Key Takeaways
- Hiring a full-time in-house EA in 2026 costs $91,000--$100,000/year fully loaded at the national median
- In New York and San Francisco, the fully loaded cost reaches $120,000--$135,000/year
- Virtual EA managed services run $42,000--$66,000/year for dedicated full-time support - no benefits, taxes, or recruiter fees
- Recruiter placement fees add $10,000--$23,000 as a one-time cost for most agency-assisted hires
- Median EA tenure is 2.9 years, making $33,000--$50,000 replacement costs a recurring reality (SHRM)
Key takeaways
- Hiring a full-time in-house executive assistant in 2026 costs $90,000--$120,000+ per year when salary, benefits, taxes, and overhead are fully loaded.
- The national median base salary for executive assistants is $67,240 in 2026, up 4.2% year-over-year (BLS).
- Employer payroll taxes and benefits add 29--40% on top of base salary for private-sector workers.
- Recruiter placement fees for EA roles typically run 15--25% of first-year salary - a $10,000--$20,000 one-time cost.
- Virtual EA services cost $1,500--$4,000/month, compared to $7,500--$10,000/month for an equivalent in-house hire fully loaded.
- Top metro markets (New York, San Francisco, D.C.) pay EA base salaries 25--40% above the national median.
- EA salary growth has outpaced general clerical wage growth for three consecutive years, driven by AI skills demand and return-to-office premiums.
Why the true cost of an executive assistant surprises most business owners
Most hiring decisions for executive assistant roles start with a salary benchmark and stop there. Someone pulls a number from Indeed or Glassdoor, posts the job, and discovers too late that the salary is only about 70--75% of what the role actually costs.
The gap between what you offer an EA and what you actually spend falls into a predictable set of line items: payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement matching, paid leave, equipment, office space, and the recruiting cost to find the person in the first place. Add those up and the real employer cost climbs well past the six-figure mark - in many markets, past $110,000 - for a role that posts at $65,000--$75,000.
What follows covers base salary ranges by city and experience level, the full employment cost breakdown, virtual and freelance pricing comparisons, and what each hiring model actually delivers for the spend.
Data sources and methodology
Figures in this article draw from:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), SOC 43-6011, May 2025 data with 2026 trend projections applied
- Glassdoor Salary Insights - aggregated from employee-reported salaries and Q1 2026 job postings
- PayScale Compensation Research - percentile breakdowns by metro and experience band, 2026
- Indeed Salary Tracker - aggregate from 2025--2026 posted job salaries
- Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide - employer-reported benchmarks for administrative and executive support roles
- SHRM Human Capital Benchmarking Report - cost-per-hire, time-to-fill, and turnover cost data
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) - benefits cost as a percentage of total compensation, Q4 2025
- Belay Solutions and Prialto - virtual EA pricing and service tier data, 2026
All base salary figures represent full-time, experienced executive assistants with 3--7 years of experience unless otherwise noted.
In-house executive assistant salary ranges by experience level
The range across experience levels is wide. Entry-level EAs supporting directors or mid-level managers sit in a very different part of the pay scale than senior EAs handling C-suite principals.
| Experience level | Annual base salary range | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level (0--2 years) | $38,000--$52,000 | $44,800 |
| Mid-level (3--5 years) | $55,000--$75,000 | $64,200 |
| Senior (6--10 years) | $72,000--$95,000 | $82,400 |
| Executive/C-suite support (10+ years) | $88,000--$135,000 | $108,600 |
Source: BLS OEWS 2026, PayScale 2026, Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide
The national median across all experience levels sits at $67,240 according to BLS OEWS data, a 4.2% year-over-year increase from the 2024 figure of $64,530. That growth rate outpaces the 3.1% average wage growth for all clerical and administrative support occupations tracked by BLS over the same period.
