Dedicated virtual assistant
A dedicated virtual assistant is one named remote assistant who works a fixed block of hours each week for a single client, rather than a shared pool of assistants or a freelancer who takes tasks from many clients.
Also called: dedicated VA, dedicated remote assistant, exclusive virtual assistant, single-client virtual assistant
Last updated
749 of 1,208 recent DonutJobs candidate profiles with a Virtual Assistant skill tag say they can work 40 or more hours a week, as of Oct 2026. Hours and skill tags are self-reported.
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Key takeaways
- "Dedicated" names an arrangement, not a skill: one named person, agreed hours every week, and nobody else's work during those hours.
- The two alternatives are a shared or pooled service, where whoever is free takes the request, and a freelancer who is paid by the task.
- Of 1,208 recent DonutJobs profiles with a Virtual Assistant tag, 749 (62%) say they can work 40 or more hours a week (Oct 2026).
- Those candidates ask a median $5 an hour, so 160 hours a month, hired directly, comes to about $800 in wages.
- You can hire the person yourself or pay a managed service. DonutJobs managed assistants cost $629 a month for 80 hours or $899 for 160.
What a dedicated virtual assistant does differently
A dedicated virtual assistant does the same kinds of task as any other virtual assistant. The difference is the arrangement: the same person, on hours you agreed in advance, working from your instructions inside your accounts. The table sets that against the two other ways remote help is sold, a shared or pooled service and a freelancer paid by the task.
| Compared on | Dedicated virtual assistant | Shared or pooled service | Task-based freelancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | One named person, the same one every working day | Whoever on the team is free. The name can change from one request to the next | One person, who serves other clients in the same week |
| Who manages them | You do. In a managed hire the provider supervises and you delegate | The service. You send requests to a queue or an account manager | You do, one task at a time |
| Hours | A fixed block each week, part-time or full-time, on a schedule you set | A monthly bundle of hours or tasks, used as requests come in | No set hours. Work arrives by a deadline |
| Cost model | An hourly wage for the agreed hours, or a flat monthly fee | A subscription that buys a number of hours or tasks | A price for each task or project, or an hourly rate for time logged |
| Continuity | High. Your preferences, logins and history sit with one person | As good as the notes the service keeps. A new person starts from those notes | Lasts while the freelancer has room for you |
| Cover during absence | You arrange it, unless a managed service includes backup | Built in, because the team shares the queue | None, unless you find a second freelancer |
| Fits best | Recurring work of about 20 hours a week or more that depends on knowing your business | Small, varied requests that anyone can do from written instructions | One-off projects and specialist jobs with a clear finish |
Dedicated does not have to mean full time. A part-time dedicated assistant works for you 20 hours a week and may hold another job in the other 20. What the word promises is the same person on the same schedule, with your work alone during your hours.
Ask one question before you buy. "Will I know the name of the person, and will that person do every task?" If the answer is no, the plan is shared, whatever the sales page calls it.
How getting a dedicated virtual assistant works
There are two routes to a dedicated virtual assistant. You can hire the person yourself, pay them directly and manage them, or you can pay a managed service that recruits, contracts, pays and supervises the assistant for a monthly fee. The steps are the same on both routes; what changes is who does the first two.
Would you prefer the second route? With managed virtual assistants, DonutJobs finds, contracts, pays and supervises one dedicated assistant for a flat monthly fee. If you plan to hire yourself and still need to pick the role, start with the hiring guides.
When is a dedicated virtual assistant the right choice?
