Key Takeaways
- BLS reported a $76,590 median annual wage for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants in May 2025.
- Private-industry benefits equaled 29.9% of total compensation in December 2025, implying about $109,258 in compensation for a $76,590 wage at the all-worker average benefit share.
- A full-time assistant at that modeled compensation costs about $52.53 per paid hour before equipment, recruiting, or management overhead.
- At 60% to 85% utilization, the same compensation baseline costs about $87.55 to $61.80 per utilized hour.
- A fractional service priced at $35 to $85 per hour costs $8,400 to $81,600 a year at 20 to 80 hours per month.
Fractional executive assistant cost statistics need two separate inputs: observed labor data and a buyer's own operating assumptions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics can establish an employee wage and a broad benefit load. It cannot tell a company how many assistant hours it will use or what a particular provider will charge.
This analysis keeps those inputs separate. It compares a full-time employee with fractional and agency scenarios, shows every formula, and tests the result against different utilization levels. The dollar examples are planning models, not vendor quotes or promises of savings.
Fractional executive assistant cost statistics at a glance
| Measure | 2026 planning figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Median executive assistant wage | $76,590 a year | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data |
| Median wage per paid hour | $36.82 | $76,590 / 2,080 hours, consistent with the BLS hourly median |
| Private-industry benefits | 29.9% of total compensation | BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, December 2025 |
| Modeled compensation at median wage | $109,258 a year | $76,590 / 70.1% wage share |
| Modeled compensation per paid hour | $52.53 | $109,258 / 2,080 |
| Modeled cost per utilized hour | $61.80 to $87.55 | $109,258 / 1,768 to 1,248 utilized hours |
| Fractional cost at 20 hours a month | $8,400 to $20,400 a year | 240 hours x $35 to $85 |
| Fractional cost at 80 hours a month | $33,600 to $81,600 a year | 960 hours x $35 to $85 |
The fractional rates in the table are sensitivity inputs. They let a buyer insert a real quote into the same model without treating an advertised price as a national statistic.
The full-time employee benchmark
BLS places the May 2025 median wage for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants at $76,590. The corresponding national hourly median was $36.82. The broader secretary and administrative assistant category had a $48,310 median, so using the broader occupation would understate the executive-level benchmark.
Salary alone is not the employer's compensation cost. In December 2025, BLS measured private-industry wages and salaries at $32.36 per hour and benefits at $13.79. Wages represented 70.1% of total compensation and benefits represented 29.9%.
Applying that national compensation split to the executive assistant median gives this estimate:
Estimated compensation = annual wage / wage share
Estimated compensation = $76,590 / 0.701
Estimated compensation = $109,258
This is a modeled benchmark, not a BLS estimate for this occupation. Benefit costs vary by employer, region, industry, plan design, and work status. BLS reported a 30.6% benefit share for professional and business services in December 2025, close to the private-industry average but not identical.
The model also excludes recruiting fees, a laptop, software, workspace, and the manager's time. Add those costs separately when they are material. Do not add employer Social Security and Medicare taxes again if you use the BLS benefit multiplier because legally required benefits are already inside ECEC. For a salary-only model, the IRS states that the 2026 employer rates are 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare.
Why utilization changes the comparison
A full-time role supplies capacity, whether the company uses all of it or not. Starting with 2,080 paid hours gives a compensation cost of $52.53 per paid hour:
$109,258 / 2,080 = $52.53 per paid hour
Paid hours are not the same as hours applied to defined assistant work. Leave, training, internal meetings, downtime, and uneven demand reduce utilization. Three planning cases show the effect:
| Utilization assumption | Utilized hours per year | Cost per utilized hour |
|---|---|---|
| 60% | 1,248 | $87.55 |
| 75% | 1,560 | $70.04 |
| 85% | 1,768 | $61.80 |
Formula:
Cost per utilized hour = annual employment cost / (2,080 x utilization rate)
These percentages are scenarios, not published utilization norms. A company should replace them with scheduled hours, leave records, workload logs, or time studies. High utilization can make a full-time hire economical. Low or seasonal demand raises the cost of each hour actually used.
Fractional and agency cost scenarios
Fractional support usually converts fixed annual capacity into a smaller block of purchased hours. An agency may also include recruiting, replacement coverage, supervision, security controls, or account management in its rate. Those features affect the comparison even when the invoice uses an hourly price.
The annual formula is simple:
Annual fractional cost = monthly hours x hourly rate x 12
| Monthly hours | $35/hour | $55/hour | $85/hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $8,400 | $13,200 | $20,400 |
| 40 | $16,800 | $26,400 | $40,800 |
| 60 | $25,200 | $39,600 | $61,200 |
| 80 | $33,600 | $52,800 | $81,600 |
| 120 | $50,400 | $79,200 | $122,400 |
The low, middle, and high rates are model inputs. A provider quote should state whether time is use-it-or-lose-it, whether unused hours roll over, and whether onboarding, rush work, software, or after-hours coverage costs extra.
An agency retainer can use a different formula:
Effective agency rate = (annual retainer + annual add-on fees) / delivered hours
A $3,000 monthly retainer that delivers 50 hours each month has a $60 effective rate before add-ons. If actual delivered hours average 40, the effective rate becomes $75. This is why the contracted rate and the utilized rate should appear side by side.
Companies that want recruiting, backup coverage, and operating oversight can compare the inclusions in managed virtual assistant services. Buyers who need a broader mix of scheduling, facilities coordination, records, and vendor support may find office manager virtual assistant services closer to the actual job. Current plan structures are listed on the package pricing page.
