How to Set Your Rates as a Virtual Assistant

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Abbey Ashley

When you first launch your Virtual Assistant business, there are 1,000 different questions to answer. It’s an exciting time, but, let’s be honest. It can be craaaazy confusing too, right?

So let’s tackle one of the BIG questions I get asked often. You know you’re thinking it, too…

How much should I charge for my services?

Most VA’s just starting out have a very difficult time choosing a rate, because they feel like they don’t have the skills and experience to charge the price that they need to make their business succeed.

That’s why I’m going to break it all apart for you. I’ll show you how self-employment taxes need to be factored into your rate, how to determine what your starting rate should be based off of your hours/ availability and personal financial needs, and the difference between the various types of packages and pricing for your business.

Watch the video training on how to set your rates:

 LET’S FACTOR FOR TAXES

Before you start setting your rates as a VA, it’s important to understand what your tax responsibilities will be.

As a Virtual Assistant, you will be considered an Independent Contractor. This means that you are contracted to perform services for others, without having the legal status of an employee.

The great news? As an Independent Contractor, you choose how, when, and where to work – for as much or little time as you want!

The not so great news? All the work that an HR department would handle for you as far as paying employment taxes, you get to do solo as an Independent Contractor. This means saving for and paying quarterly taxes and submitting all the necessary paperwork required to do so.

Something to soften the blow – as an Independent Contractor, you’ll have the advantage of deducting any necessary expenses needed to operate and grow your biz from your taxes.

Some deductions that may apply to you are:

• Education expenses, including enrollment in the SavvySystem

• Website Development
• Website Hosting
• Computer Purchase
• Advertising Expenses
• Subscriptions to software programs (i.e. Canva, Hoostsuite, Freshbooks)
• Business Cards
• Rent and Utilities for home office space (if used only for your business)
• Office equipment and expenses
• Professional Consulting Expenses
• Business Travel Expenses
• Freelancing Expenses (when you subcontract out your work)

Let me go ahead and throw this out there.

From the beginning – record EVERYTHING.

There’s nothing worse than coming around to tax time and realizing that your invoices and receipts are all over the place, and missing out on deductions because you weren’t organized enough in the first place.

As an independent contractor, you’ll need to save back 30-35% of your gross income to pay quarterly taxes. If you don’t pay quarterly, you’ll likely be hit with late fees when you pay your yearly taxes.

Set Rates Virtual Assistant

As always, it’s best to talk with a tax professional regarding your individual situation. If you’re looking for someone to discuss the details of your tax requirements as a Virtual Assistant, I recommend chatting with Amy Northard. She specializes in accounting for creative entrepreneurs and her advice is legit!

When it comes to factoring your rate with consideration of your taxes, we’re going to assume that you’ll need to save back 30% of your monthly income for taxes.

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED?

If you are planning to have your Virtual Assistant business be your main source of income, it’s a good idea to determine your rates by working backward from what you need to make.

So, let’s say you make $4,000 (gross income)  in a month from your VA Services.  Now – you’ll want to save about 30% back for taxes.

You made $4,000 last month? You’ll save around $1400 for taxes, leaving you with about $2,600 remaining.

Need to take home $4,000 each month to cover your bills, fees and expenses?

You’ll need to bring in about $5715 for that month in gross profit.

Remember – in this article we are talking about coming up with an ideal hourly rate for you. To really grow your business and skyrocket into making 5k-10k months and beyond, you’ll eventually start subcontracting some of the work that you do and targeting high-end clients with specialized services. The purpose of this particular article is simply to determine your base VA rate and monthly budget.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?

Listen up.

Being an entrepreneur is not easy.

It’s not something that you can just do in your “spare time” (especially if you are looking for full-time income!).

In the beginning, you’ll have to HUSTLE to get clients. You will put in countless hours, wake up early, and stay up late to make the sale.

Brew up another pot of coffee… ‘cause there are some late nights in your future.

If you have 3 hours to commit per week to start your own business, go ahead and stop reading.

