How much does a virtual assistant cost in the UK?
2026 rates and what they include
Freelance UK VAs average £32.35 an hour. An in-house hire is about £3,210 a month once office, equipment and management time are counted. A managed VA from Ant Assist starts at £5 an hour, then £5.50 to £8.50 by role and tier.
Virtual assistant hourly rates in the UK by type
There is no single UK virtual assistant rate: the label covers four ways of buying the same hours, and the real cost turns on who manages the work and what the price includes.
| Type of VA | Typical cost | Who manages the work | What the price includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance UK VA | £32.35 an hour average; specialists £50 or moreSociety of Virtual Assistants, UK VA Survey 2024 | You | Their time only |
| UK agency VA | Per hour or per package; no public benchmark cited here, ask for the all-in rate | The agency | Matching and replacement; management may be extra |
| Managed offshore VA (Ant Assist) | From £5 an hour, then £5.50 to £8.50 by role, tier and hours | Ant Assist's UK team, from our Cairo office | Dedicated VA, management, recruitment, office, replacement |
| In-house employee | About £3,210 a month for an entry-level admin hire£38,516 a year, calculator model | You | Everything, plus employer NI, pension and holiday |
The freelance figure is a published 2024 average, not a quote; the in-house figure is the calculator's own model.
Ant Assist pricing: from £5 per hour
Every role starts at £5 an hour, an introductory rate that runs for the first 6 months on Entry, 3 on Mid and 1 on Expert; the standard rate then applies, to the nearest penny.
| Role | Full-time, 160 h a month | Part-time, 80 h a month | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Mid | Expert | Entry | Mid | Expert | |
| Admin VA | £6.30 | £7.25 | £7.88 | £6.50 | £7.48 | £8.13 |
| Customer service VA | £5.95 | £6.84 | £7.44 | £6.50 | £7.48 | £8.13 |
| Lead generation VA | £5.50 | £6.33 | £6.88 | £6.50 | £7.48 | £8.13 |
| E-commerce VA | £6.50 | £7.48 | £8.13 | £6.80 | £7.82 | £8.50 |
Standard hourly rates after the introductory period; full-time is 160 hours a month, part-time 80.
That is £800 a month for any full-time role while the £5 rate applies; monthly figures by role are below. The hourly rate is the whole price. It includes:
- A dedicated VA, never shared
- UK-hour aligned support
- Management and supervision
- Recruitment and onboarding
- Office infrastructure
- Replacement if the match is wrong
- No employer NI, pension or holiday costs
- No long-term contract: rolling monthly, 30 days' notice
Rates are promotional and may change after the campaign period.
Virtual assistant vs employee: the real cost comparison
The scenario is the calculator's default: one admin hire, Entry tier, 160 hours a month, against an Ant Assist VA on the same hours at the standard rate. The employee column is the calculator's own model; it leaves out employer National Insurance, pension, sick pay and recruitment on purpose, so it is a floor.
| Cost line | UK employee (calculator model) | Ant Assist VA |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | £29,856 a yearONS ASHE 2025 benchmark, uprated 4.5% | £12,096 a year at £6.30 an hour£800 a month for the six £5 months |
| Employer National Insurance | Not costed15% above £5,000 a year | None |
| Pension | Not costed3% auto-enrolment minimum | None |
| Holiday and sick pay | Within salary | Cover provided |
| Desk and equipment | £4,800 a year for a desk, £500 for equipment and IT | Included |
| Benefits | £1,4935% of salary | Included |
| Management time | £1,8672 hours a week at ONS manager pay | Included |
| Recruitment and onboarding | Not costed | Included |
| Total a year | £38,516£3,210 a month | £12,096£1,008 a month |
| Difference | £26,420 a year£2,202 a month |
Up a tier the gap widens, because salary and manager pay rise with seniority: a Mid-tier in-house hire is £3,868 a month and an Expert £4,778, against VA rates of £7.25 and £7.88 an hour, savings of £32,508 and £42,216 a year.
An employee is right when the role must be on site or carry a responsibility only an employee can hold; for desk-based admin, support, outreach and store work, the comparison above is the usual result.
What changes the price
Hours per week. Full-time is 160 hours a month, part-time 80. Part-time rates are slightly higher (£6.50 against £6.30 for an Entry admin VA) but the monthly bill roughly halves, from £1,008 to £520.
Skill tier. Entry, Mid and Expert set the standard rate (£6.30, £7.25 and £7.88 an hour for a full-time admin VA) and how long the £5 rate runs (6, 3 and 1 months).
Management included or not. A freelancer's rate buys their hours; briefing and cover are your time. Ant Assist's rate includes management and supervision, which the calculator prices at 2 hours a week of a manager's time, £1,867 a year at Entry.
Tools. Your VA works inside your accounts and is trained on your tools during onboarding, so there is no platform fee; the in-house model counts £500 a year for equipment and IT.
Contract length. No long-term contract: rolling monthly, with 30 days' notice. The £5 rate ends after its introductory period and the standard rate applies; rates are promotional and may change after the campaign.
What a VA costs by service
Admin virtual assistant
An admin virtual assistant costs £5 an hour for the first 6 months on Entry, then £6.30 an hour full-time or £6.50 part-time: £1,008 a month for 160 hours of inbox, calendar, travel and document work. The calculator's benchmark for an entry-level in-house admin hire is £2,488 a month in salary alone, before office, equipment, benefits and management time are added.
Customer service virtual assistant
A customer service virtual assistant has the lowest full-time standard rate of the four roles: £5.95 an hour after the introductory period, £952 a month for 160 hours of tickets, live chat, email and call answering, or £6.50 an hour part-time. The calculator's benchmark for an entry-level in-house support representative is £2,161 a month in salary, before any overheads.
Lead generation virtual assistant
A lead generation virtual assistant costs £5.50 an hour full-time after the £5 introductory period, £880 a month for 160 hours of prospect research, outreach and CRM updates, or £6.50 an hour part-time. The calculator benchmarks an entry-level in-house sales development hire at £2,634 a month in salary, the highest of the four roles, so outsourced outreach shows the largest gap.
E-commerce virtual assistant
An e-commerce virtual assistant carries the highest standard rates, £6.50 an hour full-time and £6.80 part-time after the introductory period, because the work spans listings, order issues, customer updates and marketplace admin: £1,040 a month for 160 hours. The calculator's benchmark for an entry-level in-house e-commerce hire is £2,384 a month in salary alone, before overheads.
Calculate your saving
These are the calculator's defaults. The VA cost calculator gives your own figure by role, tier, hours and number of VAs, month by month, against an in-house hire, a freelancer or an agency.
Employer NI, pension and recruitment are not in the in-house figure.
Cost questions people ask
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