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Cross-industry · Business & operations

Executive assistant: salary vs freelance rates

An executive assistant protects a leader's attention and keeps important commitments moving. The role combines judgment, coordination, confidentiality, and anticipation so decisions and relationships do not depend on an overflowing inbox.

U.S. employee wage reference

$76,590 / year

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants · May 2025 national median

Illustrative freelance rate

$93.00 / hour

To replace this wage plus $15K benefits, with 1,200 billable hours/year, $20K business costs, and no percentage fees. Before personal taxes.

The wage is for the named occupation; the hourly rate is a planning calculation, not a surveyed freelance price for this specialty. Adjust the assumptions below.

Calculate my freelance rate →

Skills that make the work valuable

  • Executive calendar prioritization
  • Meeting preparation and follow-through
  • Confidential communication
  • Travel and stakeholder coordination

Build proof, not just a list

Create a fictional executive support pack for a busy week. Resolve scheduling conflicts, prepare a decision brief, track follow-ups, and document which situations require escalation rather than independent action.

How to price this work as a freelancer

For independent support, define the executive count, coverage hours, travel coordination, and decision authority. A retainer should reflect reserved availability as well as task volume. Last-minute changes and confidential onboarding require time; continuous responsiveness is difficult to combine with a full schedule of other clients.

Start with the income you need to replace

Required hourly rate = (target salary + benefits budget + annual business expenses) ÷ (annual billable hours × share of revenue retained after fees).

For illustration, $100/hour × 25 billable hours/week × 48 working weeks = $120,000 revenue. After $20,000 in business expenses, that leaves $100,000 profit before personal taxes. Replacing a $100,000 salary plus $15,000 in benefits under those assumptions takes $112.50/hour, with no percentage fees.

These are editable planning assumptions, not rates surveyed for executive assistant work. Your personal taxes, location, contract terms, and workload still affect the comparison.

Employee or freelancer?

Working as an employee

Employment supports the trust and organizational knowledge needed to anticipate a leader's priorities. Compare access expectations, coverage, and backup arrangements with the compensation and level of delegated authority.

Running a freelance business

Fractional executive support can work when availability and priorities are carefully agreed. Supporting multiple leaders with simultaneous urgent needs creates a capacity constraint that task-based pricing can easily miss.

Where this career could take you

  1. 01Administrative assistant
  2. 02Executive assistant
  3. 03Senior executive assistant or executive operations lead

An example path, with room for lateral moves or specialization. Progression depends on opportunities and demonstrated work; these steps do not imply a timetable or salary increase.

Try one small next step

Build a mock executive week with conflicting priorities and write the scheduling decisions, briefing notes, and escalation rules that would keep commitments clear.