I know things are busy. I know your life is hectic. But I challenge you, don’t FIND time in your schedule.

MAKE time.

Go ahead and decide how many hours you are going to commit to running your business. I suggest making 5 hours per week (at the bare minimum) JUST for building and advertising your business when you first startup. Then, you will have to decide how many “workable hours” you have on top of that.

You may have to get a babysitter one day a week. You may have to wake up 2 hours early. You may have to work during nap time instead of watching the Bachelorette.

How many workable hours will you have during your week, if you schedule your time well?

I challenge you – go ahead and block out your time in your planner or calendar. Decide on the hours you are going to work on your biz and let that time be non-negotiable for change.

LET’S DETERMINE YOUR RATE

So – you’ve figured out how much to need to gross per month when factoring in taxes to meet your monthly budgeting needs.

You’ve also planned out how many workable hours you will have each week to meet your goals.

Now, we will use this information to determine your rate.

Let’s say you can commit 40 total hours per week to your business. We will subtract 5 hours for you to work on developing and marketing your business. Now, you have 35 workable hours per week. That’s roughly 120 hours per month that you can be making money in your business.

We will use this simple formula to discover the rate you should be charging:

Set Rates Virtual Assistant

For example:

$5715 Gross Income Needed / 140 Hours = $40.82 per hour

Maybe you’re only able to work part-time on your VA business. We can also work backward to find out how much you could make starting out as a VA.

Let’s meet Jane.

Set Rates Virtual Assistant

Jane has 20 hours per week to commit to working on her business.

She’s going to spend 5 hours per week developing her business and marketing her services.

That means she has 15 hours to commit to working for clients. That’s about 60 hours per month.

She is just starting out, so a rate she feels comfortable charging is $27 per hour, at least for her first clients.

60 Hours Per Month x $27 per Hour = $1620 Gross Income
Let’s subtract the 30% you’ll need to save back for taxes.

$1620 x .3 = $486 to save. That leaves you with $1,134 net income for the month!

LET’S TALK VARIANCES

At this point, your brain may be racing. Let’s chat about what may be running through your head:

I can’t charge that kind of money!

Yes. Yes you can. You have experience and skills that people are willing to pay for! When you factor taxes and expenses for running your business, the take-home rate must be enough for you to live off of!

Here’s what you’ll find. If you offer your services at $10 an hour, you’ll get treated accordingly. People won’t respect your time as much and will want to get the best “bang for their buck”.

Repeat to yourself: “I am not a discount service”.

Set Rates Virtual Assistant

What’s even the going rate for specific skills?

If you have general Admin, Design, or Marketing Skills (data entry, social media posting, simple graphics, basic calendar management, etc) the going rate is $25 – $40 per hour.

If you have Advanced Skills (Creating graphics, WordPress Edits, Writing Optimized Content, Course Creation, etc.) you can easily charge $30 – $50 per hour.

If you have Specialized Skills (Web Design, SEO, Building Landing Pages, Social Media Strategy, Infusionsoft, etc) your rates should be no lower than $50 per hour. You can go up from there as needed.

I have no idea where to start my rates!

If you are going back and forth on deciding where to start your rates for general admin work, take this advice.

Start out at $25 per hour and sign your first client.

Then, with each new client, sign your rates $2.50 more.

For your second client, you’ll charge $27.50 per hour. Your third, $30 per hour and so on.

Your skill and comfort are growing, so your rates should too.

PRICING TYPES:

Once you determine your hourly rate, you can decide how you will package your services. Let’s look at the various ways you can package your services as a VA, so you can decide which is best for you.

Hourly Rate Pricing

Hourly rate pricing is where you set a particular hourly price for your services, keep track of your time, and bill your client after the work has been completed. Some clients prefer this method, as they know they are only paying for hours that were worked specifically for them. The downfall – you won’t have guaranteed income each month, as some months your clients may utilize your services for 20 hours and some months they may only utilize 2 hours.

