How I Created My Virtual Assistant Packages & Rates
When you decide which services you want to offer, you must decide how to create your virtual assistant packages and how much to charge for them.
One of the first things my virtual assistant coach told me was to NOT undercharge. It’s so easy to do that because we think we’re just starting, and nobody will hire us if we charge too much.
I know that I had a really hard time with this. I thought I wasn’t worth more than the salary I earned with my 9-5. But I didn’t think about the fact that I had to pay for insurance and my pension– something that was done by my employers up until then– I needed to pay myself a salary and there had to be money left to pay for the tools I needed to be able to do the services I offered.
So, I decided that I would start with charging € 45 per hour. I really had to practice saying this in the mirror so I could get it out of my mouth in a discovery call.
In this blog, I’m going to tell you how I came up with this rate, what I would do if I started all over again, and how you can create your virtual assistant service packages.
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How Much I Charge As a Virtual Assistant
Wow, I had to get back in time to see how I came up with € 45 per hour, hahaha. A trip down memory lane. To come to my virtual assistant rate starting point, I did the following:
Wrote down all my fixed expenses [these are the things you HAVE TO pay each month, like your rent/mortgage, insurance, food, etc]
Wrote down the things I wanted to do now I’m a virtual assistant, because we didn’t start this business to just live from paycheck to paycheck [travelling, buying books, or our kindle unlimited subscription– maybe you already put this under HAVE TO and I don’t blame you]
Wrote down the costs of what I needed for my business [laptop, wifi, costs for a website, accounting software, insurance, etc]
Then I calculated how many hours I wanted to work for my clients. You also have to take into account that you have to do your marketing, have, for instance, discovery calls, and do your finances. So instead of working 40 hours a week for a boss, you have to think about how many hours you want to work as a virtual assistant, and of that amount, how much time you can dedicate to working for your clients.
When you do all this, you come up with your own hourly rate.
I started in 2017 with charging € 45. It took me a long time to find the confidence to up my hourly rate. In 2021, I finally did it. I emailed my clients in December of 2020 that, as of next year, I would be charging € 50 per hour.
After nobody told me they wanted to stop, I upped my prices faster. Having the same virtual assistant hourly rate for 3 years is not something I would recommend now. I didn’t have a coach or community around me to advise me with this. That’s a reason why I created the WolfPack Membership. I know how difficult it can be to see your own worth. It’s sooooo much easier to see it for other people.
In August 2022, I upped my prices again. That month, I went from € 50 to € 75. I know, a major increase… I had someone tell me that I needed to do that. Again, super scary, but I made myself essential for my clients so they didn’t want to say goodbye. I was soooo relieved when that happened.
And while I’m typing this, I see that it’s almost 3 years since I upped my rates… To be honest, I spend most of my time on my academy and teaching [new] VAs that I forgot.
Average Virtual Assistant Rates
When you Google how much do virtual assistants charge, you see a lot of rates between $10 and $20.
I want you to know that these rates are charged by virtual assistants in asian countries. Yes, there are going to be business owners who go for that. It’s not something that you can stop.
But I’m living proof that business owners also want to pay € 75 per hour for their virtual assistant.
So, when you calculate your own rate, do that based on what I wrote before. DO NOT lower your hourly rate because you think you have to compete with VAs from Asia.
So, maybe Upwork is not the place you are going to get your clients from.
Should You Charge an Hourly Rate as a VA?
My very short answer is NO.
I would not recommend what I’m still doing. Also, not to start with, like some virtual assistant mentors say, because I’m again living proof that it’s not something you’re going to change. It’s just not something that’s going to happen. At least not when you work with your clients for years and years, like I do.
So, immediately start offering packages. Another hot take is: DO NOT offer ‘10 hours for $300’ packages. There are lots of virtual assistant mentors who say that’s a great way to start, and I’m telling you, no, it’s not.
Because you’re doing the same thing as offering an hourly rate. You only call it a package. Which is just plain stupid, and babe, I know we’re not stupid.
3 Examples of How To Create Virtual Assistant Packages
There are 3 ways you can create virtual assistant pricing packages.
You offer 2 or 3 packages for the same service, but each package offers more.
You specialize in one service– this is also a way to charge more and give your clients the possibility to add-on systems that make their lives even easier.
Lastly, you offer multiple services in the same category, like admin. Depending on your discovery call and what your client needs, you calculate the price they have to pay monthly.
Download Your FREE Virtual Assistant Pricing Template!
When you make the decision to change your life and do a deep dive into becoming a virtual assistant, you don’t want to spend time scouring the internet. That’s why I created the VA series so you can binge-read everything you need to start your own virtual assistant business.
Included in this series is a guide to inspire you on what is possible when it comes to services you can offer. I also want to make it easy for you to calculate your hourly rate so you can create your own virtual assistant packages.
