Terms and conditions for a virtual assistant

A virtual assistant is given passwords, calendars and an inbox by a client they may have met only once on a video call. The terms have to say what the package buys and what happens to unused hours, how far the assistant's authority goes, how the client's data and systems are handled, and that the assistant is a business, not a member of staff. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Virtual assistants, remote executive assistants and administrative support businesses in England and Wales working for business owners and small companies on monthly packages, retainers and ad hoc hours, as a sole trader or a small team. These are business-client terms.

What matters in a virtual assistant's terms

Packages, hours and what happens to time

The terms should define each package by hours per month or by services, say whether unused hours roll over or expire, how additional hours are charged, and how time is recorded and reported. Response times should be stated as working-hours commitments rather than promises of instant availability, and the terms should say that urgent or out-of-hours work is by agreement at a stated rate.

Authority and what the assistant may do in the client's name

The terms should set the assistant's authority: to send emails in the client's name within agreed limits, to make bookings and purchases up to a stated amount, and not to sign contracts, make payments beyond the limit or represent the client in negotiations unless expressly instructed in writing. The client is responsible for the instructions it gives and for decisions the assistant carries out on them.

Access, confidentiality and data

The assistant will hold logins, documents and customer data. The terms should require the client to provide access through its own accounts rather than sharing personal passwords where possible, impose confidentiality on the assistant and any subcontractor, and record that the assistant processes personal data as a processor under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 on the client's instructions, with the mandatory processor provisions and a statement of how data is kept and returned on exit.

Status, substitution and working arrangements

The assistant is a business providing services, not an employee, and the terms should reflect that: the assistant decides how and when the work is done within the client's deadlines, may use a substitute or subcontractor of equivalent skill with notice, provides its own equipment, and is responsible for its own tax. Status turns on the facts, and HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool is the reference, so the terms should describe an arrangement that is run as it is written.

Fees, notice, liability and the work product

Packages are invoiced monthly in advance with interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and a right to pause work. A notice period on either side keeps the arrangement stable. Liability should be capped at the fees paid over a stated period, with consequential loss excluded, tested for reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. Documents and materials created for the client pass to the client on payment under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, with the assistant keeping its own templates and systems.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day. If you would rather pay straight away, buying online forms the engagement on payment: the scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I will be in touch promptly to get started.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The client did not use their hours last month and wants them back. Do they get them?

If the terms say that unused hours expire at the end of the month, or roll over only as stated, the position is whatever the terms say. Say it at sign-up; it is the most common misunderstanding in the business.

The client says I sent an email I should not have. Where do I stand?

If the email was within the authority the terms describe and followed the client's instructions, the client is responsible for it. If it went beyond the authority, the terms should still cap your liability. A written record of instructions is your protection.

Can I use another assistant to cover my holiday?

If the terms allow substitution or subcontracting to someone of equivalent skill bound by the same confidentiality, with notice to the client, you can. Substitution is also one of the things that supports self-employed status.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a bookkeeping business

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.