Free AI tools for VAs · Rate calculator

What should you charge for AI work?

AI makes you faster, so hourly billing pays you less for better work. Enter a few numbers about one AI service and get a setup fee, a monthly fee, your real hourly rate and a pitch line to send your client.

Your service

Use one service, such as inbox triage or a weekly report. Results update as you type.

Your hourly rate today

Hours to build and test it One-time setup Hours a month to run it Checking, fixing, reporting

Hours it saves the client a month Not sure? Try the hours-saved calculator Client's hourly value What an hour of their time is worth

Tool costs you pay each month for this client Leave at 0 if the client pays for the tools

What to charge

Rounded to the nearest $25.

Setup fee

Monthly fee

Your real hourly rate on this service-

If you billed your running hours instead-

Value of the time saved to your client-

First-year revenue from this client-

Your pitch line

How the calculator works

Setup fee = build hours × your hourly rate × 1.5. The extra half covers what you had to learn to build it at all, and the fact that the client keeps a system that works after you've finished.

Monthly fee = hours saved a month × client's hourly value ÷ 4. The client keeps three quarters of the value, which makes it an easy yes. If that comes out below what your own running time and tools cost, the calculator uses your costs instead, so you never run a service at a loss.

These are starting points for small-business clients in the US. Adjust them for your market and experience, and raise your prices as you collect results.

Free guide for virtual assistants

Know what to charge. Now know what to sell.

The free AI-Ready VA Starter Guide lists 10 AI services clients will pay for, with setup times and starting prices, plus the exact pitch to send a current client.

10 AI services you can sell this month, with starting prices
The setup fee and monthly fee formulas behind these tools
A copy-and-paste pitch and a 7-day plan to land your first paid AI service

Get the AI-Ready VA Starter Guide

14-page PDF, free. You'll get it on the next page.

Questions VAs ask

How much should a VA charge for AI services?

Charge a one-time setup fee for building the system plus a monthly fee for running it. A simple setup fee is your build hours times your hourly rate times 1.5. For the monthly fee, start at about a quarter of what the hours you save the client are worth, and never go below what your own running time costs. Many small-business AI services start around $300 to $600 setup and $150 to $300 a month.

Why not just charge by the hour for AI work?

Because AI makes you faster, hourly billing means the better you get, the less you earn. Pricing the setup and the monthly running fee separately ties your pay to the result the client gets, not the minutes you spend.

What is the client's hourly value?

It's what an hour of the client's (or their team's) time is worth to the business. For an owner, use what they'd pay to buy that hour back, often $50 to $150. For a staff member, use their hourly pay plus about 30% for benefits and overhead. If you're unsure, ask the client: "What's an hour of your time worth to you?"

Should tool costs be included in my fee?

Yes. If you pay for a tool to run the client's service, such as a paid AI plan, an automation tool or a transcription app, add it to the monthly costs field. The calculator makes sure your monthly fee covers it. If the client pays for the tools on their own account, leave it at zero.

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<a href="https://virtualexpert.net/ai-rate-calculator">AI Service Rate Calculator for VAs</a> (free, by VirtualExpert.net)