How does a remote assistant get paid?

How a remote assistant gets paid depends on whether you hire them through a service or directly, and on the agreed-upon arrangement. Here are the common scenarios:

• Through a recruitment agency for remote assistants 
• Hiring an independent or freelance remote assistant 

Service-based assistants are typically full-time employees of the provider.
For example, Viva’s executive assistants are employed directly by Viva, which handles EAs benefits and salaries. This makes payment simple and consistent.  Freelancers are self-employed and paid directly by the client.
This model may offer more flexibility in rates and hours, but requires you to handle invoicing, oversight, and quality control.

For startup leaders, service-based models can reduce friction.
You get one monthly invoice with no extra admin. Freelancers can be a risky choice to vet and may demand more time to manage. 

What is the cost of hiring a virtual assistant?

• Virtual assistant costs go beyond the hourly rate
  To truly understand how much a virtual assistant costs, consider quality of service, onboarding speed, performance, and location—not just hourly fees. These factors influence ROI and support quality.
• Full-time vs. hourly pricing varies widely
  Hourly platforms like Upwork can range from $20/hour to $70/hour depending on quality and experience, while U.S. in-house EAs can exceed $120,000 annually. Viva offers full-time remote executive assistants at $3,999/month, including onboarding, training, equipment, and benefits.
• Location impacts productivity
  Executive assistants in U.S.-aligned time zones (like Latin America) allow real-time collaboration without graveyard shifts or async work, improving communication and efficiency.
• Faster onboarding reduces hidden costs
  Subscription services like Viva offer pre-trained assistants and 1-month onboarding—faster than the 2–3 month ramp-up required for in-house or agency hires.
• Viva offers higher ROI through proactive executive support
  Viva EAs save execs 3+ hours/day, enabling more meetings, strategic work, and focus, at about half the cost of in-house alternatives.

👉 Learn more about the ROI of a virtual assistant here.

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Desiree de Leon

Desireé de León is a bilingual writer and SEO specialist who’s crafted copy for everything from SaaS startups and B2B brands to radio spots and consumer campaigns. She began her career in advertising and scriptwriting, and once wrote for a radio station before falling in love with the rhythm of search-driven content. Desireé has a habit of Googling everything (twice), and she has a soft spot for poetry, which makes sense: she was born on International Haiku Day.