Executive assistant salary by major metro area
Geography drives one of the biggest cost variables in EA hiring. A role that posts at $65,000 in Phoenix commands $88,000--$100,000 in San Francisco for the same qualifications and scope.
| Metro area | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $72,400 | $91,200 | $114,800 |
| San Francisco / Bay Area, CA | $74,100 | $93,500 | $118,200 |
| Washington, D.C. | $69,800 | $88,400 | $111,600 |
| Boston, MA | $64,200 | $81,300 | $102,400 |
| Seattle, WA | $62,800 | $79,500 | $100,100 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $61,300 | $77,800 | $98,200 |
| Chicago, IL | $57,400 | $72,700 | $91,600 |
| Austin, TX | $54,900 | $69,400 | $87,600 |
| Denver, CO | $55,600 | $70,300 | $88,700 |
| Atlanta, GA | $52,100 | $65,900 | $83,100 |
| Dallas, TX | $53,400 | $67,600 | $85,300 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $49,800 | $62,900 | $79,400 |
| Miami, FL | $50,200 | $63,400 | $80,000 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $53,700 | $67,900 | $85,700 |
| Nashville, TN | $48,600 | $61,500 | $77,600 |
Source: Glassdoor Salary Insights Q1 2026, Indeed Salary Tracker 2026, PayScale 2026
The New York and San Francisco figures reflect the cost of competing for talent in markets where enterprise tech, finance, and media companies set the wage floor. For the owner of a mid-sized company in either city, the realistic budget for an experienced EA starts at $77,000--$83,000 in base pay alone - before a single tax is paid or a single benefit is offered.
Total cost of employment: beyond base salary
Base salary is roughly 72--76% of what an executive assistant actually costs you as an employer. The rest covers legally required payroll contributions, voluntary benefits, and the overhead that comes with any full-time hire.
Mandatory payroll costs
| Component | Rate | Annual cost (at $67,240 median) |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security (employer share) | 6.2% | $4,169 |
| Medicare (employer share) | 1.45% | $975 |
| Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) | 0.6% (on first $7,000) | $42 |
| State Unemployment Insurance (SUTA) | 1.5--3.5% avg. | $1,009--$2,353 |
| Total mandatory payroll taxes | ~8--11% | $6,195--$7,539 |
Benefits costs
According to BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (Q4 2025), benefits average 29.4% of total compensation for private-sector workers. The breakdown:
| Benefit | Employer annual cost |
|---|---|
| Health insurance (single coverage contribution) | $7,200--$9,800 |
| Health insurance (family coverage contribution) | $14,200--$18,400 |
| Dental and vision | $800--$1,400 |
| Retirement / 401(k) match (3% of salary) | $2,017 |
| Paid time off (15 days at median rate) | $3,880 |
| Life and disability insurance | $400--$800 |
| Total benefits (single coverage) | $14,297--$17,897 |
One-time hiring and setup costs
| Cost component | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Recruiter placement fee (15--25% of salary) | $10,086--$16,810 |
| Background check, assessments | $200--$500 |
| Laptop, phone, peripherals | $1,200--$2,500 |
| Software licenses (calendar, project management, comms) | $600--$1,400/yr |
| Onboarding and training time | $1,500--$3,000 |
Full employer cost summary
| Line item | Annual cost |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $67,240 |
| Payroll taxes | $6,800 |
| Health insurance (single) | $8,500 |
| Dental / vision | $1,100 |
| Retirement match | $2,017 |
| Paid time off | $3,880 |
| Insurance | $600 |
| Software and equipment (amortized) | $1,800 |
| Total annual employer cost | $91,937 |
Recruiting fees are one-time but significant. Amortized over a 3-year tenure, a $13,000 placement fee adds roughly $4,300/year - pushing the true loaded cost to approximately $96,000--$100,000/year at the national median.
In high-cost metros, the numbers look like this:
| Market | Base salary | Fully loaded annual cost (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $91,200 | $123,400--$131,800 |
| San Francisco, CA | $93,500 | $126,100--$135,000 |
| Washington, D.C. | $88,400 | $119,600--$127,900 |
| Chicago, IL | $72,700 | $98,500--$105,400 |
| Austin, TX | $69,400 | $93,900--$100,500 |
| National median | $67,240 | $91,900--$100,000 |
Source: BLS ECEC Q4 2025, SHRM 2026 Benchmarking Report, Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide
What recruiter fees add to the equation
Most business owners who haven't hired at this level before are caught off guard by placement fees. For executive assistant roles, specialized administrative staffing agencies - Robert Half, Beacon Hill Staffing, ProStaff, Sanford Rose - typically charge 15--25% of the candidate's first-year base salary.
