Getting the paperwork wrong can destroy a great working relationship before it starts.

If you are a business leader looking to hire an executive assistant, you need more than just the right person. You need a solid agreement that protects everyone involved.

A service-level agreement sets clear rules from day one. It stops confusion before problems happen. It tells your assistant exactly what you expect. And it protects both of you if things go wrong.

So what should your EA agreement actually include? We’ll show you every part you need to get it right.

TL;DR – What Should a Service-Level Agreement for an Executive Assistant Include? 

An EA service-level agreement should define:

  • Services provided
  • Payment terms
  • Scope of work
  • Communication standards
  • Termination policies
  • Confidentiality requirements

It clarifies what’s in scope and out of scope, sets expectations for response times, defines how much support you get, and explains how to end the partnership. A good agreement stops problems before they start.

Looking for an EA partnership backed by a bulletproof agreement? 

ProAssisting’s fractional executive assistant model limits each ProAssistant to just three clients maximum, ensuring you receive dedicated attention rather than being one of dozens. 

Our rigorous vetting process accepts less than five percent of applicants, and as a 2025 Inc. 5000 company (ranked No. 2,466), we’ve proven our model works. 

Schedule your consultation to experience the difference clear agreements and exceptional talent make.

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What is an EA Service Level Agreement?

An EA service-level agreement is a formal contract between you and your executive assistant (or the company providing the assistant). It spells out the relationship in clear terms.

Think of it as a roadmap. It defines the service, sets boundaries, and gives both parties a reference point if questions arise. While companies typically provide the agreement template, you should understand every section before signing.

The agreement isn’t there for when things go well. It’s there for when they don’t. If your EA relationship runs smoothly, you’ll probably never look at this document again. And that’s exactly the point.

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Why EA Service Level Agreements Matter for Businesses

Without a clear agreement, you’re operating on assumptions. And assumptions create problems.

Here’s what happens without an SLA in place: 

You expect your EA to be available after hours for urgent matters. They think work ends at five. You’re frustrated when they don’t respond to your weekend email. They’re confused about why you’re upset. Nobody’s wrong, but nobody’s happy either.

An SLA prevents this scenario entirely.

Why remote EA relationships need even stronger agreements:

  • You’re not sitting across from each other in an office
  • You can’t have quick hallway conversations to clarify expectations
  • Everything needs to be spelled out upfront
  • Time zone differences can create additional confusion

What a well-crafted SLA protects:

  • Sets clear responsibility if something goes wrong
  • Determines who owns what information
  • Explains how to end the partnership cleanly
  • Ensures fair pay that keeps great assistants around

The agreement transforms a vague working relationship into a professional partnership with defined parameters.

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Key Components of an EA Service Level Agreement 

Let’s walk through the essential sections every EA agreement should include, whether you’re outsourcing an executive assistant or hiring in-house:

Services Provided

This section describes exactly what support you’re getting. 

For fractional EAs, this typically specifies the resource allocation (one-third, one-half, or full-time resources). 

The agreement should state whether services include both business and personal tasks.

At ProAssisting, for example, one-third of resources means the EA commits that portion of their bandwidth to your support, which includes multiple daily interactions during business hours and support outside normal hours for atypical situations like travel.

Payment Terms

Payment terms should specify:

  • Monthly retainer fee
  • Due date (typically the first of each month)
  • Accepted payment methods
  • Any additional fees

For instance, ACH transfers might be free while credit cards carry a three percent handling fee.

The agreement should clearly state that payments are non-refundable and earned upon receipt. This prevents disputes about unused time. 

If services start mid-month, you’ll pay for just those days and add them to next month’s bill.

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Scope of Work

This section defines boundaries:

  • What’s included in your retainer? 
  • What requires additional negotiation?

The scope should address resource limits. If you exceed your allocated resources by ten percent or more for two consecutive months, what happens?

You may also need to transition from a fractional to full-time or even scale back a full time to part time executive assistant.

The agreement should explain how to adjust your support level or increase your retainer when you need more help.

Communication Standards

Response time expectations matter tremendously. 

ProAssisting’s model guarantees a communication response within one hour during business hours. 

Office hours should be clearly defined (Monday through Friday, nine to five in the client’s time zone, for example).

The agreement should specify primary communication methods: email, phone, video conference, and text message.

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Expenses

Expenses incurred on your behalf aren’t included in the retainer. 

The agreement should list reimbursable expenses (office supplies, mileage, international phone charges, vendor payments, shipping) and establish an approval threshold. 

Many providers won’t incur expenses over fifty dollars without prior written consent.

Client Responsibilities

This often-overlooked section establishes mutual expectations. It should clarify that the EA isn’t an employee but a professional partner deserving mutual respect and courtesy.

Due to the remote nature of the relationship, the agreement should emphasize communication responsiveness. 

If your EA asks questions to complete a project properly, you’re responsible for timely replies. Poor planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency for your EA.

You’re also responsible for providing necessary access: email, calendar, and contacts with appropriate delegate permissions.

Office Hours and Availability

Standard office hours should be explicitly stated, along with observed holidays. 

The agreement should address after-hours support, clarifying that these instances are atypical (usually related to travel) rather than standard expectations.

Without this clarity, burnout becomes inevitable. 

As Beertreez shared in a discussion about EA experiences, “I cannot be on call 24/7 for a bully anymore. I hate managing calendars and events now, even though yes I “can do it.”“

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Confidentiality and NDAs

A mutual nondisclosure agreement protects both parties. Your EA will access sensitive business and personal information. 

