For virtual assistants
A VA retainer is a block of hours. The proposal decides what fills them.
Virtual assistant work is sold as a monthly package — a number of hours for inbox management, calendar, admin, customer emails, social scheduling. The client hears 'an assistant' and starts sending everything: research, bookkeeping data entry, a website update, a personal errand, a message at 9pm expecting an answer by 9:05. Hours run out mid-month and nobody agreed whether the rest is billed, or whether last month's unused hours carry over.
ApeiroCraft sends the package as a link with the hours, the task list, response times and working hours, rollover rules, and tool and access arrangements. You see when it's opened and reopened, the client signs in the browser, and the month is invoiced from the accepted proposal.
Where VA retainers get stretched.
Scope by stealth
Admin support turns into bookkeeping, design and project management. Each is a different skill and often a different rate.
Instant-reply expectations
A message sent late at night is expected to be handled before morning. Without stated working hours and response times, being 'virtual' means always on.
Rollover arguments
A quiet month leaves hours unused. The client expects them next month; a busy month runs over and the extra is disputed.
From discovery call to a steady month.
Packages with a task list
List the tasks each package covers and the ones that aren't included, so new requests are visibly new.
See when they're deciding
Opens and re-opens are recorded on the link. A founder reopening it during a busy week is ready for help — follow up then.
Signed working rules
The signature records name, email, IP address and a UTC timestamp and can't be altered — hours, response times and rollover are on record.
Monthly invoices
Convert the accepted proposal into the first month's invoice in one click. Raise each month against the client record, adding overage if agreed.
What a virtual assistant proposal has to include.
A clear package is what lets a VA support several clients well.
Hours and overage
If it's left vague
Extra hours beyond the package are disputed.
With ApeiroCraft
State hours per month, how extra hours are approved and their rate.
Task scope
If it's left vague
Specialist work arrives at admin rates.
With ApeiroCraft
List included tasks and name tasks quoted separately.
Working hours and response
If it's left vague
Messages expect instant replies at night.
With ApeiroCraft
Give working hours, time zone and response times.
Rollover
If it's left vague
Unused hours accumulate indefinitely.
With ApeiroCraft
Say whether unused hours roll over, how far, and when they expire.
Access and confidentiality
If it's left vague
Passwords shared by message; no agreement on handling client data.
With ApeiroCraft
Describe how access is shared, which tools you use, and confidentiality.
- Monthly invoices in the client's currency, set per invoice.
- Kanban tasks you can use for your own client to-dos.
- Free plan: 3 proposals and 3 invoices sent a month.
Common questions.
How do virtual assistants usually price?
Most use monthly packages of hours, sometimes tiered, with an hourly rate for overage. Some charge hourly with no package, and some offer task-based or project pricing for things like inbox clean-ups or launch support. ApeiroCraft holds the model; it doesn't suggest rates.
What does a VA package proposal look like?
A set number of hours a month for inbox triage, calendar management, travel booking and customer-email replies from templates; bookkeeping and design excluded; weekday working hours in your time zone with replies within a working day; extra hours approved in writing at an hourly rate; unused hours rolling over for one month only; access through a password manager; confidentiality. The founder signs, and you invoice the first month.
When is ApeiroCraft not the right fit for a VA?
It doesn't track time, so if you bill strictly by tracked hours you'll need a time tracker. It also won't bill monthly automatically. It fits VAs who want a clear package signed and simple monthly invoicing.
Can I add overage to the monthly invoice?
Yes. Add a line for extra hours at the agreed rate before sending. Invoices are editable until sent.
Is there a template?
The freelance proposal template — goal, scope and exclusions, timeline, two pricing options and a clear yes — adapts well to VA packages.
Put the package rules in writing.
Start from the freelance template and send your first VA package today.
Start freeStill deciding? Talk to the founder
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