Project Based Packages

A Project-Based Package can be used when a client has a one-time project to complete, and you will charge them a flat rate fee for the project. This is best done by approximating how much time it will take you to complete the project and charging at least your decided hourly rate, multiplied by that projected amount of time. This type of pricing is often used for large-scale projects, like a web design, course creation, or social media overhaul package. Often, the VA will collect half of the funds up-front and the other half after the project has been completed. One issue you may run into with this type of packaging is an inadequate estimate of time needed to complete a certain project or service.

Retainer Packages

A retainer is a monthly package for those who need reoccurring help in their business. For example, a client will pre-pay for 20 hours of services rendered per month on a recurring basis. As a VA, you will still need to provide details of how your time was spent each month. This is a great option for VA’s who would like more security and the ability to project monthly earnings. Plus, you will be paid up-front, which means that you won’t have to deal with unpaid invoices for work already completed!

Usable Hours Packages

With this type of pricing method, your client will pay for a certain amount of hours, to be used at their discretion. These hours are not renewed on a monthly basis. You will keep a record of the hours you have used and, once all hours have been used up, the client can choose to purchase another package of hours or not. It may be helpful to you as a VA to put an expiration on the hours after purchase (example: hours must be utilized within 6 months or a year after purchase).

Set Rates Virtual Assistant

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Meet Abbey

Abbey Ashley is the Founder of The Virtual Savvy. She helps aspiring virtual assistants launch and grow their own at-home business from scratch. She's since gone on to grow a multi-six figure business and retire her husband ALL from her at-home business. It's now her passion to help others start their own VA business so they can taste the freedom and flexibility of entrepreneurship as well.

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87 Comments

  1. Angie Tillman on August 24, 2016 at 12:06 pm

    I really appreciated getting to take a peak at what other websites look like as well as getting an idea of what might be acceptable to charge. Also, how to package services, etc. I appreciate the work you put into this blog. Very informative.

  2. Krystal on October 10, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    This is extremely enlightening and a blessing to read. I started a DIY wedding blog last year and it is taking so much energy effort and time to grow it into a business. I feel so stuck trying to grown because there are no profits to market with.

    I am so much better at many of the virtual assisting services and I truly believe that I could make it grow fast. With the Jane example you gave, I could easily use the gross income to grown my business and market my services. I am seriously pondering shutting down my blog. Seriously…

    • Abbey Ashley on October 11, 2016 at 5:33 am

      Hey girl! I just checked out your blog. It is beautiful! I think a VA for the wedding industry would be an INCREDIBLE way for you to make some money while you build your blog. I can definitely tell you are talented. Head over the the VA Savvies Facebook Community and we will chat more! http://www.facebook.com/groups/vasavvies

    • Aspen on June 20, 2020 at 11:46 pm

      I could see this leading you into wedding planning? just a thought !

      • Abbey Ashley on June 29, 2020 at 5:19 pm

        Wedding planning is a great niche! 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!

  3. Sophia Ojha on December 12, 2016 at 5:38 pm

    Hi Abbey,

    Love your content and this one is so detailed. My biggest takeaway is to remember to save for taxes and to make income goals that reflect it.

    Also inspiring was to see how other VA’s have set up their pricing. Just a sidenote, I noticed that cobalt virtual services listed on the bottom of the list is broken (probably the site is down and hopefully fixed by the time you read this note).

    Thanks so much once again for this very useful resource you’ve created.

  4. LaShay Hisle on May 29, 2017 at 12:30 pm

    Nice!-New VA

  5. H on June 8, 2017 at 2:39 pm

    Hello!
    I’m hoping to switch from a corporate job to be a VA. How would you suggest working on starting up my business in my non-work hours? I’m the primary breadwinner for our family and I’d need to make $3k/month to replace my salary. Is it feasible to make that much on the side, or would I need to create more hours in my day (by quitting or going part time) to give my business the hours it needs to thrive?

