A new virtual assistant client usually arrives overwhelmed. Their inbox has 3,000 unread messages, their calendar is double-booked, and they have a list of "small things" that has been growing for months. They want help immediately, and they are not sure what to hand over first. A clear proposal gives them a plan for the first month and gives you a scope you can manage.
This template is for VAs and executive assistants who work for clients on an ongoing basis. It groups tasks into categories, sets a monthly hour block, defines working hours and response times across time zones, and deals with access and passwords properly from the start. It also sets out rollover and overage rules, which is where VA relationships most often get tense.
TL;DR
The virtual assistant proposal template sets out task categories, a monthly block of hours with an overage rate, working hours and time zone, response times, tools, secure access through a password manager, a limited rollover rule, a monthly hours report and a first-week onboarding plan. Send it after a discovery call. The key practice is capping rollover, often at 25 percent of the block for one month, so your schedule stays predictable.
What's inside
- What you need help with: the client's current situation and the biggest time drains.
- Task categories: inbox, calendar, admin, customer support, social, bookkeeping support and so on.
- Out of scope: tasks you do not take on.
- Working hours and response times: days, hours, time zone and turnaround for urgent and routine requests.
- Tools and access: the software you will work in and how access is granted.
- Packages and pricing: hour blocks, overage rate, rollover and billing.
- Onboarding: what happens in the first week.
- Reporting: the monthly summary and timesheet.
- Acceptance: package chosen and signatures.
When to use it
Use it for ongoing administrative, executive, operations, customer support or marketing support work where the client buys a block of your time each month. It suits solo business owners, coaches, consultants, small agencies and busy executives.
For a single project, such as setting up a CRM or organizing a one-off event, a freelance quote or a project proposal is simpler. If you are placing a dedicated full-time assistant through an agency, the client will expect a staffing agreement instead.
How to set hour blocks, rollover and overage
Pick realistic blocks. Many VAs offer 10, 20 and 40 hour packages. Recommend one based on the task list. If the discovery call surfaced a long backlog, propose a higher block for the first month to clear it, then step down.
Price overage clearly. Hours above the block are billed at an overage rate, often the same as or slightly higher than the package's effective hourly rate. Tell the client when they reach about 80 percent of their hours, and ask before going over.
Limit rollover. Allowing some unused hours to carry over for one month is a goodwill gesture. Unlimited rollover means a client can bank 60 hours and then ask for all of them in one week. A simple rule: "Up to [25]% of unused hours roll into the next month only."
Set a minimum term. One to three months gives both sides time to get through onboarding and see results. After that, a rolling monthly term with 30 days' notice is typical.
Bill in advance. Monthly retainers are normally invoiced at the start of the month. Overage is billed at the end.
Access, passwords and confidentiality
VAs often have more access to a client's business than anyone else: email, calendar, banking dashboards, customer data. The proposal should show you take that seriously.
- Password manager. Ask the client to share credentials through a password manager, or to add you as a separate user where the tool allows. Do not accept passwords by email or text.
- Least access. Request only the access you need for the tasks in scope.
- Two-factor codes. Agree how two-factor codes will be handled, for example a shared authenticator in the password manager or the client approving logins.
- Offboarding. At the end of the engagement, access is removed and any files you hold are returned or deleted.
- Confidentiality. Client information is kept private. A virtual assistant agreement should set out the full confidentiality terms.
Customize it in your COLO workspace
Set each hour block up as a line item in a saved proposal template in COLO Proposals, with hours, rate, tax and any discount. The client accepts in the client portal, and the accepted proposal converts into the first month's invoice.
For the ongoing work, track time with the start/stop timer or manual entries, mark tasks as billable or non-billable, and create invoices from tracked time. The timesheet reports in COLO Reports export to CSV, Excel or PDF, which covers the monthly hours summary your client expects.
Common mistakes
- No list of out-of-scope tasks. "Can you just" adds up.
- Unlimited rollover. It turns into a bank of hours you cannot schedule.
- Passwords in email. Insist on a password manager.
- No time zone in writing. Clients assume you work their hours.
- No onboarding plan. The first week sets the tone for the relationship.
FAQ
Q: What should a virtual assistant proposal include?
The tasks you will handle, grouped by category, a monthly hour block or package, working hours and time zone, response times, the tools you will use, how account access and passwords are shared, rollover and overage rules, reporting, onboarding and the monthly fee.
Q: How do virtual assistants price their services?
The most common model is a monthly retainer for a block of hours, such as 10, 20 or 40 hours, with an overage rate for extra hours. Some VAs price per task or per project for defined work like inbox setup or travel planning.
Q: Should unused VA hours roll over?
Many VAs allow a limited rollover, for example up to 25 percent of the block for one month, so clients do not feel they are losing money while you keep your schedule predictable. Unlimited rollover makes planning hard.
Q: How should clients share passwords with a virtual assistant?
Through a password manager with shared vaults, or by adding the VA as a user with their own login where the tool allows. Avoid sending passwords by email or chat, and remove access at the end of the engagement.
Q: How do I report hours to a VA client?
Send a monthly summary with hours used, tasks completed and hours remaining. Timesheets with task-level entries make the summary easy to check and reduce billing questions. See solutions for virtual assistants.