A full-time virtual executive assistant from the Philippines or South Africa earns $700 to $3,300+ USD a month, depending on experience. Exec Assistants charges a one-time $1,997 USD recruitment fee to find, screen and shortlist your assistant. You hire them directly and pay their salary straight to them.
2026 Virtual Executive Assistant Salaries by Level
These are typical monthly salaries in USD for a full-time virtual executive assistant in 2026. Filipino EAs cost less at every level, and the next section explains why South African EAs sit higher. You agree on the final figure with your assistant, and we recommend a range for your role on the discovery call.
Salary Ranges Side by Side
Monthly salary in USD, full time
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Entry-Level EA
1 to 2 years- Philippines
- $700 to $1,000
- South Africa
- $730 to $1,330
Runs your calendar and inbox in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, books travel, files expenses and keeps your contact lists and documents in order. A good fit for a founder or manager who needs reliable daily support.
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Mid-Level EA
3 to 5 years- Philippines
- $1,000 to $1,500
- South Africa
- $1,330 to $2,300
Prepares meeting agendas and briefing notes, drafts client emails, tracks projects in Asana or ClickUp, updates your CRM and coordinates across teams on Slack. Builds simple automations and needs little day-to-day direction.
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Senior EA
5+ years, C-suite- Philippines
- $1,500 to $2,000+
- South Africa
- $2,300 to $3,300+
Writes emails in your voice, prepares board and investor materials, manages confidential matters and runs projects across departments. Acts as the gatekeeper and right hand for a CEO, managing partner or business owner.
Ranges come from our Philippines hiring guide and our South Africa hiring guide. For US and UK comparisons, see the salary and cost guide by country.
Why South African EAs Cost More Than Filipino EAs
At every experience level, a South African executive assistant earns more than a Filipino one with the same skills. Four things drive that gap. Both countries produce strong executive assistants, so pick the country that fits your hours and the work.
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Higher cost of living
Everyday living costs run higher in South Africa than in the Philippines, so a salary needs to be higher to give the same standard of living.
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Currency movement
South African pay is set in rand, and the rand rises and falls against the dollar. That exchange rate shapes what South African assistants ask for in US dollar terms.
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Smaller talent pool
The Philippines has one of the largest remote support workforces in the world, with about 1.9 million people in its IT and business process industry in 2025. South Africa’s pool is smaller and growing fast, so experienced EAs there are in shorter supply.
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Specialist background
South African EAs often bring legal, finance, HR and project administration experience, plus a working knowledge of UK and European business norms. Specialist experience pushes salaries up, especially at senior level.
The Gap Grows With Seniority
Top of each monthly salary range in USD, full time
The gap is widest at senior level, where specialist experience pushes South African salaries up.
Philippines and South Africa Side by Side
How the two countries compare for a virtual executive assistant
How Our Direct-Hire Pricing Works
One fee to find your assistant
You pay Exec Assistants once, when your search starts. Your assistant becomes your own team member, so you set their hours, manage their work and pay them directly each month.
Because no agency sits between you and your assistant, your monthly cost equals their salary for as long as they work with you. A raise goes straight to your assistant, which helps you keep a good hire for years.
Read how the direct-hire virtual EA model compares with agency-managed staffing.
Where Your Money Goes
You make two kinds of payment: one fee to us at the start, then a monthly salary to your assistant.
Agency markup on your assistant’s salary: monthly fee $0
What Your $1,997 Covers
We define the role with you, source candidates in the Philippines and South Africa, and put them through three-stage screening. You get a shortlist of vetted finalists, we coordinate your interviews, and we guide your assistant’s first weeks. If the hire leaves or falls short in the first three months, the replacement guarantee covers you.
- 1
Requirements intake
- 2
Sourcing
- 3
Screening
- 4
Shortlist delivery
- 5
Interview coordination
- 6
Onboarding guidance
3-month replacement guarantee
Year-One Cost: Exec Assistants vs Agency vs US In-House Hire
Here’s what one full-time executive assistant costs in the first year under each hiring model. Each bar shows salary plus any fees, on the same scale.
