Hiring a virtual assistant often begins with a straightforward conversation: here is the work, here is the rate, and here is when we would like to start.

That may be enough to discuss the role. It is not enough to settle what happens when the scope changes, an invoice is disputed, the VA receives access to sensitive accounts, new work is created, or either side wants to end the arrangement.

A written agreement gives both sides a reference point.

The virtual assistant contract template below is designed as a practical starting point for a client working with an independent VA. It covers the business terms that commonly need to be made explicit, then gives you fill-in-the-blank wording you can adapt.

It is not legal advice or a universal contract. Employment status, intellectual property, privacy, restrictive covenants, tax, dispute resolution and other legal requirements vary by jurisdiction and by the reality of the working relationship. Use the template to organize what you need to agree, then get appropriate legal advice where the consequences justify it.

Before You Copy a Virtual Assistant Contract Template

A contract should document the relationship you actually intend to have. It should not be used to disguise a different one.

This matters particularly when the agreement calls the VA an independent contractor.

For U.S. federal tax purposes, the IRS looks at the overall relationship, including evidence of behavioral control, financial control and the type of relationship between the parties.

The U.S. Department of Labor similarly warns that signing an independent-contractor agreement does not, by itself, make a worker an independent contractor. Different laws can also use different classification standards.

That means the sentence “The VA is an independent contractor” is not a shortcut around the legal test that actually applies.

If you have not decided whether the work really suits a VA, freelancer or employee relationship, start with the VA, freelancer and employee comparison before drafting the agreement.

For a cross-border engagement, or one involving substantial control, sensitive data, regulated work, significant intellectual property or unusual liability, local professional advice becomes even more important.

What Should a Virtual Assistant Contract Include?

A useful agreement does more than record an hourly rate.

It should answer the questions that could otherwise turn into assumptions after work begins.

The detail required in each section depends on the work.

A VA updating a public research spreadsheet creates a different risk profile from someone with access to customer records, WordPress administration, an executive inbox and internal financial documents.

The contract should reflect that difference.

Virtual Assistant Contract Template: Copy and Customize

Use the following as a drafting framework. Replace every bracketed field, remove clauses that do not fit, and add any terms required for your actual business or jurisdiction.

Virtual Assistant Services Agreement

Effective date: [DATE]

This Virtual Assistant Services Agreement is between:

Client: [CLIENT LEGAL NAME / BUSINESS NAME]
Address: [ADDRESS]
Email: [EMAIL]

and

Virtual Assistant: [VA LEGAL NAME / BUSINESS NAME]
Address: [ADDRESS]
Email: [EMAIL]

Together referred to in this agreement as the “Parties.”

1. Services

The Virtual Assistant will provide the following services:

[DESCRIBE THE AGREED SERVICES OR REFER TO AN ATTACHED SCOPE OF WORK.]

Examples may include administrative support, research, data management, content operations, WordPress support, outreach preparation, scheduling, reporting preparation or other specifically agreed work.

The following work is outside the current scope unless the Parties agree to add it in writing:

[LIST IMPORTANT EXCLUSIONS.]

For recurring arrangements, the Parties may use individual task briefs, statements of work or written project instructions beneath this agreement. Those documents should define the specific deliverable, deadline, source material, approval requirements and any special constraints that apply to that assignment.

2. Deliverables, Deadlines and Approval

The Virtual Assistant will complete the agreed work according to:

• the current scope or task brief;

• agreed deadlines or recurring schedules;

• supplied source material and instructions;

• agreed approval boundaries; and

• any written definition of done that applies to the task.

The Client will identify which actions the Virtual Assistant may complete independently and which require approval before they are published, sent, purchased, changed or otherwise put into effect.

When an instruction is materially incomplete, contradictory or outside the agreed authority, the Virtual Assistant will raise the issue rather than knowingly make a high-impact decision on the Client’s behalf.

3. Working Arrangements and Communication

Primary communication channel: [CHANNEL]

Project or task-management system: [SYSTEM, IF APPLICABLE]

Normal response expectation: [RESPONSE WINDOW]

Required overlap or availability, if any: [HOURS AND TIME ZONE / NONE]

Recurring update schedule: [DAILY / WEEKLY / MILESTONE-BASED / OTHER]

The Parties will use these arrangements to coordinate the work without creating expectations that have not otherwise been agreed.

Any requirement for fixed hours, exclusivity, close day-to-day control or substantial ongoing availability should be reviewed against the legal classification rules that apply to the relationship.

4. Fees, Invoicing and Payment

The Client will pay the Virtual Assistant using the following pricing model:

[HOURLY RATE / MONTHLY RETAINER / FIXED PROJECT FEE / OTHER]

Rate or fee: [AMOUNT AND CURRENCY]

Included hours or deliverables, if applicable: [DETAILS]

Invoice schedule: [WEEKLY / MONTHLY / MILESTONE / OTHER]

Payment due: [NUMBER] days after invoice date.

