Virtual assistants on DonutJobs ask a median of $5 an hour, and employers post a median base rate of $3 an hour. Those two figures were measured on 10 October 2026 from 1,697 candidate profiles and 1,224 hourly job posts. By country, the median asking rate is $5 in the Philippines (1,417 profiles) and $5 in Nigeria (101 profiles). No other country has enough recent profiles for a rate we are willing to publish.
Every figure in this report carries its sample size and the date it was measured. The data comes from one marketplace, so read the method and limits section near the end before you quote a number.
Key figures
| Measure | Figure | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Median asking rate, all countries | $5 an hour | 1,697 profiles |
| Middle half of asking rates | $3 to $5 an hour | 1,697 profiles |
| Median asking rate, Philippines | $5 an hour | 1,417 profiles |
| Median asking rate, Nigeria | $5 an hour | 101 profiles |
| Median posted base rate | $3 an hour | 1,224 hourly job posts |
| Middle half of posted base rates | $2 to $3 an hour | 1,224 hourly job posts |
The asking rate is the hourly rate in US dollars that a candidate states on their profile. The posted rate is the hourly base rate an employer writes on a job post that pays by the hour. Both were measured on 10 October 2026. The profiles are those created from 25 August to 9 October 2026. The job posts are all hourly posts created up to 9 October 2026.
Virtual assistant asking rates by country
| Country | Median | Middle half | Profiles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | $5 | $3 to $5 | 1,417 |
| Nigeria | $5 | $3 to $5 | 101 |
| All countries | $5 | $3 to $5 | 1,697 |
Candidates from 48 countries state a rate in this sample, but only two of those countries reach 100 profiles. That is the smallest sample we publish a country rate on. The next largest groups are Kenya with 40 profiles and Indonesia with 30. A median from 40 people moves when a handful of new candidates sign up, so this report gives no rate for the other 46 countries.
Two things to keep in mind when you read the table:
- The Philippines accounts for 1,417 of the 1,697 profiles (83.5%), so the all-countries row is close to a Philippine figure.
- Nigeria sits one profile above the 100 floor. Treat its row as the least stable number in this report.
In the Philippines, 168 of the 1,417 candidates (11.9%) ask $8 an hour or more. If the role needs someone at that end of the range, budget for it from the start.
How asking rates are distributed
| Asking rate per hour | All countries | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
| Under $3 | 142 (8.4%) | 111 |
| $3 | 551 (32.5%) | 461 |
| Over $3, under $5 | 54 (3.2%) | 51 |
| $5 | 683 (40.2%) | 590 |
| Over $5, under $8 | 41 (2.4%) | 36 |
| $8 or more | 226 (13.3%) | 168 |
Two answers, $3 and $5, cover 1,234 of the 1,697 profiles (72.7%). There is a reason for that. The DonutJobs signup screen offers $2, $3, $5 and $8 as one-tap answers and tells candidates that most jobs pay $2 to $5 an hour. In this sample, 1,544 of 1,697 profiles (91.0%) state one of those four values, and only 54 (3.2%) ask for more than $8.
So the distribution shows where candidates anchor their first number. It is not a fine-grained price list. It is still useful for one practical question, which is how many candidates a given offer reaches:
- An offer of $3 an hour meets the stated rate of 693 of 1,697 candidates (40.8%).
- An offer of $5 an hour meets the stated rate of 1,430 of 1,697 candidates (84.3%).
Asking rates by role
| Role segment | Median | Profiles |
|---|---|---|
| Social media | $5 | 483 |
| Sales and lead generation | $5 | 384 |
| Ecommerce | $5 | 227 |
These three were measured on 5 October 2026 with the same rule (profiles created on or after 25 August 2026). In each segment the middle half of candidates ask $3 to $5 and the 90th percentile is $8. A candidate can appear in more than one segment.
The role a candidate lists does not move the asking rate in this sample, so a rate on its own tells you little about fit. Filter on test scores and a voice sample first, then compare rates.
What employers post
| Hourly base rate | Job posts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $2 | 43 | 3.5% |
| $2 to under $3 | 370 | 30.2% |
| $3 to under $4 | 547 | 44.7% |
| $4 to under $5 | 112 | 9.2% |
| $5 to under $8 | 106 | 8.7% |
| $8 or more | 46 | 3.8% |
Shares are rounded, so they add up to 100.1%. The median base rate is $3 an hour and half of all posts fall between $2 and $3. About one post in eight (152 of 1,224, or 12.4%) offers a base rate of $5 or more.
