Updated May 23, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Per-project VA pricing is best for defined, one-time tasks (database cleanup, content migration, research project) - not for ongoing operational support.
- Most VAs prefer hourly or retainer for ongoing work; per-project pricing requires a clear scope or the VA will quote high to cover scope risk.
- Typical project rates: $50-$150 for simple tasks (data entry project, list building), $200-$500 for medium complexity (research report, content audit), $500-$2,000+ for complex projects (website content migration, full CRM setup).
- For ongoing work, hourly or retainer arrangements always produce better results than attempting to package recurring tasks as projects.
- Stealth Agents operates on hourly/retainer - if you have a defined project need, discuss scope during intake to determine the best engagement structure.
Per-project pricing for virtual assistant work sounds appealing - a fixed price for a defined deliverable, no ongoing commitment. In practice, it works well for genuinely one-time, bounded tasks and poorly for recurring or ambiguous work.
When Per-Project Pricing Makes Sense
Defined scope with clear deliverables. A project with a clear start, end, and deliverable works for per-project pricing:
- "Audit our CRM and clean duplicate contacts" - clear start and end state
- "Research 50 target companies and build a contact spreadsheet" - defined output
- "Migrate 200 blog posts from old site to new platform" - countable deliverable
- "Build our SOPs for these five recurring processes" - bounded output
One-time need. If you genuinely need something done once and have no other ongoing work for a VA, per-project pricing avoids a retainer commitment.
When you want to test a VA before ongoing work. A scoped project is a reasonable way to evaluate a VA's work quality before committing to an ongoing arrangement.
When Per-Project Pricing Does Not Work
Ongoing operational tasks. Email management, scheduling, CRM updates, and customer support are inherently ongoing - they cannot be packaged as a one-time project. Attempting to do so creates awkward scope negotiations and worse outcomes than a simple hourly arrangement.
Vague or evolving scope. "Help me with my business" is not a project. Neither is "manage my marketing" or "handle my administrative tasks." Vague scope leads to either a very high project quote (to cover scope risk) or constant scope disagreements.
When you will need ongoing work anyway. If you want database cleanup done now and will need ongoing CRM maintenance after, a retainer arrangement is better than per-project for the cleanup followed by a separate arrangement for maintenance.
Typical Project Rates
Simple data/administrative projects:
- Data entry project (500 rows, clean data): $50-$100
- List building (50-100 contacts with specific criteria): $75-$150
- Basic research task (compare 10 competitors on 5 dimensions): $50-$100
Medium complexity projects:
- Full competitive research report (20+ sources, structured output): $200-$400
- Content audit (catalog and assess 100+ pieces of content): $150-$300
- CRM contact deduplication and cleanup (500-1,000 records): $200-$400
- Social media audit and content calendar for one quarter: $200-$350
High complexity projects:
- Full CRM setup (structure, custom fields, initial data import): $500-$1,500
- Blog or content migration (100+ posts with formatting): $400-$1,000
- SOP documentation for a business process set (5-10 processes): $300-$600
- Full email sequence creation (5-7 emails, research + writing): $300-$700
These rates assume Philippines-based VA labor. US-based rates are 2-3x higher.
How to Structure a Per-Project Engagement
Write the spec before requesting a quote. A per-project quote is only meaningful if the scope is defined. Before hiring, document:
- What the deliverable is (specific format, specific quantity)
- What inputs you will provide
- What success looks like (how will you know it is done correctly?)
- Any constraints (tools to use, style guide, deadline)
Ask for an hours estimate, not just a price. If the VA estimates 10 hours for a project and quotes $100, that is a $10/hr rate - consistent with standard Philippines rates. If they quote $300 for 10 hours, that is a $30/hr project premium. Understanding the implied hourly rate helps you assess whether the project quote is reasonable.
Define revision scope. How many rounds of revision are included? For research and writing projects especially, clarify this upfront.
Milestone payments for larger projects. For projects over $300, consider splitting payment: 50% upfront, 50% on delivery. This is standard practice for project work.
Per-Project vs. Hourly vs. Retainer
| Structure | Best for | Avoid for |
|---|---|---|
| Per-project | Defined one-time tasks | Ongoing operations, vague scope |
| Hourly | Variable task volume, test engagements | High-volume ongoing work (inefficient) |
| Retainer | Ongoing dedicated support | One-time or infrequent needs |
For most business owners who start with a project need, the conversation with Stealth Agents will clarify whether a project arrangement, a part-time retainer, or an hourly engagement is the right fit. Describe your actual needs during intake rather than asking for a specific pricing structure.