If your VA leaves or isn't performing, your Customer Success Manager coordinates a replacement at no cost. Managed plans include free replacements, forever.
Quick answer: You can hire an executive assistant three ways. A full-time in-house EA costs a median of $76,590 a year before benefits, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. An executive assistant staffing agency finds candidates for you and charges a placement fee in addition to the assistant's salary. A virtual executive assistant works full-time for you remotely and costs $2,999 a month through Stellar Staff, with no recruiting fee and no employer overhead. For founders and small teams that do not need someone on site, Stellar Staff offers a dedicated remote executive assistant. The search takes 5 to 10 business days.
What Does an Executive Assistant Do?
An executive assistant handles the work that keeps a leader's day running: calendar management, inbox triage, meeting preparation, travel, expenses, and follow-up on commitments made in meetings. The role depends on judgment, not just clerical execution. A good EA decides which meetings are worth your time, which emails you never need to see, and what has to happen before Thursday's board call.
That is the line between an executive assistant and an administrative assistant. An administrative assistant typically supports a team or office and follows established processes and instructions. An executive assistant supports one or two people, learns how they think, and protects the leader's time for work that only they can do. It is also why the two roles are paid differently: the BLS median for secretaries and administrative assistants is $48,310, while the median for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants is $76,590, both as of May 2025.
In-House, Staffing Agency, or Virtual Executive Assistant?
Executive assistant services generally come in three models, and they differ in cost, speed, and how much of the employment process you handle yourself. Remote work has made the third option much more practical for companies that do not need an assistant on site.
In-house EA. You post the role, screen candidates, interview, negotiate, and put the person on your payroll. You cover salary, benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, and management. The person works in your office or remotely using your systems, and you manage the employment relationship directly.
Executive assistant staffing agency or placement agency. The agency sources and screens candidates and hands you a shortlist. You still employ the person and pay a placement fee, usually a percentage of first-year salary. This is the traditional route for a senior, on-site EA in a large company.
Virtual executive assistant. An agency places a dedicated, full-time assistant who works remotely during your business hours. The agency handles recruiting, payroll, HR, and replacement. You pay one monthly fee, and the arrangement is month-to-month. A virtual executive assistant stays on the agency's payroll, which is the practical difference between this route and the first two.
How the three compare
| Route | What you pay | Time to start | Who employs them | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-house EA | $76,590 median salary, plus benefits and overhead | 6 to 10 weeks | You | Companies that need someone on site |
| Staffing or placement agency | Salary, plus a placement fee | 4 to 8 weeks | You | Senior, on-site roles in larger companies |
| Virtual executive assistant | $2,999 a month, all in | Search takes 5 to 10 business days | The agency | Founders and small teams that need support now |
How Much Does It Cost to Hire an Executive Assistant?
Cost depends largely on how you hire.
In-house. Start with the BLS median of $76,590 a year for an executive administrative assistant, then add employer costs: payroll taxes, health coverage, paid time off, equipment, and software. Benefits and taxes commonly add roughly 30% on top of salary, which puts the real number closer to $100,000 a year in most U.S. markets, and higher in New York or the Bay Area.
Placement agency. You pay the same salary, plus a one-time fee for the search. The fee is usually quoted as a percentage of first-year pay, so a more senior hire costs more to recruit.
Virtual. Stellar Staff charges $2,999 a month for a full-time Executive Virtual Assistant at 160 hours. Virtual Assistant PRO is $1,999 a month for the same hours when the work is closer to general administrative support. Custom Recruitment, where we find the person and you put them on your own payroll, starts at $4,999 as a one-time fee. Current plans are on the pricing page.
For a wider view of rates across roles and regions, see our guide to how much a virtual assistant costs.
What Is a Virtual Executive Assistant, and When Does It Make Sense?
A virtual executive assistant, sometimes called a remote executive assistant, handles much of the same work as an in-house EA, but remotely. The day-to-day work is largely the same: calendar, inbox, travel, meeting prep, vendor and client communication, expense reports, and follow-up. The main difference is that the assistant works remotely.
Some tasks still need someone on site: greeting visitors, handling mail and packages, setting up a conference room, running an errand, or managing an office. Most other work can be handled remotely through software the assistant can access with your permission.
If a significant share of the job requires physical presence, hiring locally makes more sense. If most of the work happens in email, calendars, documents, and other online systems, a virtual EA can cover the role remotely at a lower cost and with a shorter hiring timeline.
Full-Time, Part-Time, or Fractional Support?
A part-time executive assistant costs less per month, but it can be less efficient when the role depends on context and judgment. Splitting an assistant's time across multiple executives creates more context switching and makes it harder to build the judgment the role requires. An assistant who works four hours a day for two executives may not learn either one well enough to make decisions confidently.
Full-time, dedicated support usually makes the most sense for leaders whose calendar affects the rest of the team's work. Part-time makes sense when the load is light and predictable, such as a solo consultant with ten meetings a week. Fractional arrangements, where one assistant is shared across several clients by design, fit teams that need limited coverage rather than a dedicated assistant.
Stellar Staff places full-time assistants only, at 160 hours a month, because a dedicated assistant has the time to learn one leader's priorities, preferences, and routines.
How to Hire an Executive Assistant, Step by Step
The process below works whether you hire in-house or through an agency.
1. List the work you want to hand off. Before you write the job description, identify the meetings you should not be scheduling, the inbox you should not be sorting, and the reports you shouldn't have to track down yourself.
2. Define what the assistant can decide. List what the assistant can decide alone, what needs a check, and what always comes to you. Many EA hires struggle because decision authority was never defined clearly, not because the assistant lacks the skills.
