Virtual Assistant Proposal Template (With a Full Example)

Virtual assistant work has a scope problem that most other freelance categories don't: the job title itself is a grab-bag. "VA support" can mean inbox management, scheduling, data entry, customer service replies, light bookkeeping, travel booking, or some shifting combination of all of them depending on what the client needs that particular week. Without a written list of exactly which tasks are included, a VA retainer tends to quietly expand until the hours no longer match the fee. This template is built around closing that gap with a real worked example for an ongoing monthly retainer.

When to use this template

This fits an ongoing monthly virtual assistant retainer: a defined number of hours per month covering a named list of task categories, billed as a flat monthly fee rather than invoiced hour-by-hour after the fact. It's not built for a single one-off task (a single data-entry project or a one-time research request is simpler handled as a flat-fee mini-project), and it's not built for an open-ended "whatever you need" arrangement, which is exactly the setup that leads to scope creep in this line of work.

If the client wants help across several very different skill areas, say, both inbox management and bookkeeping, decide up front whether that's one retainer covering both, or two separate scopes with separate hour allocations, so an unusually bookkeeping-heavy month doesn't quietly eat the hours meant for everything else.

Who it's for

Freelance virtual assistants and small VA agencies supporting a solo founder, small business owner, or busy professional with recurring administrative work: the kind of engagement that renews monthly rather than wrapping up at a fixed delivery date.

The template

Everything below is one complete, realistic example. Replace the client name, scope, and numbers with your own: the structure is what to keep.

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[Your Name/Studio] hello@yourva.example · yourva.example

Proposal for: Harlow & Co. Consulting Prepared by: [Your Name] Date: [Issue date] · Valid until: [30 days from issue]

Project understanding

Harlow & Co. Consulting is a two-person consulting practice where both principals are spending several hours a week on inbox triage, calendar scheduling, and basic client-facing admin instead of billable client work. This proposal covers ongoing monthly virtual assistant support across inbox management, scheduling, and travel booking, with a defined monthly hour allocation and a clear list of what is and isn't included.

Scope of work

20 hours per month of virtual assistant support, covering:

• Inbox management: triaging and responding to routine emails using approved templates, flagging anything requiring the client's personal reply, unsubscribing from and filtering recurring low-value senders
• Calendar scheduling: booking, confirming, and rescheduling meetings; sending calendar invites and reminders; resolving simple scheduling conflicts
• Travel booking: researching and booking flights and hotels within a stated budget, building a simple itinerary document per trip
• Light data entry: updating the client's CRM contact records and basic spreadsheet trackers as new information comes in

Not included: bookkeeping or invoicing, social media management, customer support for the client's own customers, any task requiring access to financial accounts or passwords beyond what's explicitly granted in writing, graphic design or content writing.

Deliverables

• Inbox kept at zero unread for flagged/routine categories by end of each business day
• A shared calendar with all confirmed meetings and no double-bookings
• A trip itinerary document for each booked trip, delivered at least 48 hours before departure
• A short monthly summary: hours used by task category, and anything that came up outside the defined scope

Pricing

Additional hours: Any month's work beyond the 20-hour allocation is billed at $50/hour, approved by the client before the extra hours are worked.

Payment: Monthly fee invoiced on the 1st of each month, due within 7 days. The engagement renews automatically each month until either party gives notice (see Terms).

Timeline

Terms

• Access and security: The client grants access only to the specific accounts and tools named in scope (shared inbox, calendar, booking platform), using delegated or app-specific access where the platform supports it rather than a shared master password. Access to financial accounts, banking, or anything outside this proposal's named scope is never requested and never granted under this agreement.
• Hour tracking: Hours are logged by task category and shared with each month's summary. Hours don't carry over month to month: unused hours expire at month's end rather than banking forward.
• Confidentiality: All client information accessed in the course of this work, correspondence, scheduling details, travel plans, is kept confidential and is not shared or used outside this engagement.
• Cancellation: Either party may end the engagement with 14 days' written notice. The client is billed for hours actually used in the final period; no partial-month refund on the flat fee if cancellation falls mid-month.
• Platform access: The client provides and maintains access to each tool/account listed in scope. Work pauses on any task that requires access that hasn't been granted or has lapsed.

Acceptance

By signing below, Harlow & Co. Consulting approves this proposal and authorizes work to begin upon receipt of the first month's fee.

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Common mistakes in virtual assistant proposals

No defined task list. "General admin support" or "whatever you need" sounds flexible, but it's the single biggest source of disputes in VA work: the client's idea of "admin support" and yours are rarely the same list. Name the actual task categories included, as above, and name what's explicitly excluded.

No hour cap, or an hour cap with no process for going over it. Without a stated monthly allocation and an approval step for extra hours, either you're absorbing unpaid overflow work or the client is surprised by an invoice that's bigger than they expected. State the allocation and the overage rate, and require approval before extra hours are worked, not after.

Vague or missing access boundaries. VA work often involves account access, which makes scope and security the same conversation. Spell out exactly which accounts are in scope and explicitly state that financial accounts, passwords, or anything outside the named scope are never requested: this protects both sides and heads off an uncomfortable conversation later about what you were and weren't supposed to touch.

Treating every task as equally billable. Not all VA tasks take the same time or skill: light data entry and complex travel logistics shouldn't be priced identically if the actual time involved is wildly different. If a client's real need leans heavily toward one high-effort category, reflect that in the hour allocation or pricing rather than quoting a flat number that assumes an even mix.

No monthly reporting. Without a short recap of what got done, a retainer can start to feel like a black box to the client: they're paying a flat fee and have no visibility into what happened to the hours. A brief monthly summary, as above, keeps the value of the work visible and gives both sides a natural moment to adjust scope if the mix of tasks has shifted.

When you're ready to send something like this for real, start from a proposal with actual client details and line items rather than rebuilding this table from scratch each time, that's the gap VEYQO's templates are built to close.