Hire in the Philippines / virtual assistant
Hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines
A virtual assistant takes the inbox, calendar, data entry, and follow-ups that pile up around a small team. With Rekruuto, a full-time virtual assistant in the Philippines is $1,800 a month and works your hours. A U.S. hire at the BLS median costs about $5,903 a month with employer costs. Start in 14 days, with a 1-week trial.
What does a virtual assistant in the Philippines cost compared with a U.S. hire?
The U.S. figure is the national median wage for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (SOC 43-6014), multiplied by what private employers spend on benefits and payroll taxes for every $1 of pay in office and administrative support occupations. Our figure is the flat monthly price you pay us.
| U.S. hire at the median | Rekruuto, full-time | |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary per year | $47,540 | Included in the monthly price |
| Employer cost multiplier | × 1.49 | None on your side |
| Per month | $5,903 | $1,800 |
| Per year | $70,835 | $21,600 |
| Difference per year | $49,235 ($4,103 a month) | |
The comparison covers compensation only. It leaves out recruiting fees, equipment, software, and the management time any new hire needs. U.S. pay also varies a lot by city and seniority.
What is the local market in the Philippines?
General office clerks are the closest published Philippine occupation to an admin virtual assistant. The Philippine Statistics Authority's 2024 Occupational Wages Survey puts the average monthly wage rate for general office clerks (national benchmark occupation) at ₱19,721 (about $344). The Metro Manila minimum wage is ₱755 a day from September 26, 2026, about $286 a month. These are survey averages and a legal floor, not what a skilled full-time virtual assistant on U.S. hours is paid. We do not publish what each hire earns. You pay one monthly price, and we handle paying your team member.
- U.S. hire, fully loaded$70,835$5,903 a month
- Full-time Rekruuto hire$21,600$1,800 a month
- Difference per year$49,235$4,103 a month
How many working hours overlap with a virtual assistant in Manila?
All of them, because our hires work in your time zone. The Philippines is on UTC+8 and does not change its clocks, so a U.S. 9-to-5 lands in the Manila evening or night. The table shows where your day falls for them.
| Your time zone | Manila time, U.S. daylight saving (March–November) | Manila time, U.S. standard time |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. | 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. |
| Central (CT) | 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. | 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. |
| Mountain (MT) | 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. | 12 a.m. – 8 a.m. |
| Pacific (PT) | 12 a.m. – 8 a.m. | 1 a.m. – 9 a.m. |
For a virtual assistant, keep these for the hours you are both online:
- A short daily check-in to set the day's priorities
- Calendar changes that need an answer within the hour
- Calls or chats with vendors and customers during your business day
These can run from a written queue, so they do not need you on a call:
- Inbox triage against rules you write once
- Data entry and CRM cleanup
- Research lists, travel options, and document formatting
- End-of-day summary of what was done and what is waiting on you
What skills should you screen a virtual assistant for?
Each skill comes with a short test you can run in the interview or a paid trial task.
| Skill | How to test it |
|---|---|
| Written English that needs no rewriting | Ask for a reply to a real (anonymized) customer email and send it as is. If you would edit it before sending, keep looking. |
| Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 | Give a messy spreadsheet and ask for a clean, sorted version with a summary row in 20 minutes. |
| Following a written process | Hand over a one-page SOP and a task. Check whether they followed it or asked a clear question where it was ambiguous. |
| Prioritizing without being told | Give five requests with different deadlines. Ask what they would do first and why. |
| Comfort with your task tool | Ask how they track open items today, and have them update a sample board in Asana, Trello, ClickUp, or whatever you use. |
Which Rekruuto client had a similar seat?
City Permit, a pre-construction consulting firm, needed operational help with administrative tasks, coordination, and internal workflows. We placed a dedicated virtual assistant with account management and regular check-ins. Hassan rated it seven out of ten and said so.
Angela has been very on point for the most part and has been handling her responsibilities to a good standard. There are always areas to improve, but overall, we’ve been happy with the support and consistency. I’d rate the experience a solid seven out of ten.
How does hiring a virtual assistant through Rekruuto work?
- Tell us your needs. Share your requirements, and we'll match you with pre-vetted professionals who fit your unique needs.
- Meet your matches. We'll introduce you to carefully selected candidates. Interview and choose the perfect fit for your team.
- Start your trial. Work with your new team member for a week. Love them, or we'll find a replacement or refund your money.
- Onboard and embed. Seamlessly integrate your new hire into your team and watch your business grow.
Hiring and onboarding take 14 days. The first week is a trial: if you are not satisfied, we find a replacement or refund your money.
Frequently asked questions
What tasks can a virtual assistant in the Philippines take over?
Inbox and calendar management, data entry, CRM updates, research, document formatting, scheduling, and customer follow-ups. Anything that can be done on a computer from a written instruction is a candidate.
Is a full-time virtual assistant better than a freelancer for admin work?
If the work is daily and repeats, yes. A full-time hire learns your tools and your preferences once. A freelancer is a better fit for a one-off project or a few hours a month.
Will a Philippines-based virtual assistant work my hours?
Yes. Our hires work in your time zone, so the whole U.S. business day is shared time. For a U.S. client that usually means a night shift in Manila.
What should I prepare before the virtual assistant starts?
A list of recurring tasks, logins shared through a password manager, and one written process for the most common task. The 1-week trial goes better when the first week has real work in it.
How much does a U.S. virtual assistant cost compared with Rekruuto?
The BLS median for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive is $47,540 a year (May 2025). With employer costs (× 1.49, BLS June 2026) that is about $70,835 a year, or $5,903 a month. A full-time Rekruuto hire is $1,800 a month.
What time is it in the Philippines when a U.S. workday starts?
The Philippines is on UTC+8 all year. 9 a.m. Eastern is 9 p.m. in Manila during U.S. daylight saving time and 10 p.m. in winter. Your virtual assistant works your hours, so the full workday overlaps.
Related pages
- Browse every virtual assistant role
- Every role we place in the Philippines
- Guides on hiring offshore talent in the Philippines
- Hire an executive assistant in the Philippines
- Hire a customer service virtual assistant in the Philippines
- Hire a project coordinator in the Philippines
- Offshore Hiring Costs 2026 report
- Philippines vs Latin America for offshoring
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), national estimates, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (USDL-26-1494), Table 5, June 2026, released September 9, 2026.
- Philippine Statistics Authority, 2024 Occupational Wages Survey, August 2024, released November 2025.
- National Wages and Productivity Commission (Philippines), NCR daily minimum wage rates, Wage Order No. NCR-28, Effective September 26, 2026.
- World Bank, Official exchange rate, local currency per US$, period average (PA.NUS.FCRF), 2024 and 2025 annual averages. Peso figures converted at the 2024 and 2025 averages.