Hire a full-time virtual assistant in the Philippines for your US business
By William Smith, Co-founder and CEO, Offshored. Published . Last updated .
A virtual assistant from Offshored costs US$1,350 to US$1,700 per month, all-inclusive, and works full time in your inbox, calendar, CRM and documents during your US business hours.
Not a freelancer on an hourly app and not a shared pool. One dedicated person, recruited and managed by Offshored, who learns your business and works only for you. You choose the candidate, set the hours and own the work; Offshored handles recruitment, onboarding, payroll and HR in Manila.
A virtual assistant from Offshored is a full-time administrative professional who works remotely from the Philippines as a member of your team. The job is the same as an administrative assistant in your office: inbox and calendar, documents and data, customers and vendors, and the hundred small tasks that otherwise land on the owner.
The difference from a virtual assistant agency or a freelance marketplace is continuity. You get one named person, 40 hours a week, on your systems and your procedures, who is still there next month. Most Offshored clients start with inbox, calendar and data entry, then add CRM, quoting, invoicing and customer follow-up as trust builds.
They work inside your systems with the access you grant, under your approval limits. Your data stays in your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account and you can change or remove that access at any time.
Task list
Tasks you can hand to a virtual assistant
Start with the first column and add the second as trust builds. Your team member follows your procedures and your approval limits, documented during onboarding.
Inbox and calendar triaging email, drafting replies for your approval, scheduling meetings and protecting your focus time
Data entry and CRM keeping Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive or your industry platform clean, current and logged
Documents and presentations proposals, reports, slide decks, spreadsheets and templates in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Google Workspace
Quotes and invoices preparing quotes from your price list and invoices from completed jobs, then following up the unpaid ones
Scheduling and dispatch booking jobs, appointments and travel, confirming with customers and coordinating vendors and subcontractors
Customer follow-up post-job check-ins, review requests, renewal reminders and re-engagement emails from your templates
Research and lists prospect lists, vendor comparisons, competitor checks and the background work before a decision
Bookkeeping support receipt capture, expense coding and bill entry in QuickBooks Online or Xero for your bookkeeper to review
Online store and listings product uploads, order processing and marketplace messages in Shopify, Amazon or eBay
Executive support board packs, meeting minutes, stakeholder follow-ups and the owner's personal administration
Systems
Tools an offshore virtual assistant typically uses
Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word)Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets)Salesforce, Zoho CRM and PipedriveAsana, Trello, Monday.com and ClickUpQuickBooks Online and XeroCanvaCalendly and AcuityRingCentral, Dialpad and AircallShopify, Amazon Seller Central and eBayJobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall ProDocuSign and PandaDocZoom and Loom
Most US small businesses run on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace with a CRM and an industry platform on top. Tell us what your team uses on the first call and we shortlist candidates who already know it; a new tool is learned in the first week with your procedures.
Monthly cost
How much an offshore virtual assistant costs per month in USD
A virtual assistant from Offshored costs US$1,350 to US$1,700 per month. That is one flat, all-inclusive fee per full-time team member, invoiced monthly in advance, converted from the Australian band on our pricing page as set out below.
Item
Offshore virtual assistant
Monthly fee
US$1,350 to US$1,700 per month
Monthly fee, Pacific hours
US$1,500 to US$1,900 per month
Where in the band
Lower end for inbox, calendar, data entry and documents; upper end for a senior assistant running your CRM, quoting, invoicing and customer follow-up with minimal supervision
What is included
Everything: recruitment and vetting, employment in the Philippines by Australian Pathways OPC, salary, Philippine income tax and statutory contributions (SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG), 13th month pay, paid leave, HMO health insurance after the six month probation, payroll, timekeeping, HR and performance management, office space and equipment for office based team members, and replacement at our cost if the person leaves
What is not included
Your software subscriptions and phone system, and any hardware you choose to supply beyond what Offshored provides
Night shift differential
US business hours are covered by a night shift in Manila. Philippine law sets a night shift differential of 10 percent of the regular wage for each hour worked between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am (Labor Code of the Philippines, Article 86), and Offshored includes it in the monthly fee, so the USD price shown is the price you pay.
Fees
No recruitment, placement or setup fees. One monthly invoice in US dollars from Offshored Pty Ltd, an Australian company
How the USD figure is set
Converted from A$1,900 at the Wise mid-market AUD to USD rate of 0.7017 read on October 23, 2026, rounded up to the next US$50. Eastern time fees are shown; Pacific time fees are 10 percent higher before rounding. The rate is fixed between reviews and is reviewed on the first business day of each quarter (next review Monday, January 4, 2027); a change applies only to new quotes, never to a running contract.
