In Base’s 2026 scoping guide, 40 executive assistant hours a month is the starting block for consistent administrative support, and it is where most executives with no current support begin. The number moves with 6 factors: how much the EA owns, how much volume runs through it, how complex the environment is, how fast you expect a response, whether you want execution or partnership, and how much structure the EA has to build. This page turns those factors into a 10-minute scoping exercise you can run on yourself, with the 2026 cost at each level.
Full disclosure: Base sells executive assistant hours in 20-hour monthly blocks, and this page is built from the guide our team uses on scoping calls. If you want the block-by-block descriptions first, read what a fractional executive assistant does at each monthly block.
The quick answer: how many executive assistant hours by situation
| Your situation | Start here |
|---|---|
| Light calendar, inbox, tasks, basic travel | 20 to 40 hours a month |
| Consistent admin with moderate complexity | 40 hours |
| Admin plus project ownership or team collaboration | 60 hours |
| Strategic or thought partner, systems building, independent ownership | 80 hours |
| Supporting 2 or more executives | At least 80 hours total |
| Significant project or event ownership plus ongoing support | 100 or more hours |
| Replacing a full-time EA | 120 or more hours |
| Consistent daytime presence, high-touch support | 80 to 160 hours, by scope |
Starting blocks from Base’s 2026 scoping guide.
Two more shortcuts come from your schedule. In Base’s 2026 scoping guide, 1 to 4 required live calls a week points to at least 40 hours a month, 5 to 7 points to at least 80, and 8 to 10 or more points to 120 or more. Consistent hybrid, travel, or in-person support points to at least 80 hours a month.
The 6 questions that set your executive assistant hours
Each question maps to one factor that moves the number. Answer all 6 and the table above gets more precise.
1. If this partnership is working well six months from now, what is your EA taking off your plate? This is the scope question. In Base’s guide, a few defined recurring responsibilities point to 20 to 40 hours, and multiple functions, projects, events, or team coordination point to 60 or more.
2. Can most of the work happen asynchronously, or do you need someone available during your workday? This is the responsiveness question. Async work fits a smaller block. Same-day responses, last-minute requests, real-time coordination, and “be available from 9 to noon” mean the EA reserves time for you, and reserved time is capacity you pay for. Base’s guide puts it this way: the more on-call you expect the EA to be, the more hours you need so that partnership has room. If you are weighing offshore support for overnight coverage, see offshore vs onshore executive assistants.
3. Are you looking for someone to execute tasks, or someone who owns areas of your work and operates as a thought partner? This is the ownership question. “I’ll tell them what I need” fits 20 to 40 hours in Base’s guide. “I want them to anticipate what I need” means managing up, independent decisions, improving processes, and owning outcomes, and Base’s 2026 guide puts that at 60 or more hours a month, with 80 the level where deeper partnership has room to work.
4. How involved will your EA be with your team? This is the complexity question. Attending meetings, communicating with stakeholders, coordinating across the organization, and working across time zones each add hours. Multiple companies, executives, calendars, or external stakeholders add more.
5. Do you already have systems that work and need someone to run them, or do you need your EA to build the structure? This is the structure question. In Base’s guide, an executive whose priorities change daily and who needs help tracking commitments and follow-through needs substantially more EA capacity than one with the same task list and established systems.
6. Will you delegate individual requests, or are there areas you want your EA to completely own? This is the second half of the ownership question. Areas of full ownership point to 60 or more hours in Base’s guide.
Calendar and inbox: measure the volume before you guess
“Calendar and inbox management” covers very different workloads. If either is a significant part of the role, count before you scope.
Calendar. How many meetings in a typical week? How often does the calendar change? Is scheduling mostly internal, or external with other people’s assistants involved? Are multiple calendars, executives, companies, or time zones in play? How much last-minute rescheduling happens? Do you want your EA to schedule meetings, or to prioritize and protect your time?