    • Abbey Ashley on June 20, 2017 at 7:51 pm

      Hi!

      There are many ways to go about this. What I recommend is figure out your hourly rate and the hours that you have available to dedicate to clients. That will be how much you will be making. Now take into consideration that running a business also means working hours that don’t result in making money right away. Like doing the admin tasks. But if you are very strategic with your time and also start saving money for when you first quit your job you can definitely do it!

  6. Sherry on July 27, 2017 at 9:53 am

    I am trying to start a VA business, based in South Africa, so trying to establish “the going rate” for what I could possibly offer.
    I have been a sole proprietor and Independent Travel Consultant for many many years now, but business is tough, so I am looking for any way to restore my income whilst still working from my home-based office.
    My skills are mostly administrative, obviously travel and I am constantly trying to find ways to improve my web / online knowledge.
    So, i have figured out a name for my business, have been researching a website, uncapped and fast internet, and have put my business bio together.
    And now I am stuck – the roar of passion has come to a standstill, as I am just not sure if I have anything to offer as a VA?
    Sure you have had these thoughts too? What would you recommend? Should I do some kind of VA Certification?
    Thanks for the platform to bare my soul! Help !!

    • Abbey Ashley on August 1, 2017 at 12:19 pm

      Hi Sherry! I’m glad you found your way here–there are a ton of resources to start your own VA business. I would recommend that you check out the posts on this blog, as well as our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vasavvies/

      Or, you can join us in the VA Bootcamp. We’d love to have you! 🙂

  7. Mary on August 5, 2017 at 8:31 am

    THANK. YOU. SO. MUCH!!!!!!! This site was just what I needed to launch out.

    • Abbey Ashley on August 9, 2017 at 8:24 pm

      That’s fantastic to hear, Mary! And CONGRATULATIONS on launching!!! 🙂

  8. Namita Rustomjee on August 17, 2017 at 2:29 am

    A very good article. Working as a virtual assistant requires you to fix your hourly rate. It is not an easy task. But your article made it appear simpler. Calculating your taxes is a must. Once you are able to calculate your per hour rates you can go ahead and decide on your package rates. You can begin by charging nominal amount and as the work increases you can increase your rate. The charges should not be too low or you will not get enough attention. If you are starting as a virtual assistant always charge the right amount than a discounted amount.

    • Abbey Ashley on August 23, 2017 at 4:17 pm

      I’m glad you found this article helpful, Namita, and thanks for the insights. 🙂

    • Katy Raymond on July 19, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      Just starting to plan my business and found this video hugely helpful.

      When reaching out to potential clients, do you offer a list of services? And where do I market my services?

      Thanks so much.

      • Abbey Ashley on August 4, 2022 at 11:15 am

        So glad it was helpful! Yes! You can include your packages or a portfolio of your services! Facebook groups are a great place to start finding clients! We have several job opps posted daily inside the VA Savvies community: thevirtualsavvy.com/community

  9. A on September 15, 2017 at 11:07 am

    Great read! This is my dream to be able to switch over to VA. However, I am terrified I will mess something up involving legal/tax logistics. Is it hard to get started as far as taxes and whatnot?
    Thanks!

    • Abbey Ashley on September 20, 2017 at 12:36 pm

      Hi Kimberly,

      The legal/taxes aspect can seem overwhelming at first, but don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! I’d recommend you check out this interview I did with lawyer Danielle Liss.

      There are a lot of great resources in it. 🙂

  10. Chelsea on September 24, 2017 at 8:19 pm

    This is the best VA pricing article I’ve read! Thank you for making it so simple!!

    • Abbey Ashley on September 26, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      Thanks for the kind words Chelsea! I’m so glad you found it helpful. 🙂

  11. Julie McKone on December 10, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    Hi Abbey, Thanks for providing some really useful articles about starting up a VA business. I am based in Sydney, Australia and recently started my own VA business, but finding clients has been hard!

