Hiring a VA
How much does a Filipino virtual assistant actually cost?
Most articles on this answer with a single number, which is why the number is usually wrong. Here is what drives the price, what the ranges look like in 2026, and the costs that do not appear on any invoice.
By Regina Tampipi · · 8 min read
The short answer, with the caveat that makes it useful
For HirayaVA Collective, managed virtual assistant support is offered as monthly packages matched to a 10, 20 or 40 hours-per-week schedule. Packages are billed monthly according to the support level and weekly schedule selected, with published 10, 20 and 40 hours-per-week options across Essential, Specialized, and Executive & Operations support.
That range is genuinely useful only if you know which end you belong at, and most owners guess wrong in the same direction: they scope the role as "general admin" because that is what the first month looks like, then find within eight weeks that they actually needed someone who could own a process. The rate they budgeted for cannot buy that person.
So the more useful question is not what a VA costs. It is what the specific work you need done is worth paying for reliably.
The figures below are HirayaVA Collective’s published monthly planning rates. Final pricing depends on the role, experience required, specialization, coverage schedule, tools and role complexity.
The five things that actually move the price
Two assistants doing what sounds like the same job can differ by a factor of three in cost. These are the variables that explain almost all of that gap.
Experience level
Someone in their first year and someone with five years of running a process independently are different hires. The second costs more and usually needs less of your time, which is the part owners undercount.
Specialisation
General admin is the widest talent pool and the lowest rate. Bookkeeping, medical administration, technical support and paid-ads management are narrower pools and price accordingly.
Hours and commitment
The weekly schedule you reserve affects the monthly investment because it determines how much recurring capacity is available to the role.
Time-zone overlap
Work performed inside Philippine business hours costs less than a role that requires substantial overlap with US Central or Eastern time. Night-shift work is priced accordingly, and should be.
How you hire
Direct hire, freelance marketplace or agency. Each shifts cost between the rate you pay and the work you absorb. More on this below.
Accountability required
A role where someone follows a documented process costs less than one where someone owns an outcome and exercises judgment. Owning outcomes is a different job.
A useful next step
Want the actual Hiraya package numbers?
Our managed VA packages are published openly, so you can see the likely investment before deciding whether to book a call.
HirayaVA monthly package pricing by support level
Each package is matched to a weekly schedule. The amount shown is the monthly package price in U.S. dollars.
Essential VA Support
10 hours/week: $325/month
20 hours/week: $650/month
40 hours/week: $1,300/month
For recurring administrative and coordination work such as email and calendar management, data entry, research, documentation, customer and appointment coordination, CRM updates and routine administration.
Specialized VA Support
10 hours/week: $425/month
20 hours/week: $850/month
40 hours/week: $1,700/month
For skill-specific work tied to sales, marketing, finance or an industry workflow, including lead generation, appointment setting, social media support, CRM management and bookkeeping support.
Executive & Operations VA
10 hours/week: $525/month
20 hours/week: $1,050/month
40 hours/week: $2,100/month
For higher-level support requiring stronger ownership, coordination and judgment across calendars, projects, operations, reporting, meetings, SOPs and stakeholder or team follow-up.
Final pricing may vary based on experience, specialization, coverage schedule, required tools and role complexity. The recommended schedule and final monthly investment are confirmed during role scoping before placement begins.
Agency, marketplace or direct hire
The visible price is only part of the cost. The rest is the work you take on yourself, and it is real work.
Direct hire
Usually the lowest visible provider cost. You handle sourcing, screening, contracts, payments, currency, cover during illness and the entire risk if the first hire does not work out. Sensible if you have hired remotely before and have time to run a proper process.
Freelance marketplace
Fast and flexible, with platform fees on top. Quality varies widely and screening is entirely yours. Works well for short, well-defined projects; less well for a role someone needs to own over time.
Agency or matching service
A higher visible service cost can include sourcing, screening, contracts, payment coordination and replacement support through the provider. The value is concentrated in reducing hiring risk and administrative load.
There is no universally right answer. The honest framing is that a managed service buys you a transfer of hiring risk and administrative load. If you would enjoy running the hiring process and have the time, direct hire may cost less. If a failed hire would cost you a quarter, managed support may be the better trade-off.
What a realistic first-year budget looks like
Start with the published monthly package that matches the responsibility level and weekly schedule you need. Then account for any third-party software seats, client-specific tools or other requirements identified during role scoping.
For HirayaVA, the published monthly package prices range from $325 for Essential VA Support at 10 hours per week up to $2,100 for Executive & Operations VA support at 40 hours per week. Your final monthly investment is confirmed before placement begins.
Then compare that against the thing you are actually buying: the hours you get back, and what you do with them. If those hours go into billable work, business development or simply not working weekends, the arithmetic usually resolves quickly. If they go into work that was not worth doing in the first place, no rate is cheap enough.
How we handle pricing, and why we do it this way
We publish the complete monthly package options for 10, 20 and 40 hours per week. Essential VA Support is $325, $650 or $1,300 per month; Specialized VA Support is $425, $850 or $1,700 per month; and Executive & Operations VA Support is $525, $1,050 or $2,100 per month. The complete monthly package prices are published on our Pricing page. Final fit still depends on the role, tools, schedule, time-zone overlap and level of judgment required.
What we will tell you on that call, including when it costs us the work: whether the role you are describing is one job or three, whether you need an assistant or a system, and whether the budget and package you have in mind are realistic for the person you are describing. Underscoped roles fail, and a failed match helps nobody.
If you would like to prepare before that conversation, our virtual assistant hiring guide covers how to separate tasks from outcomes and identify the skill level you actually need.
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up on almost every call.
Is a Filipino virtual assistant cheaper than hiring locally?
Almost always, yes, largely because of the difference in cost of living rather than any difference in capability. The saving is real, but it is not the whole picture: you are also taking on remote management, time-zone coordination and, if you hire directly, the full hiring process. Businesses that budget for those get the saving. Businesses that assume they are free often do not.
Why can managed VA services cost more than a freelance marketplace?
Because different things are included. A managed service can include sourcing, screening, contracts, payment coordination, onboarding and a point of accountability if something goes wrong. A marketplace typically leaves more of that work with you. The difference is the amount of hiring and management work that stays on your side.
How are HirayaVA virtual assistant packages priced?
HirayaVA packages are billed monthly according to the support level and weekly schedule selected. Essential VA Support is $325, $650 or $1,300 per month for 10, 20 or 40 hours per week. Specialized VA Support is $425, $850 or $1,700 per month. Executive & Operations VA is $525, $1,050 or $2,100 per month. Final pricing is confirmed during role scoping.
What is the cheapest I can realistically pay?
You can find rates below the ranges above, and sometimes they work out. More often they mean an inexperienced assistant, an unsustainable arrangement the person will leave, or a provider taking a large cut of what the assistant actually receives. We would rather quote honestly than compete at a rate that produces a hire you will replace in three months.
Do I need to pay Philippine taxes or benefits?
That depends entirely on the engagement structure — contractor, agency placement or employer-of-record arrangement — and on your own jurisdiction. It is worth getting proper advice for your situation. We can explain how our own arrangements work, but we are not tax or employment lawyers and would not want to be treated as either.
How quickly can someone start?
For a well-scoped general role, matching typically takes a couple of weeks from the point the role is agreed. Specialised requirements — regulated industries, particular software, narrow time-zone windows — take longer, because the pool is smaller and screening properly matters more than moving quickly.
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