Payment method: [METHOD]

Transaction or currency-conversion fees: [WHO PAYS / HOW HANDLED]

Additional work outside the agreed scope requires [WRITTEN APPROVAL / NEW QUOTE / UPDATED SCOPE] before it is billed.

Expenses will be reimbursed only when [PRE-APPROVED IN WRITING / WITHIN AN AGREED LIMIT / OTHER RULE].

Any deposit, minimum commitment, late-payment term, cancellation charge or refund condition should be written here and checked for compliance with the law that applies.

5. Client Responsibilities

The Client will provide the information, decisions, files, approvals and access reasonably required for the agreed work.

The Client remains responsible for business decisions and specialist decisions that have not expressly been delegated to the Virtual Assistant.

When a deadline depends on information or approval from the Client, the Parties will agree how a delay affects the delivery date rather than assuming the original deadline still applies.

6. Confidentiality

“Confidential Information” means non-public information received through the engagement that is identified as confidential or that a reasonable person would understand to be confidential given its nature and context.

This may include customer or prospect information, business records, internal documents, account information, pricing, financial information, unpublished content, research, processes, credentials and other non-public operational information.

The Virtual Assistant will:

• use Confidential Information only for the agreed services;

• take reasonable steps to protect it;

• not disclose it to another person except as authorized or legally required;

• promptly report suspected unauthorized access or disclosure; and

• return or delete Confidential Information when reasonably requested at the end of the engagement, subject to any lawful retention requirement.

The confidentiality obligations do not apply to information that is already lawfully public, was lawfully known without a confidentiality obligation, is received lawfully from another source without restriction, or must be disclosed by law.

If the work involves particularly sensitive or regulated information, have the confidentiality and data-processing requirements reviewed for that specific situation.

7. Accounts, Credentials and Data Handling

The Virtual Assistant may access only the systems and information reasonably required for the agreed work.

Where possible, the Client will provide named accounts, collaborator access or appropriately limited permissions instead of sharing unrestricted owner credentials.

The Parties agree that:

• credentials will be handled through an approved secure method;

• multi-factor authentication will be used where required or agreed;

• account access will not be shared with another person without authorization;

• Client information will not be uploaded to unapproved third-party or AI tools;

• downloads or local storage will follow any written Client data-handling rules;

• suspected account or data incidents will be reported promptly; and

• access will be reviewed and removed when it is no longer required.

The guide to sharing passwords safely with a virtual assistant provides a practical access-register and permissions process that can sit alongside this clause.

8. Intellectual Property

The Parties should identify three different types of material:

Client Materials: Information, content, designs, data, trademarks, documents and other materials supplied by or on behalf of the Client.

VA Background Materials: Templates, methods, tools, know-how, systems or other material the Virtual Assistant owned or developed independently of the Client’s specific deliverables.

Project Deliverables: New material created specifically for the Client under the agreed scope.

Subject to applicable law and the wording approved for this engagement, the intended ownership arrangement is:

[INSERT AGREED OWNERSHIP OR LICENSING TERMS.]

If the intention is for the Client to own specified Project Deliverables after payment, the agreement should say that clearly and address any assignment or licence needed to make that result effective.

Do not assume that paying for creative work automatically settles every copyright question.

For example, U.S. “work made for hire” rules have specific requirements, particularly for commissioned work by independent contractors. The U.S. Copyright Office’s Works Made for Hire guidance explains those limitations.

If the VA uses permitted pre-existing material or third-party assets in a deliverable, the agreement should also clarify any continuing licence or third-party restrictions.

Intellectual-property language is one of the sections worth having professionally reviewed when the VA will create valuable original content, designs, code, systems or other copyrightable work.

9. Independent Contractor Relationship

The Parties intend the Virtual Assistant to provide the agreed services as an independent business or contractor rather than as an employee of the Client, subject to the laws that actually apply to the relationship.

The Virtual Assistant is responsible for their own business expenses, taxes, insurance and similar obligations except where this agreement or applicable law provides otherwise.

Nothing in this clause is intended to override a legal worker-classification test or statutory right.

If the actual working arrangement does not match an independent-contractor relationship, change the arrangement or obtain appropriate advice rather than relying on the heading of the contract.

10. Subcontracting

Choose the version that reflects the engagement.

Option A: No subcontracting without approval

The Virtual Assistant may not delegate or subcontract Client work to another person without the Client’s prior written approval.

Option B: Approved subcontracting

The Virtual Assistant may use approved subcontractors for [SPECIFIED WORK], provided the Virtual Assistant remains responsible for the agreed deliverable and ensures that applicable confidentiality, data-handling and intellectual-property obligations also apply to the approved subcontractor.

If another person could receive Client credentials or confidential information, address that explicitly rather than treating subcontracting as a purely administrative detail.

11. Term and Termination

This agreement begins on [START DATE].