    • Abbey Ashley on December 13, 2017 at 12:56 pm

      Hi Julie,

      So glad you found this blog post helpful! Consistency is key–market regularly (daily!) and the clients will come. 🙂

  12. Leah on January 30, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    Is the VA toolbox included in this course?

    • Abbey Ashley on January 31, 2018 at 4:09 pm

      Hi Leah, the toolbox is included in the VA Bootcamp.

  13. Dawn on February 7, 2018 at 9:37 am

    I was sitting in my car waiting on an appointment and listening to Christy Wright’s podcast. You were the guest at the end.
    As I listened, I was clicking around on my phone and came across an article on VA pricing. As a VA, I thought that was a cool sounding article. So I clicked through.

    Imagine my surprise when I saw the website it was on!!! Great article and you explained it all so well.
    Happy to have found you!

    • Abbey Ashley on February 9, 2018 at 12:14 pm

      That’s so sweet of you to say, Dawn! I’m glad you’ve found my content helpful. 🙂

  14. Robynne on February 11, 2018 at 6:16 am

    LOVE your site! Practical and easy to read.

    I’ve been a VA for two years now, based in South Africa and am finding the need to rethink and reposition myself. I love what I do and look forward to what year three holds for me.

    Thanks for your insights, positive energy and motivation!!

    • Abbey Ashley on February 15, 2018 at 5:54 pm

      Thanks for the sweet words, and for sharing some of your story! We’re here for you as you reposition yourself going into year three…good luck, and please feel free to reach to me or the Virtual Savvy team with any questions. 🙂

  15. Kimberly Mae Espiritu on April 18, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    Abbey, thank you for sharing! What a lovely article and the photos are amazing too! I love how you put together these information on these events. Easy to read, very relatable and great tips! Can’t wait to read more!

  16. Leah | www.MamaBearMartin.com on May 3, 2018 at 10:30 pm

    I don’t usually leave comments very often, but this post really fit my needs. I’ve been looking into branching out from blogging and into VA work, but I had no idea which services to offer and at what rates. I love that you gave several examples of other VAs so that we could compare their packages. I especially appreciated the part where you listed each way a VA could set up their offerings. I wouldn’t have thought to offer a Usable Hours Package, but I love that idea. Thanks!

    • Abbey Ashley on May 15, 2018 at 9:45 am

      That’s exciting that you’re looking into the VA world! I’m so glad that you found this blog post helpful too. 🙂

      Definitely feel free to reach out if you have any other questions Leah!

  17. Gosia on May 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm

    As always, your post was great and informative. I only have one big worry – the taxes / legalities. I live and work in Poland; I would, however, prefer to work for people from the USA. Where do I pay taxes then?

    • Abbey Ashley on May 15, 2018 at 9:44 am

      Hi Gosia,

      Thanks for reaching out, and great questions! Unfortunately, we’re not able to give you legal/tax advice–you’ll need to contact a lawyer or tax professional in your country that can answer specific questions. Good luck! 🙂

  18. Banke on May 30, 2018 at 10:05 am

    Hi Abbey, your post was super insightful. Thank you. My VA business is picking up and I’m beginning to get more clients than I can handle. I’m always busy and it doesn’t look like I’m working from home anymore, I barely have time.
    I’ve tried working with a couple of people who have failed/let me down and I really haven’t reached my income target so I can’t stop taking clients. What do I do?

    • Abbey Ashley on June 4, 2018 at 3:51 pm

      Hi Banke! Congratulations on your growing business! Hiring subcontractors is definitely the way to go in terms of upping your income once you max out your own hours, but you’re right–finding the right fit is sometimes a challenge. Have you had a chance to watch this interview I did with the amazing Kena Roth? I think you’ll find it super helpful:
      https://www.thevirtualsavvy.com/hiring-subcontractors-va-business/

  19. Corinne on June 25, 2018 at 6:24 am

    Hi Abbey, do you have any suggestions on how to tell your clients you set your rates too low and are increasing them? I was one of the VA’s you talked about that set my rates too low not knowing and now I don’t know how to fix it without losing clients.