3. Choose the route. In-house, placement agency, or virtual, using the comparison above.
4. Screen for judgment, not tools. Most software can be learned quickly. Ask candidates how they handled a double-booked CEO, an angry client, or a deadline that slipped.
5. Run a paid trial task. Give finalists a real scenario: a messy week to rebuild, an inbox to triage, a trip to plan with a budget.
6. Set up access before day one. Calendar, email, files, travel tools, and expense systems, with the permissions you decided in step two.
7. Review at 30 days. Review what the assistant now handles, what still sits with you, and what they still need from you.
What Separates a Good EA From a Great One
Judgment under pressure. A strong EA makes small decisions without needing your input every time. Ask candidates for specific examples.
Written communication. Your assistant writes on your behalf. Read their emails during the process, not just their resume.
Discretion. An EA sees board materials, compensation information, and personal calendars. References matter here more than in most roles.
Time zone overlap. Calendar work is real-time work. Your assistant should be online when your meetings are.
Follow-through. The difference between a good EA and a great one is that nothing needs a second reminder.
How Long Does It Take to Hire an Executive Assistant?
Hiring in-house usually takes six to ten weeks: writing the role, sourcing, screening, two or three interview rounds, an offer, and a notice period. A placement agency can shorten the sourcing stage, but the offer and notice period still take time.
The search takes 5 to 10 business days. Stellar Staff accepts the top 0.1% of applicants. Candidates complete a 6-step application and 6 individual tests, English verification, reference checks, and background checks, and you interview 2 to 3 finalists before choosing. Every client also gets a Customer Success Manager who tracks performance and arranges a replacement at no cost if the fit is wrong.
Where Do You Find Executive Assistants?
Most executive assistant hires come from four sources.
Your own network. The fastest route when it works, and the least predictable. A referral can give you more confidence in a candidate, but good referrals rarely arrive exactly when you need to hire.
Job boards. LinkedIn and Indeed give you volume. Expect several hundred applicants for a remote EA role and plan for the screening time that implies.
Executive assistant staffing and placement agencies. They shortlist for you and charge a fee. Useful for senior, on-site roles where you want a permanent employee.
Virtual assistant companies. They recruit continuously and can place someone in days. The assistant remains employed by the provider, and you pay a monthly fee for the service.
Do You Actually Need an Executive Assistant?
Four signs usually mean it is time to hire one. You are scheduling your own meetings and rescheduling them twice. Your inbox has become a to-do list you never get to the bottom of. Decisions get delayed because no one prepared the material. You are working evenings on tasks that do not require you specifically.
Two signs suggest you may not need one yet. The work is seasonal, in which case part-time or project support fits better. Or the tasks are mostly specialized, such as bookkeeping or ad management, in which case you want that specialist rather than a generalist EA.
What an Executive Assistant Should Not Own
Setting this boundary early prevents most first-month friction.
An EA does not sign contracts, approve payments, or commit the company to terms. They do not replace a chief of staff for strategy, a bookkeeper for bookkeeping, or a recruiter for hiring. They also need the right access to do the job: an assistant who cannot get into your calendar or inbox cannot manage either one. Clear decision rules matter just as much as the tools listed on a resume.
Questions Founders Ask Before Hiring an EA
How much does it cost to hire an executive assistant?
An in-house executive assistant costs a median of $76,590 a year in salary, per the BLS, and closer to $100,000 once benefits, taxes, and equipment are counted. A full-time virtual executive assistant through Stellar Staff costs $2,999 a month for 160 hours. On managed plans, Stellar Staff handles payroll and HR.
What is the difference between an executive assistant and an administrative assistant?
An administrative assistant supports a team or an office and works from instructions. An executive assistant supports one or two leaders, handles routine decisions within agreed boundaries, and manages the calendar, inbox, and follow-up. The pay gap reflects the difference: $48,310 compared with $76,590 at the median.
Should I use an executive assistant staffing agency or hire directly?
A staffing or placement agency handles sourcing for a fee. You still employ the person. Hiring directly costs less in fees and more in your own time. With a virtual EA agency, the assistant stays on the agency's payroll, so you avoid direct employer responsibilities and a separate placement fee.
Can an executive assistant work remotely?
Yes, for everything except physical tasks. Calendar, inbox, travel, meeting prep, expenses, and communication all run in software. Office management, visitors, and mail need someone on site.
Is a part-time executive assistant worth it?
It works when the load is light and predictable. For most founders, part-time support splits the assistant's attention and slows the process of learning your preferences, priorities, and routines.
What should I hand off to an executive assistant first?
Start with the calendar and the inbox, then travel and expenses. Those four give you back the most hours in the first month and teach the assistant how you make decisions.
How quickly can I get an executive assistant through Stellar Staff?
The search takes 5 to 10 business days. You interview 2 to 3 finalists and choose your own assistant, and the plan is month to month with free replacements.
Do I need an executive assistant or a chief of staff?
An executive assistant manages your time and day-to-day execution. A chief of staff helps manage priorities and often oversees projects and people. Our guide to the difference between a chief of staff and an executive assistant explains how the roles differ.
Choose the Executive Assistant Hiring Model That Fits Your Business
The right way to hire an executive assistant depends on how much of the employment process you want to manage yourself. If you need someone in the room, hire in-house and budget close to $100,000 a year. If the role can be handled remotely, a dedicated virtual executive assistant costs $2,999 a month, and the search takes 5 to 10 business days.
See what a Stellar Staff executive assistant handles, read what clients say, or book a call to start your search.
Salary figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025. Stellar Staff pricing is current as of September 2026. We review this page every quarter.