Which Level of Executive Support Is Right for You?
Find the right executive support structure for your business in just two minutes.
Start the Free AssessmentPlenty of executives assume they need two hires, one for the office and one for home. But your work and personal lives share the same calendar. So with two assistants, you end up coordinating between them yourself.
An executive personal assistant covers both sides in one role. The same person runs your inbox and meetings and also handles your errands and family logistics. Because they see your whole week, they can catch conflicts before they reach you.
Our founders spent years as executive assistants to CEOs before building ProAssisting. That experience shapes the advice they give executives weighing this hire.
TL;DR: The Executive Personal Assistant Role at a Glance
An executive personal assistant gives you one partner for work and home:
- They manage your business calendar, inbox, and projects along with your personal errands and family schedule.
- The role covers all five performance multipliers, from business partner to personal assistant.
- The role only works when you give real access to your calendar, inbox, and payment details.
- A full-time hire costs a salary plus benefits, while fractional support at ProAssisting starts at $3,300 a month.
- A remote executive personal assistant can handle nearly everything except tasks that need someone on site.
What Is an Executive Personal Assistant?
An executive personal assistant is a senior assistant who supports both your business and your personal life.
One person manages your work calendar, your inbox, and your projects. The same person also handles your household, your family schedule, and your errands.
The executive they support is called the principal. You’ll also see the role listed as a personal executive assistant or a CEO personal assistant.
The title blends two jobs that companies often fill separately. An executive assistant (EA) supports your work. A personal assistant (PA) supports your life outside it.
Our breakdown of executive assistant vs. personal assistant roles compares the two side by side.
The blended role makes sense because your work and personal calendars overlap. A board dinner, a child’s school event, and a flight home can all compete for the same evening. One person who sees all of it can protect the time that matters most to you.
What an Executive Personal Assistant Handles Across Work and Home
Our founders group everything a top-level assistant does into five performance multipliers. An executive personal assistant covers all five across your work and home:
1. Business Partner
As your business partner, your assistant understands your concerns about the company and knows how you think. They can sit in for you at a board meeting, a fundraiser, or a team meeting when you can’t attend.
They’re also a sounding board for ideas before you share them with your team. On the personal side, they can represent you on a nonprofit board or a community project you care about.
2. Chief of Staff
In ProAssisting’s sense, a chief of staff is a single point of contact for everyone who wants your attention. Your assistant receives every request, filters it, and only pulls you in when it actually needs you.
That covers work contacts like direct reports, clients, and vendors. It also covers home contacts like the landscaper, the contractor, and the school office.
3. Project Manager
Your assistant can own a project from start to finish, so you only make the key decisions. At work, that might be a board retreat, an office move, or a client event.
At home, it might be a family vacation, a home renovation, or a milestone birthday party. They manage the vendors, the bookings, and the follow-ups.
They check with you before any deposit or deadline that can’t be undone.
4. Assistant/Scheduler
This is the part of the role people picture first. Your assistant manages your calendar and inbox, adds agendas and background notes to meeting invites, and books your travel.
They also put your personal commitments on the same calendar. Your kids’ games, your workouts, and your family dinners sit next to your meetings. That way, nothing gets double-booked.
5. Personal Assistant
Your assistant handles your life outside work. That includes errands, household staff, mail, appointments, gifts, and upkeep for your home and vehicles.
Some requests get pretty unusual. In their book excerpt on the five multipliers, our founders describe making eleven phone calls to get a principal an urgent Apple Genius Bar appointment.
How Much Access to Give Your Executive Personal Assistant
An executive personal assistant can only cover both sides of your life if they can see both sides. That means giving them more access than you’d give a typical hire.
Our founders list the access that real trust requires in The 29-Hour Work Day. Plan to share these with your assistant:
- Calendar and Contacts: Give delegated access so your assistant can schedule meetings and reach people without checking with you first.
- Your Inbox: Share it if you’re comfortable. Your inbox is where your assistant can save you the most time.
- A Payment Card: Hand over a card so they can book flights, make purchases, and pay bills.
- Personal Details for Forms: Share details like your Social Security number so they can complete paperwork for you.
- Family Logistics: Let them coordinate directly with your spouse or co-parent on schedules and plans.
Our founders’ book recommends trusting your assistant fully from the first day. Their actions then show you whether that trust needs adjusting.
Tell your assistant on day one how much your confidential information matters. If you can’t agree on that standard, the book says that person isn’t the right fit for you.
You’re a 30-minute meeting away from saving hours of your time every week. ProAssisting pairs you with a US-based ProAssistant who has at least five years of senior experience. They already handle business and personal work for leaders like you. Book a free consultation to find out what you could hand off first.
Who Benefits Most From an Executive Personal Assistant
The role fits leaders whose work and personal demands keep running into each other. These four groups get the most from one assistant across both areas:
- C-Suite Executives: Your company, your board, and your family all want the same hours. One assistant can weigh those demands and keep each one moving.
