Virtual assistant quote that keeps hours clear

What to include on a virtual assistant quotation

A virtual assistant quote sells time, so it has to say how much time, for which tasks, and what happens when the client needs more or less of it. This template prices a block of assistant hours, a one off onboarding line and optional bookkeeping entry, with space for response times, tools and rollover rules. Try the sample in the quote maker or download Word, Excel or PDF.

A virtual assistant quotation should turn a loose offer of help into a defined service: the hours, the tasks, the working window and the tools. That clarity lets the client compare you with an hourly freelancer, and it stops the role growing into a full time job at part time pay.

1. Hours and periodHours per week or per month and the length of the arrangement, such as 10 hours a week for 13 weeks, shown as a single line of total hours.
2. Task listThe tasks in scope: inbox triage, calendar booking, travel research, data entry, client follow-ups. Bigger specialist work may need its own price, such as a bookkeeping quote or a social media package.
3. Working window and response timeYour working hours, your time zone and how quickly you reply, for example within four business hours.
4. OnboardingTime to learn the client’s systems, set up access and write process notes, charged once at the start.
5. Tools and subscriptionsWhich software the client provides and which you pay for, such as a password manager seat or a scheduling app.
6. Overflow and rolloverThe rate for hours beyond the block, and whether unused hours carry into next month or expire.
7. ConfidentialityHow you handle client data, passwords and email access, and your commitment to keep it private.
8. Notice periodHow much notice either side gives to end or change the arrangement, and what happens to prepaid hours.

Sample virtual assistant quotation with example prices

Ready Desk Assistants is quoting Amal Coaching for three months of inbox and calendar support. The Support group shows 130 assistant hours, which is 10 hours a week for 13 weeks, at $28 an hour, plus a $120 onboarding line. The subtotal is $3,760. Monthly bookkeeping entry at $150 is an optional line outside the total. No deposit is set on this sample, and the rates are examples.

Edit the Ready Desk Assistants quote

3 lines are filled in, from assistant hours to monthly bookkeeping entry. Put in your own virtual assistant rates, then download the PDF.

Open the virtual assistant sample

How to price virtual assistant work

Virtual assistants charge by the hour, by a monthly retainer for a block of hours, or by the task for repeatable work. Retainers suit steady support like the sample, while hourly billing suits clients who are still working out what they need help with.

1. HourlyTracked time at your rate, billed weekly or monthly. Simple to start with, but your income swings with the client’s workload.
2. Monthly retainerA fixed number of hours each month for a set fee, paid in advance. You hold that time in your week and charge an overflow rate beyond it.
3. Per taskA price per item for repeatable jobs, such as $8 per invoice entered or $40 to set up a new client’s welcome emails. Working faster earns you more.
4. Project feeA fixed price for a one off job, like cleaning up a CRM or reorganizing a shared drive, worked out from estimated hours.

Your rate has to cover unbilled time for admin, training and finding clients; the labor cost guide works this out. Per task prices fit neatly on a rate card you can send with the quote.

Worked example: turning 10 hours a week into a monthly retainer

Some clients prefer an even monthly bill to a three month block. Here is the sample’s 10 hours a week converted into a retainer, at the same $28 rate.

1. Hours per year10 hrs × 52 weeks = 520 hrs.
2. Hours per month520 ÷ 12 = 43.3 hrs a month on average, rounded down to a 43 hour block.
3. Monthly fee43 hrs × $28 = $1,204 a month.
4. Overflow rateHours beyond 43 in a month cost $32 each, approved by the client first. Five extra hours would add 5 × $32 = $160.
5. Rollover ruleUp to 4 unused hours carry into the following month only, and the rest expire. Write the rule on the quote.

Cover across time zones, specialist tools and tasks that need judgment, such as replying to unhappy customers, justify a higher rate than routine data entry.

Inclusions and exclusions for admin support

Virtual assistant quote mistakes

• Offering open ended help with no task list, so the role drifts into marketing, sales and customer service.
• Not stating a response time, then getting messages at midnight that expect a reply by breakfast.
• Letting unused hours roll over without a cap, so a quiet month turns into a free month later.
• Paying for tools yourself with no line to recover the cost.
• Starting without written access arrangements, which slows the first week and raises security worries.
• Billing in arrears with no notice period, then waiting weeks for payment after the client stops.