Inbox. How many emails arrive each day? Do you want flagging and organization, or active management? Should your EA draft or respond on your behalf? How many messages are time-sensitive? Will your EA need context on your relationships and business to triage well?
One practical step from Base’s scoping guide: open your inbox and calendar while you answer. Actual volume gives better context than an estimate.
Signals that push the number up
In Base’s 2026 scoping guide, each of these moves the recommendation toward a higher block. Count how many apply to you.
- Multiple executives
- Required live meetings
- Same-day or immediate responsiveness
- Significant project or event management
- High-volume inbox or calendar
- Frequent travel
- Consistent hybrid or in-person support
- Multiple time zones or external stakeholders
- Frequent team collaboration
- Significant systems or process creation
- Thought partnership
- High levels of independent ownership
- Constantly changing priorities
- Significant help needed with organization and follow-through
- Replacing support previously provided by a full-time employee
What each block costs in 2026
Key numbers
- As of September 2026, Base’s standard executive assistant subscription is $2,800 a month for 40 hours, or $70 an hour, with blocks available in 20-hour steps from 20 to 160 hours.
- As of September 2026, Base’s Built by Base program prices a newer-career executive assistant at $1,800 a month for 40 hours, or $45 an hour.
- As of July 2026, the lowest published rates for 10-hour and 20-hour dedicated US-based assistant plans are $390 and $760 a month at Time etc, and $549 and $999 a month at Double.
- Using BLS May 2025 wage data and BLS March 2026 employer cost data, a full-time executive assistant at the US median salary of about $75,500 costs about $9,000 a month to employ, which is the level at which fractional support above 125 to 150 hours a month stops being cheaper.
For the full comparison against a salaried hire, see fractional executive assistant vs full-time hire.
Run the scoping in 10 minutes
Four steps. The scoring in steps 2 and 3 is this page’s rule for turning the guide into one answer.
Step 1. Find your row. Pick the situation in the quick-answer table that matches you today. That is your starting block.
Step 2. Answer the 6 questions. Each answer that points to ownership, responsiveness, complexity, or structure moves you up one block.
Step 3. Count your signals. Zero or 1 signal, stay where you are. Two or 3, move up one block. Four or more, move up 2.
Step 4. Check the live-call count. If your required live calls a week point to a higher block than the one you landed on, use the higher block.
The result is a starting block. Base recommends reviewing it after the first 60 days, once a full month of actual volume is visible.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours a week do you need an executive assistant?
In Base’s 2026 scoping guide, executives with no current support usually start at 40 hours a month, about 10 hours a week or 2 hours a day. Executives who want a strategic partner usually need 60 to 80 hours a month, or 15 to 20 hours a week.
Is 10 hours a month enough for an executive assistant?
For a short list of defined, repeatable tasks, yes. As of July 2026, 10-hour plans are published at $390 a month (Time etc) and $549 a month (Double). Base’s smallest block is 20 hours, because below that the executive keeps doing the delegation work.
How many hours does a full-time executive assistant work?
About 160 hours a month, or 40 a week, before paid time off. Base’s 160-hour block matches that capacity on a subscription, and in Base’s 2026 guide executives replacing a full-time EA scope at 120 hours or more.
How many executive assistant hours do I need for two executives?
At least 80 hours a month total, per Base’s 2026 scoping guide, and more if either executive has required live calls or heavy travel.
Can I change my executive assistant hours later?
Yes. Base’s blocks move up or down in 20-hour steps, and Base recommends a review after the first 60 days.
What if I am not sure what I need?
Start at 20 or 40 hours. Base’s 2026 scoping guide lists executives who are not sure what they need yet and want to start small as a 20-hour fit, and the block can grow once the pattern is visible.
Where Base fits
Run the 4 steps and you have a starting block. Base places an executive assistant at that block in 2026 from $1,800 a month for 40 hours through Built by Base or $2,800 a month for an experienced EA, scaling to 160 hours. See the ranked comparison, or talk to us about your first 40 hours.
