How Much Does a Personal Assistant Cost?
The Top Cost Factors when Hiring a PA
Part-time personal assistant rates may vary based on several factors. Like any job, market, experience, and scope of work are among the biggest influencers of how much a personal assistant costs.
FACTOR 1Scope & Complexity
Complex administration, or business support will be a higher rate than every day tasks: a personal assistant who is needed for running errands, walking your dog, and for home organization projects will be a different rate than an experienced executive personal assistant who manages your calendar, drafts emails on your behalf, and books travel. An entry level personal assistant will charge $25-30/hr, while an experienced EPA will charge $35-45+/hr.
Not all household tasks are created equal, though. If you are looking for more of a house/estate manager, who essentially keeps an entire family & household running smoothly, you can expect rates comparable to an experienced executive assistant. This is becauase often these roles come with a higher level of responsibility, like booking travel, support with small scale events (dinner parties, holiday parties), or managing household projects and vendors.
FACTOR 2Hours, Cadence, & Minimums
The Middle does not have required minimums, but if you would like your personal assistant to hold specific days/times in the week to be available to you, then you should expect to pay for those hours whether or not they are used. Similarly, if you request a PA to meet you on Tuesday at 10am, and then cancel on them at 9am, you should still pay them for the hours they were going to work. Because these are part-time positions, they may have given up other work to book that time for you.
Personal assistants may be more flexible on their rate if the hours are all asynchronous (they can do the work on their own time), or if you can guarantee a higher minimum number of hours (again, not required, but can be appealing to preferred candidates.) For example, if you are looking for a PA for 10-20 hours/week, a PA whose rate is $35/hr may be negotiable to a lower rate if you can guarantee at least 15 hours/week.
If the support you need is sporadic, candidates may look for a slightly higher rate to make it worth their time to keep you as a client.
FACTOR 3Experience & Specializations
It practically goes without saying that more experienced candidates command higher rates. However, special or unique skills may also increase the rate a personal assistant charges. Some particular experiences and skills that we have seen command higher rates are: experience working with HNW/UHNW individuals, a degree in business, social media management, or even willingness to do laundry (laundry is not generally within the scope of work of a personal assistant.)
FACTOR 4Work Mode & Market
The Middle’s personal assistants are all local to the city you live in (Los Angeles, Orange County, and New York City) so they can provide in-person support. But I’m not going to pretend that remote work isn’t preferred. Candidates may be looking for a higher rate if the role is 100% in person, or alternatively, may be negotiable to a lower rate if the position is entirely remote.
Different markets also affect how much personal assistants charge. In general, most candidates are looking for $30/hr minimum, but candidates in New York City have rates slightly higher than those in Los Angeles. It is not uncommon for an experienced personal assistant in New York City to be looking for $45+/hr, while in Los Angeles, the same experience may ask only $40+/hr. Overall, there’s a $3-5/hr difference between LA and NYC. Chicago tends to have lower rates than both, with minimums around $25/hr, and Orange County follows suit with Los Angeles.
FACTOR 5Availability & Responsiveness
Personal assistants from The Middle are not expected to be on-call or to work nights or weekends so rates do not change to accommodate these factors. However, we certainly recommend rewarding candidates who regularly complete tasks over the weekend, turn around tasks in a shorter period of time, or are regularly accessible and available to you. These behaviors become apparent over time, and we encourage clients to make sure their PAs rate accurately reflects the work they do as they settle into the position. Reevaluating after an initial period of 3 months is often appreciated, but certainly every year otherwise.
ThE MIDDLE'S SERVICE FEECost To Hire a Personal Assistant
We want our personal assistants to get the whole of their hourly wages so we do not take a cut of what our personal assistants charge. Instead, we charge a one-time Placement Fee of $750 upon hire. This reflects our services independent of the number of hours worked by your PA. We save you time by pre-screening candidates, assessing their work through an assignment, conducting reference checks, curating candidate matches, and coordinating interviews on your behalf.
We look forward to working with you!
