Is the £5/hour rate real, or is there a catch?

£5/hour is the entry-level rate for our 6-month introductory tier. After 6 months, rates blend up to around £13/hour depending on the VA’s experience and role complexity. There’s no hidden fee, no setup cost, no recruitment markup. The rate you see is the rate you pay.

VA Cost Calculator UK: See Your Savings vs Hiring In-House

HOW WE CALCULATE THIS

Real numbers, not marketing maths.

Every cost in this calculator is a real expense a UK business owner pays when hiring locally. We only include figures that HMRC, recruitment agencies, and your accountant will agree on.

01 · Salary

Market-rate salary by role

We use the average UK salary for the role type you select, based on data from Glassdoor, Reed, and Totaljobs. We update these quarterly.

02 · National Insurance

Employer NI at HMRC rates

13.8% on earnings above £9,100/year, per HMRC’s current Class 1 secondary contribution rate.

03 · Pension

Auto-enrolment minimum

3% employer contribution above £6,240/year, per the Pensions Regulator’s minimum requirement under auto-enrolment.

04 · Other costs

The costs most people forget

Statutory holiday (28 days), Statutory Sick Pay liability, recruitment agency fees (15–20% of first-year salary), training time, equipment, and software seats.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

The real cost of hiring locally.

Every line item below is a real cost category. The £ figures use the Admin VA equivalent at 20 hours/week as the base case.

UK In-House Hire

Admin VA equivalent · 20 hrs/wk

High cost

Base salary (Admin VA equivalent) £28,000

Employer National Insurance (13.8%) £2,608

Workplace pension (3% minimum) £840

Statutory holiday pay Included

Statutory Sick Pay liability Variable risk

Recruitment agency fee (15%) £4,200

Equipment, desk, software seats £1,500

Onboarding / training (~80 hours) ~£1,400

Est. first-year total ~£38,548

Ant Assist Virtual Assistant

Admin VA · 20 hrs/wk · Entry tier

Recommended

Hourly rate (£13 blended at 20 hrs/wk) £13,520

Employer NI ✓ Included

Pension contribution ✓ Included

Holiday pay ✓ Cover provided

Sick leave cover ✓ Cover provided

Recruitment ✓ Free matching

Equipment & office ✓ Included

Training ✓ Included

First-year total £13,520

You save approximately £25,000/year on the Admin VA scenario above. Use the calculator for your exact role type and hours.

Run my numbers →

COST QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

What you might still be wondering.

It’s real. £5/hour is the entry-level rate for our 6-month introductory tier. After 6 months, rates blend up to around £13/hour depending on the VA’s experience and the role complexity. There’s no hidden fee, no setup cost, and no recruitment markup. The rate you see is the rate you pay.

12 months initial term with a 3-month probation period. If your VA isn’t right during the first 3 months, you can request a replacement at no cost. After 12 months, the contract continues on a rolling monthly basis until either party gives 30 days’ notice.

No setup fees. The only upfront costs are a 30-day bond deposit (held for the duration of the contract and refunded when you leave, provided all dues are settled) and one month’s fee paid in advance. Both are standard practice and clearly stated in the service agreement.

30 days’ written notice and your monthly fees adjust to the new rate. You can step down or back up as your needs change.

No, the calculator shows fees exclusive of VAT. VAT is added on top where applicable, per standard UK rules. We charge VAT once we cross HMRC’s VAT registration threshold.

We don’t publish competitive comparisons because pricing varies widely (£3/hour to £35/hour depending on provider quality and structure). What we will say: most £5/hour VA services are unmanaged marketplaces, so you hire and manage the VA directly. Ant Assist is a managed service: supervision, replacement, performance management, and continuity cover are our responsibility, not yours. The price includes that overhead.

READY?

Stop paying for overhead you don’t need.

Book a 15-minute discovery call. We’ll talk through what you need, recommend a role and hours, and confirm fit. No pressure.

Book a free 15-min call → See our services

Office-based · Managed by Ant Assist · UK hours · Human VAs · From £5/hour

See what a virtual assistant actually costs.

Your exact numbers, not a ballpark.

Real numbers, not marketing maths.

The real cost of hiring locally.

What you might still be wondering.

See what your VA actually does

Stop paying for overhead you don’t need.