At the national median of $67,240, that's $10,086--$16,810. At the New York median of $91,200, it's $13,680--$22,800.
Retained search arrangements, less common for EA roles but used by larger companies, add monthly retainer fees of $2,000--$5,000 on top of the contingency fee.
For businesses that hire their own EAs without an agency, direct recruiting costs - job posting fees, assessment tools, interviewing time - typically run $1,200--$3,500 per search, according to SHRM 2026 benchmarking data. And time-to-fill for EA roles averages 42 days (SHRM), which means an executive goes six-plus weeks without the support role filled. That productivity loss rarely shows up in any hiring cost estimate, but it's real.
Virtual EA pricing models and tiers
Virtual executive assistants operate on a completely different cost structure: no payroll taxes, no benefits, no recruiting fees, no equipment cost, and pricing based on actual hours or service tiers rather than a full-time salary commitment.
Hourly pricing
Independent virtual EAs and freelance platforms (Upwork, Toptal) price at:
| Experience level | Hourly rate range |
|---|---|
| Entry-level (U.S.-based) | $18--$28/hr |
| Mid-level (U.S.-based) | $30--$50/hr |
| Senior (U.S.-based) | $55--$85/hr |
| Offshore (Philippines, LatAm) | $8--$18/hr |
At 40 hours/week, a mid-level U.S.-based freelance EA at $40/hr costs $83,200/year - but with no benefits, taxes, or overhead on your side. Effective employer cost savings vs. in-house: approximately 30--35%.
Monthly retainer / managed service pricing
The larger virtual EA providers - Belay, Prialto, Time Etc, Boldly - operate on monthly retainer models with dedicated or shared assistant arrangements.
| Provider tier | Hours included | Monthly cost | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry managed service | 20 hrs/mo | $1,500--$2,000 | $18,000--$24,000 |
| Mid-tier managed service | 40 hrs/mo | $2,200--$3,200 | $26,400--$38,400 |
| Full-time dedicated EA | 160+ hrs/mo | $3,500--$5,500 | $42,000--$66,000 |
| Premium U.S. dedicated | 160+ hrs/mo | $5,000--$7,500 | $60,000--$90,000 |
Source: Belay Solutions 2026 pricing, Prialto 2026 pricing
The key variable in managed service pricing is whether the assistant is shared (serving multiple clients) or dedicated (assigned exclusively to one client). Shared models cost less but come with response time and availability trade-offs. For executives who need consistent, real-time support across a full week, dedicated arrangements are the right comparison to in-house hiring.
A dedicated executive assistant through a managed service runs $42,000--$66,000/year fully all-in - no taxes, benefits, equipment, or recruiting costs beyond the monthly fee. That compares to $91,000--$100,000/year for a median in-house hire, and $120,000--$135,000/year in San Francisco or New York.
Cost comparison: in-house vs. virtual vs. freelance
| Hiring model | Annual cost range | Includes benefits/taxes? | Recruiter fee? | Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-house EA (national median) | $91,000--$100,000 | Yes | +$10k--$17k one-time | Full-time, ongoing |
| In-house EA (NYC/SF) | $120,000--$135,000 | Yes | +$14k--$23k one-time | Full-time, ongoing |
| Virtual EA (freelance, mid-level) | $60,000--$83,000 | No | None | Flexible |
| Virtual EA (managed, dedicated) | $42,000--$66,000 | No | None | Monthly contract |
| Virtual EA (managed, part-time) | $18,000--$38,000 | No | None | Monthly contract |
| Offshore VA (full-time) | $15,000--$28,000 | No | None | Monthly/annual |
The cost gap between a fully loaded in-house hire in a major market and a dedicated virtual EA is $55,000--$70,000/year. For a small or mid-sized business owner, that's real money - the kind that funds another hire, a marketing budget, or just shows up as margin.