- Salary
- Exec Assistants fee (once)
- Agency markup
The gap grows every year
An agency markup repeats for as long as your assistant stays. Our fee is paid once. With the South African EA above, two years cost $49,997 through Exec Assistants and $57,600 through a 20% markup agency.
See the full breakdown in direct hire vs agency-managed virtual EAs.
US figure: median annual wage for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Payroll taxes, health insurance and equipment push the true cost of a US hire higher. Read our in-house vs virtual executive assistant cost comparison.
4 Factors That Change Your Assistant’s Salary
Four things decide where your assistant lands within each range. We go through all four on your discovery call.
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Experience
Each step from entry to mid to senior moves the salary up by several hundred dollars a month or more. Senior EAs who support CEOs, partners or boards sit at the top of each range.
Biggest single factorEntryMidSenior -
Working hours and time zone
A Philippine assistant who works US business hours works through the Manila night. Under Philippine law, hours from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. earn a 10% night shift differential when you employ the assistant under local law.
A US workday in Manila time
US 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET 10% night differential6 p.m.10 p.m.2 a.m.6 a.m.Manila time, during US daylight saving time. In US winter, the shift runs one hour later.
Many Filipino EAs already work US Eastern or Pacific hours and are used to the night shift. South Africa runs on GMT+2, so UK and European hours fall inside a normal South African workday, with overlap into the US East Coast morning.
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Software and specialist skills
Assistants who already know your CRM, your bookkeeping software or the way a law firm, wealth practice or real estate business runs earn toward the top of their range. They also need less training in the first month.
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How you employ them
If you pay your assistant as an independent contractor, their salary is your full monthly cost. The assistant registers as self-employed and files their own taxes.
If you employ a Philippine EA under Philippine law, budget about 25% to 30% on top of salary. That covers 13th-month pay (one-twelfth of yearly basic pay), employer shares of SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG, and the night differential. An Employer of Record (EOR) can employ your assistant on your behalf and run payroll and compliance for a service fee.
Monthly cost on a $1,000 salary
Independent contractor$1,000Employed under Philippine lawabout $1,255Salary13th-month pay, night differential, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIGSee the worked example in our Philippines executive assistant hiring and pay guide.
Virtual Executive Assistant Pricing FAQs
How much does a virtual executive assistant cost per month?
A full-time virtual executive assistant from the Philippines earns about $700 to $2,000+ USD a month. One from South Africa earns about $730 to $3,300+ USD a month. Experience sets where they fall in that range. Through Exec Assistants, you also pay a one-time $1,997 USD recruitment fee.
Does Exec Assistants charge a monthly fee?
No. You pay the $1,997 USD recruitment fee once. After that, you pay your assistant’s salary directly to them, and Exec Assistants adds no monthly markup.
What does the $1,997 fee include?
It covers requirements intake, sourcing, three-stage screening, a vetted shortlist, interview coordination and onboarding guidance. It also includes our 3-month replacement guarantee.
Why do South African executive assistants earn more than Filipino ones?
Four reasons: South Africa has a higher cost of living, rand and dollar exchange rates shape what assistants ask for, the South African talent pool is smaller than the Philippines’ very large remote workforce, and many South African EAs bring legal, finance and HR experience. Both countries produce strong executive assistants. South African EAs work on GMT+2, which suits UK and European clients, and Filipino EAs often already work US business hours.
How do I decide what salary to offer?
Start with the experience level the role needs, then adjust for your working hours, the software involved and how you plan to employ the assistant. We recommend a salary range on your discovery call, before you commit to anything.
Can I hire a part-time executive assistant?
Most clients hire full time, because a dedicated assistant learns your business faster and stays longer. If you need fewer hours, raise it on your discovery call and we’ll tell you what works.
How fast can I hire?
Most clients see their shortlist within 7 to 10 days of the first consultation. You interview the finalists and hire your pick directly.
Get a Salary Range for Your Role
Book a free discovery call and leave with a clear monthly budget for your assistant before you commit to anything.
Book a free discovery callWhat we cover on the call
- The work you want to hand off
- Your working hours and time zone
- The right experience level and country
- A monthly salary range for your role