Making Money > Learn > Virtual Assistant Jobs 2027: Pay, Skills, and Where to Find Work
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Freelance marketplaces, VA companies, or your own clients: three ways into virtual assistant work, compared on pay, fees, stability, and how much hustle each one takes.
Disclosure: Sundas sells FinWiser Studio services on Upwork and Fiverr. FinWiser has no affiliate or paid relationship with any platform or company named in this article.
Virtual assistant jobs pay real money in 2027, but the route you take into them changes almost everything. It sets your hourly rate, how steady the work feels, and how much of your week goes to finding clients instead of serving them.
There are three main routes. Freelance marketplaces like Upwork. VA companies like BELAY, Time Etc and Boldly, which find clients for you. And direct clients you land yourself through job boards, referrals or LinkedIn.
None of these is the one correct choice. Each fits a different stage of a VA career. Below, we compare all three on pay, fees, stability, experience and taxes, using published pay data and each company’s own hiring pages.
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Start where someone else finds the clients, then move toward clients you own. A VA company or marketplace buys you your first reviews and references. Direct clients are where the rate ceiling disappears. Plan that move from day one, and set aside a slice of every payment for tax before you spend any of it.
Good News: You Don’t Have to Choose
Most experienced VAs treat virtual assistant jobs as a portfolio and stack routes. Time Etc’s own assistant FAQ says its assistants are free to work independently outside the platform. Plenty of full-time VAs mix company clients with their own.
A common setup: one steady company or retainer client for the base, plus marketplace or direct work on top. The real question is which route you lean on first, not which one you commit to forever.
At a Glance: Three Routes Into Virtual Assistant Jobs
| Criteria | Freelance marketplaces | VA companies | Direct clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where to start | Upwork | BELAY, Time Etc, Boldly | FlexJobs, referrals, LinkedIn |
| Typical pay | You set the rate, but compete with global bids | $11–$17/hr (Time Etc) up to $27–$30/hr (Boldly full-time EAs) | Highest ceiling; you set and raise rates |
| Who finds clients | You, through proposals | The company matches you | You, through network and outreach |
| Fees and costs | 0–15% service fee per contract, plus Connects at $0.15 each | No fee to you; company keeps the margin | No commission; paid job boards optional |
| Income stability | Contract by contract | Steadiest; long-term matches | Depends on landing retainers |
| Experience needed | Low entry bar | High; Boldly asks for 7+ years | Proof matters more than credentials |
| Work status | Independent contractor | 1099 contractor (BELAY) or W-2 employee (Boldly) | Usually independent contractor |
| Best for | Beginners building reviews | Experienced admins wanting steady hours | VAs ready to run a small business |
Most published averages land between about $19 and $26 an hour. The ranges, not the averages, show how much your route and skill level matter.
How the Three Routes Compare, Criterion by Criterion
Here is each criterion from the table in more detail, with the source behind every number.
Pay
Published figures cluster in the low-to-mid $20s an hour for US-based virtual assistant jobs. ZipRecruiter put the US average at $24.40 an hour in May 2026, with most earners between $20.43 and $27.40. Payscale’s median is lower, at $19.45.
VA companies publish narrower bands. Time Etc’s applicant page advertises $11 to $17 an hour, while a Boldly listing offers $27 to $30 for full-time executive assistants. Marketplace and direct rates have no ceiling, but no floor either. You compete with assistants worldwide, some billing far less.
When you set your first rate, anchor to the published averages for your niche, not to the cheapest bids you can find. Underpricing tends to attract clients who leave quickly, and raising a rate later is harder than starting at a fair one.
Who Finds the Clients
On a marketplace, you do, through proposals. At a VA company, a matching team does it, which is the main thing you trade part of your rate for. With direct clients, finding work is entirely your job, which is why referrals and a clear niche matter so much on this route.
Whichever route you use, expect scammers. Fake listings for virtual assistant jobs are common enough that Boldly keeps a job-scam warning on its careers page. A real employer won’t ask you to buy equipment upfront or deposit a check on its behalf.
Fees and Costs
Upwork charges freelancers a variable service fee of 0% to 15% per contract and sells Connects, the credits you spend to submit proposals, at $0.15 each, per its pricing breakdown. On a $2,000 month, a 10% fee is $200 gone before tax.
VA companies charge you nothing directly. Their margin sits between what the client pays and what you earn. Direct clients cost no commission, though some paid job boards, such as FlexJobs, charge job seekers a membership fee.
Income Stability
Company roles tend to be the steadiest. Boldly says, by its own count, that clients stay with the same assistant about four years on average. Marketplace work runs contract by contract. Direct clients sit in between: one good retainer can beat any platform for steadiness, but losing it hurts more.
Experience and Skills Needed
Marketplaces have the lowest entry bar, since anyone can open a profile. VA companies are selective. Boldly asks for at least seven years of senior admin experience, and BELAY says more than 75% of its contractors hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
Direct clients care less about credentials and more about proof: a portfolio, testimonials, or a warm referral from someone they trust.
Whatever the route, a basic tool kit helps: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, a scheduling tool, a project board such as Asana or Trello, and a password manager for client logins.
Taxes and Paperwork
Most US virtual assistant jobs are 1099 work, meaning you’re an independent contractor, not an employee. BELAY’s VA roles are 1099 contracts. Boldly, unusually, hires its assistants as W-2 employees, so tax comes out of each paycheck for you.