A dedicated virtual assistant is the right choice when the work repeats, fills at least half a working week and gets better as one person learns your business. For occasional requests a shared plan is the better fit, and for a single project a freelancer is the simpler hire. The table gives seven common situations.
| Situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A founder inbox and calendar, every weekday | Dedicated | The assistant has to learn who matters, how you write and what you decline. That knowledge is lost each time the person changes |
| A support inbox answered during your business hours | Dedicated | Fixed hours are the whole job, and customers get consistent answers from someone who knows the product |
| Bookkeeping admin or CRM upkeep with access to client records | Dedicated | Fewer people hold the logins, and one person is accountable for every entry |
| Five unrelated requests a week, each under an hour | Shared or pooled | You would pay a dedicated assistant to wait. A small pooled plan matches the volume |
| Cover around the clock, seven days a week | A team | One person cannot do it. You need several dedicated assistants on shifts or a pooled service |
| A website migration, a logo or a one-time data clean-up | Freelancer | The work has a clear finish and needs a specialist for a few weeks |
| A month of extra work before a launch | Freelancer or shared | The need ends on a known date, so a fixed weekly schedule would outlast it |
You can start part-time. Half a week of fixed hours shows whether the workload is real. Raise the hours once the assistant runs out of time, not before.
How many virtual assistants offer full-time hours?
749 of 1,208 recent DonutJobs candidate profiles with a Virtual Assistant skill tag (62%) say they can work 40 or more hours a week, as of Oct 2026. In total, 14,658 profiles carry the tag, and 5,101 of those have also completed the internet, English and typing checks. Skill tags and weekly hours are self-reported.
14,658
profiles carry a Virtual Assistant skill tag
all profiles, self-reported tag
5,101
of them have internet, English and typing scores
34% of the tagged profiles
749
recent profiles offer 40 or more hours a week
62% of 1,208 profiles created since 25 Aug 2026
80%
median English score with the tag
6,263 tests; whole pool 73%
33 WPM
median typing speed with the tag
7,282 tests; whole pool 31 WPM
$5
median asking rate an hour
1,208 recent profiles with the tag
DonutJobs data, as of Oct 2026, from read-only aggregate queries on the app database. The segment is every profile with a "Virtual Assistant" or "Virtual Assistance" skill tag; self-reported, not verified. Weekly hours are the answer each candidate picked at signup from four options (up to 10, about 20, about 30, or 40 or more), counted on profiles created on or after 25 Aug 2026 only, because the earlier signup form filled in 40 for anyone who skipped the question. Asking rates use the same profiles, with a rate from $1 to $100. The checks are optional.
Most recent candidates want a full week. 62% of the 1,208 recent profiles chose 40 or more hours, and 271 of those 749 have also completed the internet, English and typing checks. If you can offer full-time hours, you are offering what most recent candidates say they want.
Available hours are not exclusivity. The figure says how many hours a candidate can work. It does not say they have no other client, and DonutJobs does not measure that. A dedicated arrangement exists once you have agreed the schedule and the rule on other work in writing.
Written English is above the pool median. Profiles with the tag score a median 80% on the English test, against 73% for all candidates, and 72% of those test takers reach 70 or more out of 100.
Mind the time zone. 12,220 of the 14,658 tagged profiles (83%) give the Philippines as their country, so state the hours in your own time zone and ask each finalist to confirm them.
How many hours a week do candidates offer?
62% of recent Virtual Assistant profiles offer 40 or more hours a week and 37% offer fewer: 124 about 30 hours, 114 about 20 and 221 up to 10. A part-time dedicated role of 20 hours a week can draw on the 20-hour and 30-hour groups and on full-time candidates who will take a second client.
Post the role free, put the weekly hours in the title, and filter applicants by English score and typing speed.
What a dedicated virtual assistant costs
Hired directly on DonutJobs, a full-time dedicated virtual assistant costs about $800 a month for 160 hours at the median asking rate of $5 an hour (1,208 recent profiles with a Virtual Assistant tag, Oct 2026). A quarter of those candidates ask $3 an hour or less, and the top tenth ask $8 or more. A DonutJobs managed assistant costs $899 a month for the same 160 hours, with the hiring, payroll and supervision included.
| Route | Part-time, 80 hours a month | Full-time, 160 hours a month | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct hire at $3 an hour (25th percentile) | $240/mo | $480/mo | Wages only. You recruit, pay and manage |
| Direct hire at $5 an hour (median) | $400/mo | $800/mo | Wages only. You recruit, pay and manage |
| Direct hire at $8 an hour (90th percentile) | $640/mo | $1,280/mo | Wages only. You recruit, pay and manage |
| DonutJobs managed assistant | $629/mo | $899/mo | The assistant, the contract, payroll and supervision by DonutJobs, on one invoice |
Full-time candidates do not ask more. The 749 recent profiles that offer 40 or more hours ask the same median, $5 an hour, as the tag overall, with the same $3 and $8 at the 25th and 90th percentiles.