It will:

[CONTINUE UNTIL TERMINATED / END ON DATE / END WHEN THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED].

Either Party may end the agreement by giving [NUMBER] days’ written notice.

The agreement may also specify circumstances allowing earlier termination, such as:

[MATERIAL BREACH / NON-PAYMENT / SERIOUS CONFIDENTIALITY OR SECURITY BREACH / OTHER AGREED EVENT].

On termination, the Client will pay undisputed fees properly due for work completed according to the agreement, subject to any valid deposit, refund or cancellation terms stated elsewhere.

Any immediate-termination provision should be appropriate to the governing law and the risks of the engagement.

12. Offboarding

When the engagement ends, the Parties will complete the agreed offboarding steps.

These may include:

• returning final completed work;

• identifying unfinished work and its status;

• issuing or paying the final invoice;

• transferring Client-owned files;

• returning or deleting Confidential Information as required;

• removing the Virtual Assistant from shared folders, systems and communication channels;

• revoking accounts, password-vault access, sessions or other permissions; and

• confirming any continuing confidentiality or intellectual-property obligations.

If the VA has access to several business systems, use an access register rather than trying to reconstruct the permissions from memory.

The broader virtual assistant onboarding process can also be used in reverse to identify the accounts, tools, responsibilities and information that need to be closed or transferred.

13. Changes to the Agreement or Scope

Changes to the core agreement must be recorded in writing and accepted by both Parties.

Day-to-day task instructions do not automatically change the pricing model, legal terms or overall scope unless the Parties clearly agree that they do.

For additional projects, the Parties may use a separate statement of work or written scope that refers back to this agreement.

This keeps the main working terms stable while allowing individual assignments to change.

14. Governing Law, Disputes and General Legal Terms

Governing law: [JURISDICTION]

Agreed dispute process, if any: [NEGOTIATION / MEDIATION / COURT / ARBITRATION / OTHER]

Notice method: [EMAIL / POSTAL ADDRESS / OTHER]

Any provisions concerning limitation of liability, indemnification, non-solicitation, non-compete restrictions, privacy or data-processing obligations, insurance, warranties, dispute resolution, attorneys’ fees, severability and other legal boilerplate should be added or revised for the actual jurisdiction and risk involved.

Do not add a clause merely because another contract contains it. Understand what the term changes for both sides before accepting it.

15. Signatures

By signing below, the Parties confirm that they have reviewed and accepted the final agreement and any attachments incorporated into it.

Client

Name: [NAME]

Title: [TITLE]

Signature: __________________________

Date: ______________________________

Virtual Assistant

Name: [NAME]

Business name, if applicable: [BUSINESS NAME]

Signature: __________________________

Date: ______________________________

Add a Scope of Work Instead of Rewriting the Whole Contract

If the relationship includes changing projects, keep the master agreement relatively stable and attach a short scope of work for each significant responsibility.

A simple scope can contain:

This keeps “can you also do this?” from quietly becoming a permanent change to the engagement.

It also connects the contract with the practical preparation that should happen before hiring. The pre-hire VA brief is useful for defining the responsibility, inputs, access and decision boundaries before those details are transferred into a contract or scope of work.

Clauses That Deserve Extra Legal Attention

Some contract terms are relatively straightforward business decisions. You can usually decide whether invoices are sent weekly or monthly without turning it into a major legal exercise.

Other clauses can materially change rights, liability or worker status.

Get appropriate professional advice when the agreement needs to deal with issues such as worker classification, cross-border tax or employment questions, significant intellectual-property transfers, regulated or personal data, indemnification, limitations of liability, restrictive covenants, non-compete terms, unusual termination rights, arbitration or unfamiliar governing-law provisions.

The same applies when the contract you receive from the VA, agency or client contains language you do not understand.

A template can help you identify the question. It cannot decide what the legally correct answer is for your situation.

Check the Contract Against the Real Working Relationship

Before signing, read the agreement once without focusing on the legal wording.

Ask what it would mean on an ordinary Tuesday.

Does the VA know what work is included?

Can both sides tell when additional work becomes billable?

Is the invoice schedule clear?

Does the VA know which decisions require approval?

Are working hours or response expectations explicit where they matter?

Does the access clause match the accounts the person will actually use?

Can you tell who owns a deliverable after it has been paid for?

What happens to unfinished work if either side gives notice?

Who removes account access when the engagement ends?

If those answers are still unclear, improve the agreement before relying on it.

The best contract is not necessarily the one with the most clauses. It is the one that accurately documents the arrangement, makes important expectations visible and receives proper legal review where the stakes require it.

At Boost VA, clear requirements and an agreement are part of the setup before work moves into onboarding and execution. If you already have recurring work or a defined project that is ready to hand off, you can explore my virtual assistant support and tell me what you need help keeping moving.

Use this template as a starting point, not as a substitute for legal advice. Adapt it to the work, the actual relationship and the jurisdictions involved before signing.