Break-even hours by rate
Using $109,258 as the full-time compensation benchmark, the invoice-only break-even point is:
Break-even annual hours = full-time annual cost / fractional hourly rate
Break-even monthly hours = break-even annual hours / 12
| Fractional rate | Annual break-even hours | Monthly break-even hours |
|---|---|---|
| $35 | 3,122 | 260 |
| $55 | 1,986 | 166 |
| $70 | 1,561 | 130 |
| $85 | 1,285 | 107 |
The $35 scenario never reaches break-even within one person's standard 2,080-hour paid year. That does not prove that every $35 option is equivalent to a full-time executive assistant. Skill, availability, continuity, management, data access, and coverage still differ.
At $70 an hour, break-even occurs near 130 hours a month. That aligns closely with a 75% utilization case for the employee. At $85, the invoice reaches the employee compensation baseline near 107 monthly hours. Equipment and recruiting would move the full-time break-even point higher, while fractional onboarding fees or unused retainers would move the service break-even point lower.
Put executive time back into the model
Assistant cost is only one side of the decision. Delegation has value when it returns time to an executive and that time is used for work with a higher economic contribution.
Microsoft's 2023 Work Trend Index analyzed Microsoft 365 activity and a survey of 31,000 people across 31 countries. It reported that users spent 57% of their Microsoft 365 time communicating and 43% creating. This is evidence of a broad coordination burden, not a measurement of delegable assistant work. A buyer still needs to identify tasks that can transfer safely.
Use this formula for a conservative time-value case:
Monthly net value = (executive hours returned x contribution value per hour x realization rate) - monthly assistant cost
The realization rate prevents a weak assumption that every hour returned becomes productive. Consider 20 executive hours returned per month, a $200 contribution value for each successfully redirected hour, and a 60% realization rate:
20 x $200 x 0.60 = $2,400 realized monthly value
If support costs $2,200 a month, modeled net value is $200. At a 40% realization rate, value falls to $1,600 and the case is negative by $600. This sensitivity is more useful than claiming that delegation always saves a fixed percentage.
Use contribution value, not salary divided by hours, when the executive's recovered time affects sales, client retention, delivery capacity, or avoided risk. Document the chosen value and test a lower case.
Costs that hourly comparisons miss
An invoice-only comparison can hide material differences. Include these items where they apply:
| Cost or risk | Full-time employee | Fractional individual | Managed agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits and payroll administration | Usually employer-paid | Usually included in rate if properly independent | Usually included in contract price |
| Recruiting and replacement | Employer owns it | Client may need to source a replacement | Often included, but contract terms vary |
| Equipment and software | Usually employer-paid | Split varies | Split varies |
| Coverage during absence | Requires internal backup | May be unavailable | Backup may be included |
| Minimum capacity commitment | Full salary and schedule | Hour block or minimum retainer | Retainer or package |
| Process supervision | Employer manager | Client or contractor | May include an account manager |
| Knowledge continuity | High with retention | Depends on relationship | Depends on documentation and replacement process |
Worker classification also matters. The Department of Labor says a label or a 1099 does not decide whether someone is an independent contractor. Its FLSA guidance uses the economic realities of the whole relationship, including control, permanence, investment, and opportunity for profit or loss. Tax and state-law tests may differ. A company should not treat avoided payroll costs as savings if the working arrangement is actually employment.
A decision model a buyer can audit
Build the comparison from the workload rather than selecting a staffing label first.
- Record recurring tasks and monthly volume for at least four representative weeks.
- Separate work that requires executive judgment from work that can be delegated under a written rule.
- Estimate required hours at low, normal, and peak volume.
- Price the full-time case with salary, benefits, equipment, recruiting, and management time.
- Price each fractional or agency case with minimums, unused hours, onboarding, software, and add-ons.
- Divide each annual cost by utilized hours, not merely paid or contracted hours.
- Value executive time with a stated realization rate and a lower sensitivity case.
- Compare nonprice requirements such as coverage, confidentiality, response time, and continuity.
The model should be updated after 60 to 90 days with actual delivered hours, tasks completed, rework, missed coverage, and executive hours returned. A lower hourly rate can lose if too many hours go unused or require correction. A higher rate can make sense when it includes dependable coverage and reduces management time.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fractional executive assistant cost per month?
There is no authoritative national rate for fractional executive assistants. In the sensitivity table, 20 to 80 hours a month costs $700 to $6,800 at assumed rates of $35 to $85 an hour. Substitute a real provider quote and include minimums and add-on fees.
What does a full-time executive assistant cost in 2026?
BLS reports a $76,590 median wage for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants using May 2025 data. Applying the December 2025 private-industry compensation split produces a modeled $109,258 in salary and benefits. This excludes employer-specific overhead and should not be presented as an official BLS total for the occupation.
When is fractional support cheaper than a full-time hire?
Using the $109,258 compensation model, invoice-only break-even ranges from 107 monthly hours at $85 an hour to 166 monthly hours at $55. Equivalence also depends on skill, coverage, continuity, and supervision.
Should an agency rate be compared with an employee's hourly wage?
No. Compare an agency's effective cost per delivered hour with the employee's fully loaded cost per utilized hour. An employee wage excludes benefits, while a contract rate may include recruiting, management, and backup coverage.
Sources and methodology
This article uses May 2025 occupational wage data from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 national wage tables from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, December 2025 compensation data from BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 2026 payroll tax rules from IRS Publication 15, worker-classification guidance from the Department of Labor, and coordination-time evidence from the Microsoft Work Trend Index.
The full-time compensation figure applies the BLS private-industry average wage share to the occupational median. BLS does not publish that modeled result as an executive assistant cost. Fractional rates, utilization, executive contribution value, and realization rates are labeled assumptions. The 2026 title identifies the edition and uses the newest complete wage and compensation releases available for the comparison.
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