    • Abbey Ashley on July 17, 2018 at 5:17 pm

      Hi Corinne,

      Fear not! 🙂 This is a situation that I see all to often, unfortunately, but there is a solution! I recommend that you have a meeting with each current client, and explain to them that you are raising your rates as of X date (make sure to give them at least 30 days notice). In that meeting, emphasis the value you have brought to their business, and showcase some stats if you can! Remember though, it’s *your* business; you’re telling your clients of an upcoming change, not asking for permission or a raise.

      If you’re fairly certain that one (or several) of your current clients won’t go for a rates raise, I would suggest that you proactively start pitching new clients at your desired fee. That way, if you need to phase one business out and take on a higher paying one, you’re in the position to be able to do that.

      I hope that helps! 🙂

  20. Lauren on February 13, 2019 at 11:14 am

    Think I can use Squarespace to start my own webite for my business?

    • Abbey Ashley on February 13, 2019 at 2:13 pm

      Absolutely! Squarespace is a great option.

  21. […] The Virtual Savvy recommends that you “save back 30-35% of your gross income to pay quarterly taxes.” […]

  22. Sarah Rogusky on May 6, 2019 at 1:57 pm

    Hi Abbey, thank you so much for this article it was a huge help! I am brand new and have decided to focus on social media, since its what I know a lot about! I am thinking of charging my first client $25 per hour, she wants 3 blog posts for different sites, exciting and scary too but really not sure if I should charge more! I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks, Sarah

    • Abbey Ashley on May 7, 2019 at 11:00 am

      You are so welcome! $25 is a great place to start, but I highly recommend as you gain experience you raise your prices. I would suggest increasing by $2.50 an hour per client experience.

  23. […] of of the top concerns new Virtual Assistants ask when they are getting started is deciding how much to charge. I recommend most Virtual Assistants who are just getting started in the online world to begin with […]

  24. Liz on October 17, 2019 at 11:28 pm

    I love your style of presenting Abbey, its very engaging. I agree with the pricing options and I agree with you about the useable hours option being not very practical for virtual assistants. One option you didn’t mention was packaging a set of services to sell upfront. Do you have ideas about this? For example, If my area is building facebook pages as well as social media as well as lead generation – can I group all of these together into one rate that I charge on an ongoing basis. A bit of a mix of project and retainer without counting hours.

    • Abbey Ashley on October 18, 2019 at 11:12 am

      Hey Liz! I am so glad that you are finding value and enjoying the posts! Absolutely, you can package things together! As you get proficient at completing the tasks, this is where you can make a shift in your business from charging hourly to a package rate. You will still be accomplishing the tasks, but not penalized for completing them quickly.

      • Jessica on January 17, 2020 at 12:14 am

        Thank you for this! I am planning on starting my own VA business soon (on the side at first but eventually hoping to get out of my 9-5!) and I had no idea at all what the average rates were!

        • Abbey Ashley on January 17, 2020 at 11:20 am

          Jessica, YAY! So exciting! Can’t wait to see you rock this thing!

  25. Maria Giovanna on November 9, 2019 at 9:38 am

    Wow. This is probably the best “How to rate your service” article I’ve ever read, since it actually gives practical and concrete infos. Very clear too. Thanks a lot.

    • Abbey Ashley on November 11, 2019 at 10:48 am

      Hey, Maria! Thank you! I am so glad that you found value! 🙂

  26. marlowe on April 6, 2020 at 9:50 pm

    hey there abby,

    so i am a ft fitness instructor and trying to get clients as a life-style architect helping busy divorced mom’s redesign there life for happiness and opportunity. so i have aquestion for you….at one point my life-style architect pinterest act after 8 months had 1.4M views and then my dad died and i lost almost all of them now im at 357k at the moment. soooo, i was thinking of doing pinterest account manager as i LOVE PINTEREST…..im not to teck savy but i would only really want to do pinterest do you think it would be possible to do just this and not fb or insta?

    would love your feedback

    marlowe/life-style architect on pinterest

    http://www.g.page/life-style-architect-inc

    thanks so much. marlowe

    • Abbey Ashley on May 6, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      Hey, Marlowe! First of all, I am sorry to hear about your dad. That is hard! As for Pinterest…Yes, totally! Pinterest is huge right now and if you enjoy it, go for it! 🙂 Wishing you the best!