That said, cost alone doesn't settle the decision. In-house EAs offer physical presence and immediate availability that remote arrangements can't fully replicate. For executives who need someone in the building every day, that matters. For executives whose work is heavily digital and calendar-driven, the practical gap between models is much smaller than the cost gap.
For a more detailed breakdown of how these models compare day-to-day, see our guide to affordable executive assistant alternatives.
Executive assistant salary growth trends
EA compensation has moved consistently upward over the past three years, and there's no obvious reason that changes soon.
Year-over-year salary growth
| Year | National median EA salary | YoY change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $58,800 | +5.1% |
| 2023 | $61,700 | +4.9% |
| 2024 | $64,530 | +4.6% |
| 2025 | $65,800 | +1.9% |
| 2026 | $67,240 | +2.2% |
Source: BLS OEWS historical data, 2022--2026
The 2022--2023 surge locked in higher salary floors. Employers who matched aggressive wage demands during the tight labor market created baselines that candidates now treat as the starting point in negotiations. The slowdown in 2025--2026 reflects stabilization - not a reversal.
What's pushing EA salaries higher
EAs who demonstrate proficiency with AI productivity tools - scheduling automation, AI-assisted email drafting, document summarization, research tools - command an 8--15% skills premium above peers at the same experience level, according to PayScale 2026 data. That premium shows up most clearly in tech, finance, and professional services firms.
Return-to-office mandates are another driver. Companies requiring five-day in-person attendance are offering 10--18% salary premiums over hybrid or remote roles to attract willing candidates (Glassdoor 2026 Workplace Trends Report). For EA roles where physical presence genuinely matters, that's a real line item in the hiring budget.
At the senior end, supply can't keep up with demand. EAs with 10+ years of experience managing board communications, investor relations logistics, and multi-executive portfolios are scarce in major markets. Senior EA roles have seen 5.8% wage growth in 2026, nearly three times the 2.2% rate for the overall category (Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide).
EAs with specialized software backgrounds - Salesforce, Notion, Monday.com, board portal platforms like Boardvantage or Diligent - can negotiate 12--20% above base market rate in competitive markets. That premium is growing as companies build more of their executive workflow around these tools.
Hidden and recurring costs most owners overlook
Turnover cost
The median EA tenure in the U.S. is 2.9 years (SHRM 2026). When an EA leaves, you pay recruiting fees again, lose institutional knowledge, and spend an estimated 50--75% of annual salary on replacement costs - lost productivity, recruiting, onboarding - a figure SHRM has cited across multiple compensation benchmark reports.
At the median, that's a $33,000--$50,000 replacement cost every 2--3 years. It doesn't appear anywhere in the salary budget, but it's as predictable as any other line item.
Underutilization cost
Full-time EAs require a full workload. An executive who needs 25 hours/week of administrative support is paying for 40 - 15 hours/week of labor cost that doesn't produce output. At median rates, that's approximately $25,000/year sitting unused in the salary.
Part-time and virtual models are cleaner here. A contract executive assistant arrangement can be scoped to the hours the role actually requires, without paying for slack.
Coverage gaps
A full-time in-house EA works one shift, in one time zone, and takes vacation. For executives managing international operations or irregular hours, single-EA coverage creates gaps that require backup - either a second hire or informal coverage that produces errors and missed items. That's a cost most owners don't think about until they've lived through a bad travel week.
What you get at each price point
At $40,000--$55,000/year, you're looking at an entry-level hire: calendar management, travel booking, inbox management. Limited scope management or independent judgment. Expect a meaningful onboarding period and close supervision.
At $60,000--$75,000/year, a mid-level EA can own the full calendar and inbox, manage travel logistics, handle vendor coordination, and draft routine communications without constant direction. Appropriate for single-executive support.
At $78,000--$95,000/year, a senior EA handles multi-executive support, board meeting preparation, investor communications, and complex project tracking. Trusted with sensitive information and real judgment calls in the principal's absence.