- Founders and Entrepreneurs: You often run the business and your household without a team behind you. An executive personal assistant gives you one person to hand both to.
- Business Owners: In a small business, admin work tends to land back on you. A senior assistant can cover those gaps at the office and at home.
- Non-Executive Board Directors: Several board seats bring meetings, travel, and expense reports. Personal support keeps that load from taking over your week.
These are the same four groups our FAQ page lists as typical ProAssisting clients.
What an Executive Personal Assistant Costs
There’s no separate government pay category for executive personal assistants. The closest match is executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants.
That group earned a median of $76,590 a year in 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The top 10% earned $109,850 or more.
And salary is only part of what a full-time hire actually costs. You also pay for benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, and any overtime.
Here’s how the main options compare by monthly cost:
| Option | Monthly Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time executive assistant | $8,500+ | One dedicated person, plus benefits and overhead |
| ProAssisting at one-third resources | $3,300 | A US-based ProAssistant with 5+ years of experience |
| ProAssisting at one-half or two-thirds | Higher, based on the share you need | More of your ProAssistant’s resources for heavier seasons |
These figures come from ProAssisting’s pricing page.
More than 75% of your retainer goes directly to your ProAssistant. That pay structure keeps experienced assistants in long partnerships.
In-House vs. Fractional Executive Personal Assistant
An in-house executive personal assistant works only for you. They’re usually on your payroll and often work from your office or home.
A fractional executive personal assistant works remotely. You pay a flat monthly retainer for a set share of their resources, such as one-third.
The two models differ in a few practical ways:
| Factor | In-House | Fractional |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Full salary plus benefits | Flat monthly retainer |
| Availability | Your office hours | Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, plus after-hours help when you travel |
| On-site tasks | Handled in person | Arranged through local providers |
| Commitment | Employment | No long-term commitment |
Our FAQs note that a fully remote ProAssistant can complete upwards of 95% of an on-site executive assistant’s functions.
Some tasks still need someone in person, like dry cleaning pickup or meeting a contractor at your home. In those cases, a remote assistant books a local provider and confirms the work got done.
An in-house hire fits better when you need someone physically present every day. That’s common at large estates with household staff.
Karen Finerman, a CNBC Fast Money contributor and board member, shares her experience on our pricing page. She wanted business and personal support without a full-time assistant in her office. In her testimonial, she says she has been with ProAssisting for over five years.
Want business and personal support without adding someone to your payroll? Our executive personal assistant service matches you with a dedicated, US-based ProAssistant who manages your work and your home. Plans start at $3,300 a month.
What to Look For in an Executive Personal Assistant
The blended role asks more of one person than a standard EA or PA job does. Look for these four qualities when you hire:
- Senior Experience: Look for at least five years of supporting senior leaders. ProAssisting sets that as the minimum for every ProAssistant.
- Comfort With Personal Work: Confirm this before you make an offer. Some executive assistants prefer not to handle personal tasks. That makes them a poor fit for this role.
- Discretion: Your assistant will see your finances, your medical appointments, and your family matters. Ask candidates how they protected a past principal’s private information.
- Range With People: Your assistant may speak for you to your board chair and your landscaper on the same day. They need to treat both with the same care.
For the full process, see our guide on how to hire a personal assistant.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are answers to common questions about executive personal assistants:
Is an Executive Personal Assistant the Same as a Chief of Staff?
No, they’re two different roles. A traditional chief of staff tracks company goals and holds the leadership team accountable. An executive personal assistant is your single point of contact for logistics and communication across work and home.
Can Your Current Executive Assistant Take On Personal Work?
Yes, your current executive assistant can take on personal work if they’re willing. Ask them directly and agree on which personal tasks are in scope. Start with simple tasks like appointments before you share family or financial details.
Do Executive Personal Assistants Travel With Their Principal?
In-house executive personal assistants sometimes travel with their principal. A remote assistant supports your trips from wherever they work. They can rebook a canceled flight or move your meetings while you’re in the air.
Should an Executive Personal Assistant Sign an NDA?
Yes, an NDA is a sensible step because this role sees your business and family information. ProAssisting is open to you signing an NDA directly with your ProAssistant before work begins.
Get Executive Personal Assistant Support From ProAssisting
An executive personal assistant pays off when one person holds the full picture of your week. The more context you share, the faster they can protect your time at work and at home.
That’s where ProAssisting comes in. We pair you with a US-based ProAssistant who has at least five years of senior experience. Your ProAssistant handles both your business and personal work.
Each ProAssistant supports no more than three clients. You get replies within an hour during business hours.
Plans start at $3,300 a month for one-third of a ProAssistant’s resources. That’s 50 to 80% less than hiring in-house.
Book your free consultation and get a support plan for your work and home.
