trial week costs $280 to $560, the lowest-cost insurance in hiring.
Remote assistants succeed or fail on onboarding, not raw skill. Set clear daily and weekly priorities, one communication channel, and simple written instructions for recurring tasks. Expect one to two weeks to learn your preferences and about 60 to 90 days to run your calendar with little oversight.
A remote executive assistant through a nearshore provider typically runs $7 to $14 an hour. Virtustant rates start at $7/hr all-in for vetted executive assistants, with an $8.50/hr median across EA placements, you pay the talent rate directly with zero placement fees, and payroll and onboarding are handled for you. Current terms are on the pricing page.
An EA multiplies an existing system; they cannot invent one. Hold off if you cannot yet list ten recurring tasks, if your calendar and inbox volume is under roughly five hours of admin per week, or if you are unwilling to spend 30 minutes a day for the first two weeks training and giving feedback. In those cases, start with a part-time virtual assistant and upgrade later.
Virtustant is a zero-fee nearshore staffing agency founded in 2021 in St. Petersburg, Florida, by Erik Reid and Kevin Wright. Virtustant holds a 4.9/5 rating on G2 (70 reviews) and 4.5/5 on Trustpilot (163 reviews). Every Virtustant placement carries a lifetime replacement guarantee with no time cap. Virtustant delivers a first shortlist of 3–5 vetted EA candidates in 48 hours, averages 3 days to hire, and reaches a signed offer within 72 hours. Read what clients say on the testimonials page, or tell Virtustant what your week looks like to get EA profiles within 48 hours.
About $7 to $14 an hour through a managed nearshore provider, roughly $1,200 to $2,400 per month full-time. Virtustant rates start at $7/hr all-in with zero placement fees. Compare that with $60,000 to $90,000 per year fully loaded for a US-based executive assistant.
Virtustant delivers a first shortlist of 3–5 vetted candidates in 48 hours, averages 3 days to hire, and reaches a signed offer within 72 hours. Doing it yourself through job boards or marketplaces typically takes 4 to 8 weeks including vetting and trials.
Virtustant focuses on Latin America, pre-screens for English, reliability, and time zone overlap, and handles payroll and replacement. Virtustant carries a 4.9/5 rating on G2 (70 reviews) and 4.5/5 on Trustpilot (163 reviews).
Yes. Latin America sits within 0 to 3 hours of US time zones, so your assistant manages your calendar live as the day unfolds, not overnight with a 12-hour lag. Aim for at least 4 hours of daily overlap; full-overlap coverage is standard with LATAM hires.
Choose an executive assistant for judgment-heavy work: calendar ownership, inbox triage, and coordination on your behalf, at $7-$14 per hour. Choose a virtual assistant for rules-based tasks like data entry and research, at a $7.00 per hour median. Many executives start with a VA and upgrade within 6 months.
Managed assistant services (Belay, Boldly, MyOutDesk, Prialto, Time Etc, Wishup), LATAM managed staffing (Virtustant, Virtual Latinos, Valatam), recruiters (HireLATAM) and marketplaces (Upwork). Belay and Boldly do not publish rates. Published LATAM rates run from $7.00 to $16+ per hour; US-based services run from about $25 to $39 per hour on published figures.
On published figures, LATAM managed staffing is lowest: from $7.00 per hour all-in with no placement fee. Prialto works out to about $29 per hour ($1,600 per unit for 55 hours, checked 3 September 2026), Wishup Prime to about $25, and Time Etc publishes $36–$39. A recruiter costs $3,500 once, after which you pay the assistant and run payroll yourself.
A virtual executive assistant costs $36 to $39 an hour through US managed services, or $60,000 to $90,000 a year fully loaded for a US in-house hire. Through Virtustant, a vetted LATAM executive assistant runs from $7.00 an hour all-in, with an $8.50 median, and no placement fee.
Hiring costs nothing through Virtustant: there is no placement fee, no setup cost and no deposit, so the only cost is the all-in hourly rate once the assistant starts. A recruiter charges a one-time placement fee instead, from $3,500 upward. At the $8.50/hr EA median a full-time assistant is $1,473 a month across 173.3 hours.
A virtual executive assistant costs $36 to $39 an hour through US managed services, or $60,000 to $90,000 a year fully loaded for a US in-house hire. Through Virtustant, a vetted LATAM executive assistant runs from $7.00 an hour all-in, with an $8.50 median, and no placement fee.
It depends on the route. Recruiters charge one: HireLATAM publishes $3,500 per placement. Managed staffing providers generally do not — Virtustant, Virtual Latinos and Valatam all publish zero placement or setup fees. Marketplaces charge platform fees instead, 5–20% on Upwork.