As a contractor, you owe self-employment tax, the Social Security and Medicare tax employers normally split with you, on top of income tax. The rate is 15.3%. The IRS generally expects estimated tax payments during the year if you’ll owe $1,000 or more.
Working from outside the US? US self-employment tax generally doesn’t apply to you, but your own country’s freelancer rules do. Check them before your first payout, not after.
AI and the Skills That Pay More in Virtual Assistant Jobs
Calendar and inbox management are the classic entry point, and AI tools now handle a growing share of that work. The VAs who command higher rates sell judgment software can’t: bookkeeping, client-facing communication, project coordination, and running the AI tools on a client’s behalf.
Upwork’s own guide for new VAs names social media management, bookkeeping, content creation and customer service among the specialized skills clients want. Pick one, learn its standard tools, and price yourself as a specialist rather than a general helper.
What the Labor Data Says About Admin Work
The closest official benchmark comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It projects little or no change in employment of secretaries and administrative assistants from 2024 to 2034. Yet it still expects about 358,300 openings each year, mostly to replace people leaving the field.
The median wage for that group was $47,460 a year, or $22.82 an hour, in May 2024. BLS doesn’t track virtual assistants as a separate occupation, so treat this as a benchmark, not a VA headcount. Our read: admin demand isn’t vanishing, but the steady openings favor people who can do more than basic scheduling.
A Halal-Aware Take on VA Income
Pay from lawful virtual assistant jobs is generally treated as halal. You’re selling time and skill, not lending money, so the wage itself involves no riba, the Islamic term for interest. Three spots still deserve a second look:
- Who you work for. Core work for interest-based lenders, gambling or alcohol businesses is where many scholars would raise concerns.
- Where your earnings sit. Some payment apps and business accounts pay interest on balances. Pick a non-interest option or move money out promptly.
- How you fund your tools. Pay for software and equipment outright or monthly, rather than carrying an interest-bearing card balance.
For anything borderline, ask a scholar you trust. The comparison above holds either way; the halal lens mainly changes which clients and accounts you choose.
Pros and Cons of Each Route
Where Freelance Marketplaces Win
- Lowest barrier. You can open a profile and send proposals the same day.
- Built-in trust. Reviews and payment protection help a newcomer look credible fast.
- Global client pool. Clients in any time zone can find you, which helps VAs outside the US.
Trade-off: fees of up to 15% and constant price pressure from lower bids on the same virtual assistant jobs.
Where VA Companies Win
- No client hunting. The company matches you, so your hours go to billable work.
- Reliable pay. Time Etc lists guaranteed payment as a core benefit for its assistants.
- Steadier hours. Long-term matches make monthly income easier to plan around.
Trade-off: a lower rate ceiling and selective hiring that favors experienced admins.
Where Direct Clients Win
- Highest rates. No platform cut, and no published band capping what you charge.
- You own the relationship. No platform can suspend your account or change fees on you.
- Easiest to raise rates. Direct clients who value you accept increases more readily.
Trade-off: you’re sales, billing and collections all at once.
5 Providers to Know
These are real, active places to find virtual assistant jobs right now, one for each route and stage:
- Upwork. The largest general marketplace; best for building your first reviews.
- BELAY. US VA company hiring 1099 contractors for VA, bookkeeping and marketing roles. It currently excludes residents of California, Colorado, Montana, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
- Time Etc. Part-time, flexible freelance VA work with clients matched for you.
- Boldly. Premium executive assistant company that hires senior EAs as W-2 employees.
- FlexJobs. Paid remote job board with screened listings, useful for finding direct employers.
Which Route Into Virtual Assistant Jobs Fits You
- Brand new, no admin history. Start on a marketplace with a narrow offer, like inbox and calendar cleanup, and collect five strong reviews.
- Experienced admin who wants steady hours. Apply to VA companies first. You’ll trade some rate for zero client hunting.
- You have reviews and a niche. Shift toward direct clients and retainers, and raise your rate with each new client.
- Based outside the US. Lean on marketplaces and direct clients. The US companies named here hire US-based assistants.
Key Takeaways
- Published averages for US virtual assistant jobs sit roughly between $19 and $26 an hour; your route and niche decide where you land.
- Marketplaces are easiest to enter but take up to 15% per contract. VA companies trade a lower ceiling for steadier work.
- Direct clients pay best once you have proof of results. Most VAs end up stacking routes rather than picking one.
- As a US contractor, set aside 25–30% of each payment for tax. For halal-conscious VAs, watch the client’s industry and where earnings sit, not the wage itself.
About the author
Sundas Tahir
Founder & CEO, FinWiser
Sundas Tahir founded FinWiser to make money decisions clearer. With close to eight years in finance and fintech, she has worked hands-on with financial accounts, payment flows and disputes, the day-to-day mechanics of how money actually moves. She writes about investing, banking and money tools with a halal-aware lens. Nothing here is personal financial advice. Think of FinWiser as the smart friend who reads the fine print so you don’t have to.
Further Reading From Top Finance Publishers
These outlets have covered the same question from different angles. Each link was checked before publishing.
- NerdWallet: How to Become a Virtual Assistant (steps, requirements and where to look)
- GOBankingRates: Your Guide to Start Earning as a VA
- Kiplinger: When Are Estimated Tax Payments Due in 2026? (useful once you’re paid as a contractor)