The NDA ensures this information remains confidential and specifies what happens to materials after the relationship ends.

Termination and Buyout Clauses

Termination terms need crystal clarity. 

  • Many agreements require 20 days’ written notice before the next retainer payment. 
  • If notice comes within the 20-day window, the following month’s retainer is due as final payment while off-boarding occurs.

Some agreements include buyout clauses. 

If you want to hire your fractional EA full-time outside the service provider’s structure, a buyout fee (often $25,000 for ProAssisting) compensates the provider for lost revenue and the investment in matching and supporting that assistant.

Additional Work

Work beyond the scope requires separate negotiation and agreement. This prevents scope creep and protects both parties from uncompensated work or unexpected charges.

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How to Draft an Effective EA Service Level Agreement 

You probably won’t draft this agreement yourself.

The company providing your EA (or the EA themselves if working independently) typically supplies the agreement template. They’ve refined it through experience, legal review, and countless client relationships.

Your job isn’t to draft from scratch. Your job is to read carefully and ask questions.

Review each section with these questions in mind:

  • Do I understand what I’m agreeing to?
  • Are my expectations reflected in this document?
  • What happens in edge cases?
  • How do we resolve disagreements?

If something’s unclear, ask before signing to work with an executive assistant. A good provider welcomes questions. They want you to understand the agreement completely because clarity prevents problems later.

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Best Practices for Managing EA Service Level Agreements 

The best way to manage an SLA? Don’t.

If you’re actively managing the agreement, something’s wrong. When the relationship works well, the SLA sits in a drawer (or digital folder) untouched.

That said, here are practices that keep things running smoothly:

  • Open Communication: Talk to your EA regularly about workload, priorities, and any friction points. Address small issues immediately before they become big problems. If mistakes occur, deal with them in the moment and watch for patterns. If the same issue recurs multiple times, then you look at the SLA to understand if expectations were misaligned from the start.
  • Rolling Reviews: While formal SLA reviews aren’t necessary unless problems arise, regular check-ins about the working relationship help. Ask: Is the current resource allocation working? Are there executive assistant tasks that should be added or removed? How can we work together more effectively?
  • Both Parties Are Responsible: Enforcing the agreement isn’t just the provider’s job or just the client’s job. Both parties hold up their end. If you’re not providing the timely information your EA needs, you’re breaking the agreement just as much as they would be by missing response time commitments.
  • Document Changes: If you and your EA agree to adjust the arrangement, document it in writing as an amendment to the original agreement. Verbal agreements create confusion down the line.
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Ways to Evaluate the Success of an EA Service Level Agreement

As we just said, a successful SLA is one you never think about.

If you don’t need to reference the agreement, that’s success. The work is flowing. Communication is clear. Expectations are being met.

The agreement did its job by establishing the foundation, and now the relationship has grown beyond it.

But if you want more concrete evaluation metrics, consider these:

  • The Smoothness Test: Can you delegate tasks without extensive explanation? Does your EA anticipate needs before you articulate them? Do projects get completed without constant follow-up?
  • The Time-Back Metric: Track how much time you’ve reclaimed since working with your EA. The whole point of EA support is to give you back hours to focus on high-value work. If you’re not gaining significant time, either the resource allocation is wrong or the partnership isn’t optimized yet.
  • The Communication Cadence: Are response times meeting expectations? Do you feel supported during urgent situations? Does communication flow naturally without friction?
  • The Stress Reduction Factor: This one’s subjective but important. Do you feel less overwhelmed? Are fewer things falling through the cracks? Can you take a vacation without anxiety about what’s happening at work? EA support should reduce stress, not create it.
  • The Longevity Indicator: As mentioned in our book, “The 29-Hour Work Day“, EAs become more valuable over time as they learn your preferences, business rhythms, and recurring needs. If you’re still working with the same EA after six months, a year, or longer, that’s strong evidence that the agreement and relationship are working.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below are a few frequently asked questions surrounding this topic.

How often Should an EA Service Level Agreement be Reviewed?

It doesn’t need to be reviewed unless there’s a problem. EA agreements are designed to handle problems when they arise, not when things are going well. If your work with your EA is running smoothly, leave the agreement alone.

Who is Responsible for Enforcing EA Service Level Agreements?

Both the client and the service provider share responsibility. When things aren’t going well, either party can reference the agreement to get back on track. But enforcement shouldn’t be adversarial.

If you find yourself frequently “enforcing” the agreement, that’s a red flag about the relationship itself.

How Can Businesses Ensure SLA Compliance Effectively?

Open communication and rolling reviews with your EA are key. If things aren’t going well or mistakes are being made, deal with them immediately. Address issues in the moment and watch to see if they keep recurring.

If the same problems happen repeatedly, then you need to look at the SLA and understand if expectations are aligned or if adjustments are needed.

Conclusion

A solid agreement creates the foundation, but the right partner makes all the difference. 

ProAssisting pairs you with US-based ProAssistants who have at least 5+ years of experience supporting C-suite executives, board members, and business owners at globally recognized brands. 

Our fractional model starts at $3,300 per month with no equipment costs, no long-term commitment, and no onboarding fees. Your ProAssistant responds within an hour during business hours and provides after-hours support when unexpected situations arise. 

And we also pass over 75% of your retainer directly to your ProAssistant, ensuring you work with retained top-tier talent. 

So, if you want to experience elite executive support, schedule your free consultation today.