ExecutiveSupportStaff Editorial Team | Published
Most companies underprice executive support in their planning and overpay for it in practice. The planning number comes from comparing assistant salary against the salary of a junior individual contributor and finding it expensive. The execution cost includes the turnover, the gaps between hires, and the productivity lost when the executive is doing their own scheduling.
The right way to evaluate the budget is against the executive cost, not the assistant cost. If an executive earning 400,000 dollars per year is spending eight hours per week on coordination work, the implicit cost of that work is roughly 75,000 dollars per year of executive time. Almost any reasonable support model is cheaper than that.
An in-house executive assistant in a major US metro area typically costs between 90,000 and 170,000 dollars per year fully loaded. This includes salary, benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, and a share of workspace and tooling costs.
The advantage of in-house is presence. The assistant is physically available, can build relationships across the office, and is fully embedded in the company culture. The downside is the fixed cost. You pay the full burden even during slow weeks, and turnover events can leave the executive without coverage for two to three months.
Reference data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the median wage for executive secretaries and administrative assistants, which is a useful baseline for budget planning even though senior roles run well above the median.
A dedicated remote executive assistant is a full-time assistant working remotely, exclusively for your executive. This model is different from a pooled virtual assistant service where requests go into a queue and may be picked up by different people.
Cost typically lands between 20,000 and 35,000 dollars per year for a full-time dedicated remote assistant at the senior level. The model works well for distributed leadership teams, executives who already operate digitally, and companies that have outgrown the local talent market.
For a comparison of how this maps to support across a leadership bench, see how to staff executive support across a full leadership bench. To scope support for your leadership team, book a consultation.
The in-house model fits when the executive needs physical presence, when the support role involves a lot of in-person stakeholder management, and when the budget is unconstrained. It also fits when the leadership team values having the assistant fully embedded in the office culture.
The contractor model fits when the support need is part-time or seasonal. It works less well for full-time coverage because contractor turnover and split attention create gaps.
The dedicated remote model fits when the executive operates digitally, when the leadership team is distributed, and when the company wants senior assistant skills at a lower cost. It also fits when continuity matters more than physical presence, because the dedicated relationship means the assistant builds the same depth of context as an in-house hire.
| Model | Typical annual cost per executive (US) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| In-house full-time | 90,000 to 170,000 dollars loaded | Senior leadership requiring on-site presence |
| Local contractor part-time | 30,000 to 60,000 dollars | Lower-volume support needs |
| Dedicated remote (full-time) | 20,000 to 35,000 dollars | Distributed leadership teams with digital workflows |
What is a realistic salary range for an in-house executive assistant?
In the US, in-house executive assistant salaries typically range from 70,000 to 130,000 dollars per year depending on location and seniority. Senior assistants supporting CEOs in major metro markets can exceed that range. Benefits and overhead add roughly 25 to 30 percent on top.
How does a dedicated remote model compare on cost?
A dedicated remote executive assistant typically costs 40 to 70 percent less than an in-house equivalent at the same skill level. The savings come from labor arbitrage and lower overhead, not from reduced coverage hours. The assistant is still dedicated to your executive, just not on your local payroll.
Are there hidden costs in any of these models?
In-house models carry recruiting, onboarding, and turnover costs that are often underestimated. Contractor models can carry coordination overhead if the contractor splits time across multiple clients. Dedicated remote models should be evaluated on whether the provider handles vetting, training, and replacement at no extra charge.