Platform fee for a direct hire. DonutJobs is free for 1 active job post with up to 10 applications. The Agency plan is $99 a month, or from $55 a month on a 6-month term, with no per-hire fee and no commission on wages. See pricing.
Managed terms. Managed virtual assistants are one dedicated person on either seat. No setup fee. No placement fee. No minimum term. Cancel any time on 30 days notice.
Shared plans and freelancers are priced another way. A shared service sells a bundle of hours or tasks, and a freelancer quotes each job. To compare them with a dedicated assistant, divide what you pay in a month by the hours of work you received.
Dedicated virtual assistant FAQ
What is a dedicated virtual assistant?
A dedicated virtual assistant is one named remote assistant who works a fixed block of hours each week for a single client. The same person handles your tasks every working day, learns your preferences and works inside your accounts. The term separates this setup from shared services, where a team takes requests, and from freelancers who are paid by the task.
What is the difference between a dedicated and a shared virtual assistant?
With a dedicated assistant you know the name of the person, they keep a fixed schedule, and nobody else's work reaches them during your hours. With a shared or pooled service, your request goes to whichever team member is free, and you buy a monthly bundle of hours or tasks. Shared plans suit small, occasional requests. Dedicated suits recurring work.
Is a dedicated virtual assistant always full time?
No. Dedicated describes one person on agreed hours, and those hours can be 20 a week as well as 40. On DonutJobs, 62% of recent profiles with a Virtual Assistant tag offer 40 or more hours a week and 37% offer fewer (1,208 profiles, Oct 2026). A part-time dedicated assistant may hold other work outside your hours.
How much does a dedicated virtual assistant cost?
On DonutJobs, candidates with a Virtual Assistant tag ask a median $5 an hour (1,208 recent profiles, Oct 2026), which puts a direct hire at about $400 in wages for 80 hours a month and about $800 for 160. A DonutJobs managed assistant costs $629 a month for 80 hours or $899 for 160, with payroll and supervision included.
Does a dedicated virtual assistant work only for me?
During the hours you agreed, yes. A full-time dedicated assistant on 40 hours a week has little room for anyone else. A part-time one can take other work in the remaining hours unless your contract rules it out. Write the schedule and the rule on other clients into the job post and the agreement, because the word alone guarantees nothing.
What happens when a dedicated virtual assistant is sick or leaves?
With a direct hire, you cover the gap yourself, so keep written procedures and a list of every login the assistant holds. A second, part-time assistant trained on the same documents is the usual safeguard. A managed service can include cover: the DonutJobs full-time managed seat lists backup for sick days and leave, and both seats include a free replacement.
Should I hire a dedicated virtual assistant directly or through a managed service?
Hire directly if you have time to recruit and manage and want to choose the person and the pay yourself: you pay the wage and, on DonutJobs, a platform plan that is free for 1 job post or $99 a month. Choose a managed service if you want the assistant found, contracted, paid and supervised for you at a flat monthly fee.
When is a freelancer a better choice than a dedicated virtual assistant?
Choose a freelancer when the work has a clear finish, needs a specialist, or adds up to only a few hours a month. A logo, a website migration and a one-time data clean-up are freelancer jobs. Once the same tasks return every week and fill about 20 hours, one person on fixed hours saves you from briefing someone new each time.
One assistant.
Your hours.
Post your first role free with the weekly hours in the title, filter applicants by their English and typing scores, test your top picks on a paid trial week, and pay the assistant you hire directly. DonutJobs takes no cut of the wage.
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