How the benchmark is built
We publish the method so the benchmark can be checked and cited with confidence. It is a transparently modelled benchmark, not a survey of clients, and the distinction matters.
Reviewed by Jenn Yang · Director, DotVA · 48+ AU placements managed · Last checked 12 June 2026
What this is
A model that compares the cost of a DotVA virtual assistant with the fully loaded cost of an equivalent local Australian hire, by tier and by state, for 2026. It exists to answer one question honestly: once you count everything, what does each option really cost per hour and per month?
What this is not
It is not a survey of our clients, and it does not claim to be first-party placement data. We do not publish invented statistics dressed up as research. Every number on the benchmark is either a published rate or a public, sourced figure, combined with arithmetic you can reproduce. Where a figure is an indicative market estimate rather than a hard source, we label it as such.
The three inputs
- VA rates. DotVA's real published tier rates: admin $12-17/hr, specialist $18-25, bookkeeping $25-35, online business manager $25-40 (AUD, excl GST). These are the rates we actually place at.
- Local base wages. Indicative Australian market hourly rates for the equivalent role, drawn from current job-market ranges and Fair Work award context. These are labelled as indicative, because advertised wages vary by employer, experience and location.
- On-costs. The loadings that sit on top of any local wage, taken from public sources: the superannuation guarantee, workers compensation, and paid leave.
The on-cost formula
The loaded cost of a local hire is the base wage multiplied by one plus the on-cost loadings:
loaded hourly = base × (1 + super + workers comp + paid leave)
- Super: 12% (the superannuation guarantee from 1 July 2025), applied from the first dollar.
- Workers compensation: ~1.2% as an indicative premium for low-risk office and clerical work. Actual premiums vary by state scheme, industry class and claims history, and are higher for trades.
- Paid leave: ~13%, representing four weeks annual leave plus personal leave and public holidays as a share of productive hours (time you pay for but do not get worked).
That gives an on-cost loading of roughly 26% on the base wage. So a local admin at a $30/hr base costs about $38/hr loaded, before recruitment and the downtime you pay an employee for between tasks. We exclude payroll tax from the headline comparison because most small businesses sit under the state threshold, and we exclude recruitment and downtime because they are real but hard to quantify, which keeps the benchmark conservative.
The VA side
A DotVA placement carries none of those loadings. You pay one hourly rate for hours worked, on a single AUD service invoice, with no superannuation, no workers compensation, no paid leave and no payroll tax on the engagement, because you contract the agency, not an employee. That is why the comparison is against the local loaded cost, not the local advertised wage.
Monthly figures
Monthly costs on the benchmark assume 20 hours a week (about 4.33 weeks a month). Scale linearly for your own hours, or use the VA cost calculator to model an exact role.
Updates
The on-cost figures track the financial year and are refreshed annually as the super guarantee, state payroll-tax settings and scheme premiums change. The page shows when it was last updated.