A typical week for your offshore virtual assistant, and what it replaces
A virtual assistant from Offshored costs US$1,350 to US$1,700 per month, all-inclusive, which is US$16,200 to US$20,400 a year. The US median wage for secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical and executive) is US$47,540 a year (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025), and employer benefit costs add 30.0 percent of total compensation in private industry (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026), so the loaded cost of the median US hire is US$67,914 a year. At the midpoint of the band, US$1,525 a month, the saving is 73.1 percent.
Comparison
Figure and source
Offshored fee
US$1,350 to US$1,700 per month, all-inclusive (US$16,200 to US$20,400 a year), converted from the Australian band on the Offshored pricing page.
US median wage
US$47,540 a year, occupation 43-6014 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive, national estimate, May 2025 (BLS OEWS, released May 15, 2026). 25th percentile US$38,830, mean US$49,350, 75th percentile US$58,000. Employment 1,706,790.
With employer benefits
US$67,914 a year. Benefits were 30.0 percent of total compensation for private industry workers in June 2026 (wages and salaries $32.82 and benefits $14.07 of $46.89 per hour worked; BLS ECEC, released September 9, 2026), so the loaded cost is the median wage divided by 0.700.
Saving
73.1 percentat the band midpoint of US$1,525 a month (US$18,300 a year) against the loaded median cost of US$67,914. At US$1,350 the saving is 76.1 percent; at US$1,700 it is 70.0 percent.
Method: the saving compares the Offshored monthly fee times 12 with the BLS national median annual wage for the occupation divided by the ECEC wage share of total compensation (70.0 percent, private industry, June 2026). It leaves out the US employer's recruitment, office, equipment and management costs, so the real saving is usually larger. The Offshored fee already includes the Philippine night shift differential (10 percent of the team member's regular wage for hours between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am Manila time); fees shown are for Eastern hours, Pacific hours are 10 percent higher before rounding. Figures are national; wages in New York, San Francisco and Boston are higher than the national median and the saving there is larger. BLS figures read October 23, 2026.
What your offshore virtual assistant does in a typical week, on your hours
Your morning: triage your inbox, draft replies for your approval and keep your calendar current
Monday: prepare quotes and invoices from last week's jobs and follow up the unpaid ones
Tuesday: update the CRM, tidy the pipeline and log every call and email against the right contact
Wednesday: schedule jobs, confirm bookings and coordinate vendors and subcontractors
Thursday: prepare the documents, proposals and presentations you need for the week ahead
Friday: compile the weekly report (sales, jobs booked, outstanding items) and book any travel or events
This is the pattern most clients settle into after the first month. Your team member follows your procedures and approval limits, and you can change the mix at any time.
Who you get
Qualifications and experience
What Offshored looks for when shortlisting an offshore virtual assistant for a US business:
Degree a bachelor's degree in business administration, office administration, communication or a related field
US experience two or more years supporting US or other English-speaking businesses, in-house or through a Philippine firm serving US clients
Written English clear, correct business English for email and documents, tested with a written exercise before shortlisting
Software Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace to an advanced level, plus the CRM and scheduling tools your role needs
Judgment a track record of working to procedures and approval limits without supervision, confirmed with references
Vetting a pre-screening interview with Offshored's recruitment team in Manila and an NBI clearance (the Philippine police check) before any candidate is presented to you
You interview the shortlisted candidates yourself and make the final decision, so the person you hire meets your standard, not just ours.
Working hours
US business hours, covered from Manila
Your offshore virtual assistant works a full eight-hour day, Monday to Friday, at the times you set in your US time zone. Manila is UTC+8 all year and does not observe daylight saving, so the gap narrows by one hour while US daylight time runs (March 8 to November 1, 2026; March 14 to November 7, 2027). US business hours are covered by a night shift in Manila. Philippine law sets a night shift differential of 10 percent of the regular wage for each hour worked between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am (Labor Code of the Philippines, Article 86), and Offshored includes it in the monthly fee, so the USD price shown is the price you pay.