  27. Heidi on April 20, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    Abbey,
    Thank you for your informative video on setting rates! I especially like your advice to work for the people who value my services and are willing to pay the rate I want to get me!

    • Abbey Ashley on April 24, 2020 at 10:54 am

      Heidi, You are very welcome! I am glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful! AND YES! KNOW YOUR WORTH! 🙂

  28. Yoli on December 29, 2020 at 12:13 am

    Thank you so much. This is the best article I have read about pricing! This makes it so easy to calculate and offer my time, talent/skills and energy to my cheap to explendid clients. It even game me ideas to reframe one of my services.
    May your prosper inevitably.

    • Abbey Ashley on December 30, 2020 at 1:49 pm

      Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  29. Georgia on December 31, 2020 at 7:25 am

    Thank you this was so helpful! I’m in the process of setting up my VA business in the UK and I have been researching about what to charge and this is the first helpful post I have come across!

  30. JT on January 15, 2021 at 12:50 am

    How does one justify a raise with a current client? I started out with a dream client – who I am still working with after over 2 years (yay!). I don’t want to lose them – but I really started out at way too low of a rate (wanted to make sure I was able to get a client). And I really need to increase my rates now – but do not want to lose my awesome client!

    • Abbey Ashley on January 19, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      It is totally OK to raise your rates! In fact, if you are growing in your skills, accomplishing tasks much more quickly, and investing in training for yourself you should DEFINITELY be raising those rates. With current clients, you just want to make sure you communicate with them in advance that there will be an increase in your rates. I would suggest giving them at LEAST a 30 day notice.

      When you speak to them over the phone, you can include something like:

      “Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be revising my rates in the coming months (business has been BOOMING so it’s about time for me to do so!). My rate for ____ will be increasing from _____ to _____ on (date of new rates). My goal is to be { be more hands-on / tackle each project with deeper focus & higher energy / deliver even higher-quality work / do more of my absolute best work } for a more exclusive group of clients { who really get it / that I love working with / that appreciate innovative/creative/cutting edge work}.”

      That is just to give you an idea, but feel free to make it your own!

      • Jolynn Turner on February 21, 2021 at 9:40 pm

        Thank you so much for that feedback Abbey! I truly appreciate it!

  31. Lyza Grace Naparan on March 7, 2021 at 11:25 am

    It is both enlightening and beneficial to read. It is an excellent post. As a virtual assistant, it necessitates setting a fixed hourly rate. It is a challenging task. However, your article made it seems to be a lot easier. I am a newbie in the VA industry, and this post helps me a lot.
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  32. Jamika Chappell on June 29, 2021 at 5:57 pm

    This post is just what I needed to help with how to package the services as a VA. Although, I watched the premium package video several times on the virtual savvy site, I was not sure what to do. Thank you Ashley for providing the detailed examples and breaking everything down.

    • Abbey Ashley on July 2, 2021 at 10:32 am

      Hi Jamika, I’m glad this helped you get “unstuck”!

  33. outsourcing virtual assistant services on September 6, 2021 at 8:55 pm

    Working as a virtual assistant necessitates setting a fixed hourly rate. It is a difficult task. However, your essay made it appear to be a lot easier. It is necessary to calculate your taxes. After you’ve calculated your per-hour rates, you may move on to deciding on your package rates. You might start by charging a low cost and gradually increase your charge as the task rises.

    • Abbey Ashley on September 8, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      Glad this was clear and helpful!!!

