How Much Money Do Personal Assistants Make?

Personal assistants support individuals, couples and families by taking care of such activities as appointment setting, basic office work and running errands. No specific educational requirements are needed, though general business skills and an accommodating personality are assets. Agencies sometimes represent personal assistants, but clients also often hire them directly. Pay varies according to several factors, according to PayScale data reported in 2011.

Basics

Personal assistants make $10.29 to $18.87 per hour for the base rate, with overtime wages of $14.86 to $26.71 per hour. Annual bonuses of $488 to $2,896 and profit sharing of $488 to $6,947 can push total annual compensation to between $24,489 and $44,240 per year.

Experience

Experience generally garners higher salaries, as personal assistants become more attuned to their clients and can anticipate their needs more easily. Those with one to four years of experience make $24,856 to $40,309 per year, while those with five to nine years behind them earn $28,319 to $49,096. At 10 to 19 years of experience, personal assistants earn $38,037 to $61,978, and at 20 years or more, they top out at $40,086 to $65,529.

Employer

Salaries for personal assistants vary depending on employer, with foundations and trusts providing the highest compensation at $39,225 to $69,525 yearly, followed by hospitals at $32,500 to $66,000. Those who are self-employed make $24,939 to $49,183, while those who work for a company earn $27,569 to $48,627. Those who work for state and local government receive $25,942 to $43,950, while those in nonprofit organizations are paid $23,570 to $52,000.

Skills

Certain skills are more valuable than others in enhancing the salaries of personal assistants. Event planning, for example, allows the efficient organization of events for clients and thus pays the highest rates at $35,375 to $99,159 annually. Travel administration enables planning for business and leisure trips and grants $30,658 to $65,051. Office administration makes for better handling of a client's business affairs. This expertise pays $21,500 to $57,931.

References

• PayScale: Hourly Rate Snapshot for Personal Assistant Jobs, National Pay Data
• PayScale: Hourly Rate Snapshot for Personal Assistant Jobs, Salary by Years Experience
• PayScale: Hourly Rate Snapshot for Personal Assistant Jobs, Salary by Employer Type
• PayScale: Hourly Rate Snapshot for Personal Assistant Jobs, Salary by Skill/Specialty
• GoNannies.com: What is a Personal Assistant?