Above $100,000/year, you're hiring a strategic partner. This person manages relationships with board members, investors, and senior stakeholders directly. They may supervise junior administrative staff, and often have prior industry experience that makes them useful beyond pure logistics.
For a breakdown of the best virtual executive assistant options at each budget level, see our comparison guide.
EA cost by business size
For solo founders, a full-time in-house EA is almost never the right first hire. The scope rarely justifies the cost. Part-time virtual EA services at $1,500--$2,500/month provide meaningful support without committing to a full salary before the workload warrants it.
For SMBs with 10--50 employees, the dedicated virtual EA or a part-time in-house hire covers most needs. A full-time in-house EA at median cost makes sense when the executive genuinely needs 40+ hours/week of support - not before.
Mid-market companies (50--500 employees) can typically justify senior in-house hiring. The role tends to expand beyond pure executive support into operations and team coordination, which gives the spend more leverage.
At the enterprise level, full-time senior EAs are standard. The main failure mode isn't overspending - it's underpaying and cycling through turnover every two years as a result.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire an executive assistant in 2026?
A full-time in-house executive assistant costs $91,000--$100,000/year fully loaded at the national median, including salary ($67,240), payroll taxes (7--8%), health insurance, retirement match, and equipment. In high-cost metros like New York and San Francisco, total annual cost rises to $120,000--$135,000. Virtual executive assistant services range from $18,000--$66,000/year depending on hours and service tier.
What is the average salary of an executive assistant in 2026?
The national median executive assistant salary is $67,240/year according to BLS OEWS 2026 data, up 2.2% from 2025. Entry-level roles start around $44,800. Senior C-suite EAs earn $88,000--$135,000.
How do recruiter fees work for EA placements?
Administrative staffing agencies typically charge 15--25% of the placed candidate's first-year base salary as a one-time fee. At the national median, that's $10,000--$17,000. Most placement fees are contingency-based - you pay only on a successful hire - though retained search arrangements exist for senior roles.
Is a virtual executive assistant cheaper than hiring in-house?
Yes, substantially. A dedicated virtual EA through a managed service runs $42,000--$66,000/year all-in, compared to $91,000--$100,000 for a median in-house hire fully loaded. In high-cost markets, the gap exceeds $60,000/year. Virtual models also cut out recruiter fees, benefits administration, and equipment costs entirely.
How much does an executive assistant cost per hour?
U.S.-based freelance EAs charge $30--$50/hr at mid-level experience. Senior independent EAs charge $55--$85/hr. Offshore VA arrangements run $8--$18/hr. Managed service retainers work out to roughly $22--$45/hr depending on hours used.
Key findings: cost of hiring an executive assistant 2026
- The national median base salary for executive assistants is $67,240 in 2026, up 4.2% over two years (BLS OEWS).
- Fully loaded employer cost at the national median is $91,000--$100,000/year, including taxes, benefits, and amortized recruiting costs.
- In New York and San Francisco, fully loaded cost for a median EA hire reaches $120,000--$135,000/year.
- Recruiter placement fees add $10,000--$23,000 as a one-time cost for most agency-assisted hires.
- Virtual EA managed services cost $42,000--$66,000/year for full-time dedicated support - a savings of $30,000--$70,000 vs. in-house depending on market.
- Benefits alone add 29.4% to base salary for private-sector workers (BLS ECEC Q4 2025).
- EA salary growth has averaged 3.6%/year since 2022, outpacing the 2.8% average for all clerical occupations (BLS).
- AI skills proficiency commands an 8--15% salary premium for EA roles in 2026 (PayScale).
- Median EA tenure is 2.9 years, making replacement costs of $33,000--$50,000 a recurring expense to factor in (SHRM).
For state-by-state salary data, see our full executive assistant salary by state breakdown.
For CEO and founder time data, see our research on how much time CEOs spend on admin tasks.
To compare your options, review our service plans or book a free consultation to figure out what level of support fits your workload and budget.