  34. Shrestha Sahni on December 30, 2021 at 8:37 am

    The information is much helpful. I found my client from the fb group of the virtual savies. Unfortunately, I am not able to get high paying clients in my Portfolio. I am trying my best to pitch client but due to their budget issues someone else get the client.

    • Abbey Ashley on January 6, 2022 at 9:54 am

      If they’re not able to pay you your rate, then they aren’t your ideal client. You can do this, don’t give up!

  35. Alicia on March 14, 2022 at 1:18 pm

    This was very helpful to me. I am just starting out. I am also thinking over $20 is too much but my husband says I should charge more and work with blocks of time with a discount from hourly. Your site is great! Thank you!

  36. Alyssa Lapa on March 29, 2022 at 10:01 pm

    I have been trying to get into the world the VA for some time now. Currently, I am on medical leave due to a bad elbow from my current job, and the WC being offered is just killing my morale, so trying to think positive I am going to be trying my best to dive in head first. I have plenty of skills and I want to be able to utilize them. I seem to visit your blog often and each time the information is so informative. Thank you for taking the time to help others. I would rather be my own boss anyways so this works for me. I’m still working on my website as I’m not sure what to add to it, but tomorrow I will be doing what I can to read through your other articles again and refresh my brain. 🙂

    • Abbey Ashley on April 7, 2022 at 11:02 am

      So sorry to hear about your elbow! I hope you’re doing well! You totally have the skills already to be your own boss! I would recommend my free Become A Booked Out Virtual Assistant training: thevirtualsavvy.com/bbo this will walk you through how to get started (even without a website)! I’m so happy you’re here!

  37. Karen Arokiasamy on April 22, 2022 at 12:45 pm

    Abbey, this is a WONDERFULLY informative article. Thank you so much. I’ve been out of the corporate world for almost a decade, being a mom and volunteer for all the things. Getting back into the working world as a VA has been an exciting challenge for me – the biggest challenge being pricing! I know I have valuable skills, but the way you’ve broken down how to structure pricing is SO HELPFUL. Also, kudos to you for a 5-year-old article still being hella relevant. xoxo

    • Abbey Ashley on May 2, 2022 at 10:09 am

      Thank you so much Karen!!! Congrats on starting your journey – you got this!!!

  38. Jessica George on May 4, 2022 at 5:08 pm

    Hello! I’ve just started taking consults for my VA business and I’ve calculated my hourly rate and package prices, but I am also trying to come up with prices for individual services if a client doesn’t need a full package. I don’t want to offer too many individual services either, possibly opening the door to not many package clients. What would you recommend?

    • Abbey Ashley on May 5, 2022 at 11:46 am

      Hi Jessica, it’s hard to give my advice without knowing more about your services, BUT I would love to help! I reccomend posting your question in my free Facebook group HERE so that other VAs & my team can weigh in!

  39. customer services on September 1, 2022 at 12:34 pm

    Well, I found this article interesting and beneficial. Great work, such an informative article.

  40. Daniel on September 29, 2022 at 3:16 am

    This article is wonderful. you really did a great job.

    • Abbey Ashley on September 29, 2022 at 10:32 am

      Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

  41. IT Infrastructure Management on November 17, 2022 at 7:32 pm

    Thank you so much for this article! This was exactly what I needed.

    • Abbey Ashley on November 21, 2022 at 1:51 pm

      You’re so welcome! I’m glad it was helpful!

  42. T'keyah on February 7, 2023 at 10:21 am

    Thank you, this was so helpful. I also did your free training course!

    • Jaime Nickerson on February 16, 2023 at 6:21 pm

      Amazing! We’re so glad it was helpful to you

  43. Lindsey on January 13, 2024 at 1:23 pm

    Thank you so much for this!!!! I had no idea where to start until now. This made it simple to get going and the ran with it!!! So grateful for this!!!!

    • Jaime Nickerson on January 15, 2024 at 6:26 am

      You’re welcome, Lindsey! Be sure to check out our other blogs and YouTube channel for even more. You’ve got this!- Team TVS

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