Your time zone
Manila is ahead by
Your 9:00 am to 5:00 pm day in Manila time
Eastern (New York, Miami, Atlanta)
13 hours (12 hours in daylight time)
10:00 pm to 6:00 am (9:00 pm to 5:00 am in daylight time)
Central (Chicago, Dallas, Houston)
14 hours (13 hours in daylight time)
11:00 pm to 7:00 am (10:00 pm to 6:00 am in daylight time)
Mountain (Denver, Salt Lake City)
15 hours (14 hours in daylight time)
12:00 am to 8:00 am (11:00 pm to 7:00 am in daylight time)
Pacific (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle)
16 hours (15 hours in daylight time)
1:00 am to 9:00 am (12:00 am to 8:00 am in daylight time)
Hours in the table are Manila local time; a 9:00 am Eastern start in winter is 10:00 pm the same calendar day in Manila. Team members work US public holidays unless the day is also a Philippine holiday, and Offshored gives you two business days' notice of any Philippine holiday that affects your team member's schedule. Every shift is logged on our timekeeping platform. Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii do not observe daylight time; ask us for your exact overlap.
How the engagement works
Who you contract with, and who employs your team member
You contract with Offshored Pty Ltd, an Australian company (ABN 84 664 866 433), for a dedicated staffing service and receive one monthly invoice. Your team member is employed in the Philippines by Australian Pathways OPC, a registered Philippine company (Company Reg. 2023010082245-00), which runs payroll, statutory contributions, benefits and HR. No US employment relationship arises, and Offshored has no US entity, office or phone number: our offices are in Sydney and Manila, and we work with US clients by video call, email and WhatsApp.
The employment contract includes confidentiality and intellectual property assignment clauses, so the work product belongs to you. Read how offshore staffing works and how Offshored protects client data. Ask your own CPA or attorney how to treat the monthly invoice and any vendor documentation your business requires.
Six questions
What US owners ask before hiring an offshore virtual assistant
How much does a full-time virtual assistant in the Philippines cost?
A virtual assistant costs US$1,350 to US$1,700 a month through Offshored for one full-time person dedicated to your business. The fee is all-inclusive: recruitment, employment by Australian Pathways OPC, salary, 13th month pay, payroll, HMO health insurance after probation, and replacement at Offshored's cost if the person leaves. There is no recruitment fee and no lock-in contract; the statutory night shift differential for hours worked between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am Manila time is already inside the fee. The US median wage for secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical and executive) is US$47,540 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), before employer benefit costs.
What is the difference between Offshored and a virtual assistant agency or Upwork?
An agency or marketplace gives you hours from a pool or a freelancer who also serves other clients. Offshored gives you one named, full-time employee of Australian Pathways OPC who works only for you, in your systems, 40 hours a week, with payroll, benefits, HR and replacement handled by Offshored. You interview and choose the person yourself.
Will my virtual assistant work US business hours?
Yes. Your assistant works a full eight-hour day, Monday to Friday, at the times you set in your US time zone. Manila is 13 hours ahead of New York in winter and 12 in summer, and 16 and 15 hours ahead of Los Angeles, so your US day is a night shift in Manila. US business hours are covered by a night shift in Manila. Philippine law sets a night shift differential of 10 percent of the regular wage for each hour worked between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am (Labor Code of the Philippines, Article 86), and Offshored includes it in the monthly fee, so the USD price shown is the price you pay.
Do I become the employer of a virtual assistant?
No. Your assistant is employed in the Philippines by Australian Pathways OPC, a registered Philippine company, and you contract with Offshored Pty Ltd, an Australian company (ABN 84 664 866 433), for a staffing service. Offshored has no US entity, office or payroll. Ask your CPA how to record the monthly invoice in your books.
Can my virtual assistant make and take phone calls for my US customers?
Yes. They call and answer from your phone system or a cloud phone app with your US number, in your business hours, following your scripts and escalation rules. Offshored screens for clear spoken English with a live call before shortlisting, and you hear the candidates yourself at interview.
How is my business data protected?
Your data stays in your own systems; Offshored holds no client data on its own infrastructure. Every team member signs an employment contract with confidentiality and IP assignment clauses that survive the end of employment, company-supplied devices have USB ports and personal cloud drives blocked, and all system logins are removed on the person's last day. Read how Offshored protects client data for the full list.
Ready to talk about hiring a virtual assistant? Book a free 20-minute call.
Pick a time and William Smith, Offshored's co-founder, calls you at a time that suits your US time zone. We scope the role, give you the monthly cost band in USD and tell you honestly whether offshore staff will work for your business. No lock-in, no obligation.
Prefer to type? Message us on WhatsApp or send the inquiry form. We reply within one business hour, 8am to 6pm Sydney time (AEST, UTC+10), Monday to Friday; book a call and we phone you at a time that suits your US time zone.