Commission changes the picture. Of the 1,224 hourly posts, 716 (58.5%) pay commission on top of the base rate and 508 do not.
| Pay type | Median base | Upper quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate only (508 posts) | $3 | $4 |
| Base rate plus commission (716 posts) | $3 | $3 |
A base rate with commission on top is a different offer from a flat hourly rate. Compare like with like when you benchmark your own post.
The gap between asking and posted rates
Candidates ask a median of $5 and employers post a median of $3. Do not read that as proof that employers underpay by $2. Three things sit behind the gap:
- More than half of the posts (58.5%) add commission, and commission is not part of the base rate counted here.
- An asking rate is an opening position, and most candidates pick it from four suggested values.
- The two samples cover different periods. The profiles were created from 25 August 2026 onward, while the job posts include every hourly post ever created.
The app does not record the rate a candidate and an employer agree on, so this report has no figure for what virtual assistants are paid in the end.
How this compares with outside figures
Three outside sources help place the numbers. All were checked in October 2026.
- OnlineJobs.ph, a Philippine job board for remote work, recommends offering around $4 to $7 an hour for most positions in its salary guide (last updated April 2026). The DonutJobs median of $5 sits inside that range.
- US in-house pay. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts median pay for secretaries and administrative assistants at $23.23 an hour, or $48,310 a year, in May 2025.
- US benefits. Wages are 70.0% of what private employers in the US spend on compensation and benefits are the other 30.0%, according to the Bureau's employer cost release for June 2026. An employee costs more than the hourly wage.
These are different measures. The first is a recommendation from a job board, the second is a wage for employees and ours is a rate that independent contractors state on a profile. They show the order of magnitude, not a like-for-like comparison.
Method and limits
- Source. Aggregate queries on the DonutJobs app database, run on 10 October 2026. Demo profiles and demo jobs are excluded.
- Which profiles. Only profiles created on or after 25 August 2026. Before that date the signup form filled in a default rate, so older profiles do not show what the candidate chose. Of the 1,712 profiles created in the window, 1,697 state a rate from $1 to $100.
- Which job posts. Every job post that pays by the hour with a base rate from $1 to $100, created up to 9 October 2026.
- Self-stated. Asking rates are what candidates type or tap. Nobody verifies them, and the suggested values on the signup screen pull answers toward $3 and $5.
- Small samples are left out. A country needs 100 profiles before we publish its rate. The role segments above have 227 to 483 profiles each.
- One marketplace. DonutJobs candidates are mostly in the Philippines (83.5% of this sample). This is not a national wage statistic for any country.
- Not measured. Agreed pay, time to hire and rates for the whole pool of 26,968 profiles (counted on 5 October 2026).
Using these numbers to set a rate
Start from the role, then use the tables as a sanity check. A base rate of $3 an hour puts your post in the middle of what employers offer. An offer of $5 an hour meets the stated rate of more than four in five recent candidates. Only 3.2% of candidates ask more than $8, so an offer above that should come with a clear reason, such as proven experience in the role.
For a full budget, including platform and agency fees, see how much a virtual assistant costs. For the Philippines in detail, with test scores and time zones, see hiring Filipino virtual assistants. You can also check a single role with the salary check tool.
On DonutJobs you pay the assistant directly and the platform charges a flat subscription. The free plan covers one active job post with up to 10 applications. The paid plan is $99 a month, or $55 a month on a six-month term. See DonutJobs pricing or browse virtual assistants by role.
Frequently asked questions
What do virtual assistants ask per hour on DonutJobs?
The median asking rate is $5 an hour, and half of all candidates ask between $3 and $5. That comes from 1,697 profiles created from 25 August to 9 October 2026, measured on 10 October 2026.
What is the hourly rate for a virtual assistant in the Philippines?
Filipino candidates on DonutJobs ask a median of $5 an hour, based on 1,417 profiles. The middle half ask $3 to $5, and 11.9% ask $8 or more.
Why does the report give rates for only two countries?
A country needs at least 100 recent profiles before we publish a rate for it. Only the Philippines and Nigeria reach that number. The other 46 countries in the sample have too few profiles for a stable median.
Are these the rates virtual assistants are paid?
No. Asking rates are what candidates state on their profiles, and posted rates are what employers write on job posts. The rate two sides agree on is not recorded, so this report does not show final pay.
Why do employers post less than candidates ask?
The median posted base rate is $3 an hour against a median asking rate of $5. Part of the gap is commission: 58.5% of hourly posts pay commission on top of the base rate, and commission is not counted in the base figure.
Can I quote this data?
Yes. Please give the date and the sample size next to any figure, for example: DonutJobs virtual assistant rates report, measured 10 October 2026, 1,697 profiles. A link to this page lets readers check the method.