Everything Australian small business owners ask us.
Six categories. 23 questions. If yours isn't here, book a free call and we'll answer it in person.
Pricing
How much does a DotVA virtual assistant cost?
Admin VAs from $12/hr (excl GST), specialists from $18/hr, bookkeeping from $25/hr. Placements start at 10 hours a week, and at 20 hours a week the monthly cost is $1,040-3,030 depending on tier. In practice, across June to September 2026 our clients paid an average of $17.47 per hour worked. See the full breakdown on the pricing page.
Are there any hidden fees?
No. You pay an hourly rate for the hours your VA works. We don't bill for our team's management overhead, we don't charge a recruiting fee on top of the deposit, and we don't mark up software or tools. What you see on the pricing page is what you pay.
Is there a lock-in contract or minimum term?
There's no minimum term and no lock-in contract. In the first 14 days after your VA starts, you can end it for any reason, straight away, and pay only for the hours worked; after that, it's 30 days' notice to pause or stop. The one floor is hours: placements start at 10 hours a week.
Is the $500 deposit refundable?
Yes, in the situations that matter. It’s a prepayment: once your VA starts, it’s credited to your first invoice, and any part not yet used is yours. If we can’t find a candidate you choose to go ahead with, you get every cent back, and if you withdraw before your VA starts, it’s refunded less third-party recruitment costs such as job ads. If you end it in the first 14 days, or within 30 days because the VA isn’t the right fit, we refund any unused deposit less those same third-party recruitment costs such as job ads. After that, any unused deposit is refunded less anything you owe. The one exception: it’s forfeited if you approach a candidate we’ve presented outside DotVA. Full terms.
What if I only need someone for a few hours a week?
We place VAs from a minimum of 10 hours per week. Below that, a VA can’t hold enough context or availability to do the job well, and the management overhead outweighs the gain. Most owners get to 10 by bundling two or three tasks into one role. Try the VA cost calculator to model the scenarios.
Hiring + placement
How do you find your VAs?
We recruit out of Manila and the broader Philippines, where we have an established sourcing pipeline. We screen for English fluency, role-specific skills, and cultural fit with AU small business. Every VA passes a written + verbal assessment before they reach your shortlist.
How long does the placement take?
7-10 business days from discovery call to your VA’s first hour worked: we present a shortlist of 3-5 vetted candidates inside 5-7 days, you interview and pick, then kickoff and onboarding. Most clients have a VA working inside two weeks of the first call.
Can I interview the VA before I commit?
Yes. You meet 3-5 pre-vetted candidates on a 30-minute video call each. You pick. We don’t place anyone you haven’t signed off on.
Does the VA work for me directly or via DotVA?
Via DotVA. The VA is contracted to DotVA and you contract with us, but they work on your business: you direct their day-to-day work and give the feedback. We handle recruitment, pay, time tracking and billing, performance and replacement.
Working with your VA
How do I communicate with my VA?
However you already work. Most clients use Slack, WhatsApp, Loom and email. Your VA adapts to your tools, not the other way round.
What hours does the VA work?
We can match AEST/AEDT business hours, hybrid, or async-overnight (you wake up to a done list). Discuss on the discovery call.
What if I don’t know how to manage a remote person?
We help. Onboarding includes a written SOP for your business that you and the VA both follow. We also have a free async management playbook that walks through the first 30 days.
What if the VA isn’t working out?
Tell us as soon as you sense it. Within 30 days of your VA starting, we replace them at no cost, or you can stop straight away, pay only for the hours worked, and get any unused deposit back less third-party recruitment costs such as job ads. Beyond 30 days we still help, and a replacement still carries no recruitment fee.
Security + privacy
Is DotVA legit? How can I check?
Yes. DotVA is the trading name of Boring Ventures Pty Ltd (ABN 67 671 943 758), an Australian company based in Melbourne. You can verify the ABN on the government's ABN Lookup, call us on (03) 9961 6076, find us on Google Maps, and check our director Jenn Yang on LinkedIn. We are a young agency (founded 2024), so you will not find hundreds of third-party reviews yet. What we offer instead is a deliberately low-risk way to test us: a free 30-minute discovery call with a written recap, a refundable $500 deposit, a 30-day replacement guarantee in writing, and no lock-in. Our case studies are composites of real placements with identifying details removed, and each one says so.
Are my customer data and passwords safe?
Yes. We provision every VA with a password manager (1Password Teams seat included), and every shared system uses role-based access. We sign a confidentiality agreement on day one, and your VA does too. The full access-control setup, including offboarding and how the Privacy Act applies, is documented on our data-security page.
Where is the VA located?
Manila or the broader Philippines. They work from a home office with stable internet (we verify) and access systems via your tools (not via shared computers).
What about the Privacy Act?
We handle your customer data under your direction and in line with the Australian Privacy Principles, and we sign a data handling addendum for any client that asks. Your VA works from the Philippines, so the data-security page explains exactly how access is controlled. Talk to us on the discovery call.
Tools + software
What software do your VAs already know?
Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero, MYOB, Shopify, HubSpot, Pipedrive, GoHighLevel, Notion, Airtable, Slack, Loom, Canva, ClickUp, Asana, Trello, Calendly, Squarespace, WordPress, Mailchimp, Klaviyo. If you use something different, we train them in onboarding.
Can my VA use AI tools?
Absolutely. Most of our VAs use Claude or ChatGPT daily. We train every VA in safe AI use during onboarding. See AI with VAs for the full set of playbooks.
Do I need to provide a computer?
No. Your VA has their own workstation. You provide accounts + access for the systems you want them to use.
AI + virtual assistants
How do you use AI with VAs?
AI doesn't replace a VA, it multiplies one. Our VAs use Claude or ChatGPT for first-draft writing, SOP generation, email triage, data extraction, research summaries, meeting notes, and 40+ other workflows. See AI with VAs for the working playbooks.
Will AI replace virtual assistants?
No, and that's a deliberate position. AI is great at outputs but not judgement, escalation, or ownership. The right pattern is a VA who's fluent in AI, not an AI that thinks it's a VA. See our full take on why we don't replace VAs with AI.
Does using AI mean lower-quality work?
Often the opposite. AI catches mistakes, drafts faster, and lets the VA focus on the parts that need human judgement. Every AI draft is checked by your VA before it goes anywhere, against the standard you set in your SOP.