How Much Does an Executive Assistant Cost? (2026 Guide)

You’ve made the decision: it’s time to delegate. The emails are piling up, meetings are double-booked, and the work that actually grows your business keeps getting pushed aside. You need an executive assistant.

Executive assistant costs range from €1,500/month for part-time virtual support to €8,000+/month for full-time in-house hires (including overhead). The right investment depends on your needs, location, and whether you choose virtual, remote, or in-house support. More important than the cost is the return on that investment.

The Three Types of Executive Assistants (and What They Cost)

Before comparing costs, understand that “executive assistant” covers three distinct options with very different price points and capabilities.

1. Virtual Assistants (VAs)

Virtual assistants handle routine administrative tasks – email organisation, data entry, scheduling, basic research. They’re typically freelancers hired through platforms like Fiverr or Upwork, or through agencies with talent in lower-cost regions.

• Typical cost: €10-30/hour or €1,000-2,000/month for part-time
• What you get: Task execution on defined work; requires your oversight
• The trade-off: Lower cost, but higher management overhead from you
• Best for: Clearly defined, routine tasks with minimal context required

2. In-House Executive Assistants

In-house EAs are full-time employees recruited through your HR process. They work directly with you, handling complex responsibilities including strategic planning, stakeholder communication, and operational oversight.

• Typical cost: €4,000-13,490+/month fully loaded (salary + contributions + overhead)
• What you get: Deep integration, full-time availability, physical presence if needed
• The trade-off: Highest cost; employer obligations, recruitment risk, no backup coverage
• Best for: Full-time complex needs with budget for fully-loaded employment costs

3. Remote Executive Assistants (Virtual EAs)

Remote EAs combine the strategic capability of in-house assistants with the flexibility of virtual work. Typically employed by specialist agencies, they provide senior-level EA support without employment overhead.

• Typical cost: €2,000-4,500/month depending on provider and scope
• What you get: Senior-level support, agency management layer, backup coverage
• The trade-off: Higher than VA cost, but significantly lower than in-house total cost
• Best for: Strategic support without full-time employment commitment

What Affects Executive Assistant Costs?

1. Experience Level

Experience dramatically affects compensation:

• Entry-level assistants: Lower cost, require more guidance, suitable for basic admin
• Mid-level assistants: Some autonomy, good for most operational EA work
• Senior executive assistants: Premium cost, genuine strategic partnership, C-suite ready

For C-level support, you generally need senior-level capability. Saving money on inexperienced help often costs more through inefficiency and turnover.

2. Location

EA costs vary significantly across European markets. Switzerland and Denmark have the highest base salaries; Poland and Ireland have the lowest. Once employer contributions are included, the gap widens further.

3. Remote vs. In-House

In-house assistants come with overhead beyond salary: office space and equipment, benefits and pension contributions, paid leave and sick days, and recruitment and onboarding costs. Remote assistants eliminate these overheads, making the effective cost difference even larger than salary comparisons suggest.

4. Full-Time vs. Part-Time

Most leaders overestimate how much full-time support they need. If you’ve never had an EA, starting part-time lets you learn what to delegate before committing to full-time costs.

• Part-time: Better fit for most first-time EA relationships; lower cost; test before scaling
• Full-time: Appropriate when you have consistent, substantial operational complexity throughout each day

5. Direct Hire vs. Agency

• Direct hire means managing recruitment, employment, and all associated administration yourself. Lower ongoing cost, but significant upfront investment and ongoing management burden.
• Agency services like DonnaPro provide pre-vetted, trained EAs with seamless onboarding. Higher monthly fee, but no recruitment time, no employment overhead, quality management included.

6. Specialised Skills

EAs with specific expertise command premium rates:

• Multiple languages (20-40% premium for multilingual support)
• Industry-specific experience (finance, legal, tech)
• Advanced technical skills (project management certifications, specific software expertise)

Executive Assistant Salaries by Country

Salaries vary significantly by country and market tier. In Western Europe, gross monthly salaries for senior EAs range from €9,600 in Switzerland and €7,820 in Denmark down to €5,833 in Germany, €4,833 in France, £5,417 in the UK, and €5,000 in the Netherlands. Add employer contributions and overhead and the fully-loaded monthly cost reaches €8,460 in Germany, €9,062 in France, £8,280 in the UK, and €12,400 in Switzerland.

The EA Cost Formula: Calculating Your Real ROI

Here’s where most cost discussions miss the point. The question isn’t “what does an EA cost?” – it’s “what does an EA return?”

The Formula

This simple equation balances your time reclaimed against the investment required:

ROI = (Hours Saved Monthly × Your Hourly Value) – EA Monthly Cost

Example Calculation

Let’s say your time is worth €200/hour when focused on high-value activities (strategy, sales, client relationships), and you hire a remote EA:

• Your hourly value: €200
• Hours saved monthly: 60
• EA monthly cost: €2,700 (DonnaPro part-time)

Step 1: Calculate time value saved: 60 hours × €200 = €12,000

Step 2: Subtract EA cost: €12,000 – €2,700 = €9,300 net monthly value

Result: By investing €2,700 monthly, you unlock €9,300 in value – a 344% return on investment.

The Break-Even Point

The formula reveals a critical insight: the break-even point for a €2,700/month EA at €200/hour CEO value is just 13.5 hours per month. That’s less than one hour per working day. For most executives, this threshold is crossed within the first week.

Cost Comparison: Virtual EA vs. In-House EA

How to Choose the Right EA Investment

Step 1: Understand Your Priorities

List the tasks draining your time and focus. Are they routine administrative work, or complex projects requiring strategic thinking? This determines the capability level you need.

Step 2: Assess Your Realistic Budget

Be honest about what you can invest – but weigh cost against value, not just price. Remember: the ROI question matters more than the cost question.

Step 3: Run the ROI Calculation

Use the formula above with your actual numbers. If the ROI is positive, the investment makes sense. If it’s strongly positive (200%+), you’re likely underinvesting in support.

Step 4: Decide Full-Time vs. Part-Time

If you’ve never had an EA, start part-time. You’ll learn what to delegate, develop the relationship, and prove the value before committing to larger investment.

• Routine tasks only: Part-time VA (€1,000-2,000/month)
• Mix of admin and strategic: Part-time remote EA (€2,700/month)
• Substantial, complex, full-time needs: Full-time remote or in-house (€6,500+/month)

Step 5: Choose Your Hiring Model

Hire directly if: you have HR capacity to manage recruitment and employment, you need full-time in-person support, and you’re confident in your ability to evaluate EA candidates.

Use an agency if: you want to start quickly without recruitment burden, you prefer flexibility over long-term employment commitment, and you value quality guarantees and backup support.

The question isn’t whether you can afford an executive assistant. For most CEOs and founders, the question is whether you can afford not to have one.

Calculate Your Personal ROI