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You Can Get 40 Hours of Support a Week Without a Single Employment Cost
Most business owners don't realize how much of what they pay an employee isn't actually going to the employee. Payroll taxes, benefits, workers' comp, unemployment insurance, equipment, and the time cost of managing HR compliance — these add 35–50% on top of base wages before the person has done a single productive task.
The remote support without employment costs model solves this structurally. A virtual assistant through a service like Jarvis gives you 40 hours of dedicated operational support per week for $1,600–$2,000/month — with no tax obligation, no benefits, no equipment cost, and no employment law exposure. Here's exactly how it works and what you get.
What "No Employment Costs" Actually Means
When you hire an employee, you become an employer. That relationship comes with a defined set of financial and legal obligations regardless of how the employment goes:
Financial obligations: Employer FICA (7.65% of wages), federal and state unemployment insurance (1–7% depending on state), workers' compensation insurance (0.5–3% of payroll), mandatory paid leave in many states, equipment and workspace provision.
Legal obligations: Wage and hour compliance, anti-discrimination law, FMLA/leave law, workers' comp claim processing, proper classification, termination procedures that comply with state law, and in some states, advance notice requirements for layoffs.
A VA service contract eliminates all of this. You pay a flat monthly fee to a service provider. No employer tax obligations, no benefit administration, no HR compliance burden, no wrongful termination exposure. If the relationship isn't working, 30 days' notice ends it.
What You Get for $1,600/Month
A full-time Jarvis VA working 40 hours/week covers:
- Email and inbox management: Triage, response drafting, follow-up — 2–3 hours/day of your time reclaimed
- Calendar and scheduling: All meeting coordination, booking link management, reminders, rescheduling
- CRM maintenance: Pipeline updates, activity logging, follow-up task creation — your CRM stays current automatically
- Client communication: Onboarding emails, status updates, document requests, routine Q&A responses
- Research and meeting prep: Pre-call briefs, prospect profiles, competitive intelligence
- Document support: Proposal formatting, contract coordination, file organization
- Automation builds: Every placement includes workflow automation — the systems that make the VA's work faster over time
This is the equivalent scope of a full-time administrative coordinator hire — without the $65,000–$90,000/year cost that comes with employment. See the full task scope at our roles page.
The Employment Cost Stack vs. the VA Fee
| Cost Item | Employee (40hrs/wk, $50K salary) | Jarvis VA (40hrs/wk) |
|---|---|---|
| Base compensation | $50,000/yr | $19,200/yr |
| Employer FICA | $3,825/yr | $0 |
| Unemployment insurance | $1,500–$3,000/yr | $0 |
| Workers' comp | $500–$1,500/yr | $0 |
| Health insurance | $4,000–$8,000/yr | $0 |
| Equipment + software | $2,000–$3,500/yr | $0 |
| PTO (2 weeks) | $1,923/yr | $0 |
| Total annual cost | $63,748–$71,748 | $19,200 |
Saving: $44,548–$52,548 per year on one position. See our pricing page for what's included in the monthly fee.
What the Remote Model Requires From You
Remote support without employment costs isn't zero-management. It requires:
Clear task definition upfront. A VA needs to know what they're doing. The more clearly you define the recurring tasks in week one, the faster the ramp and the better the output. Jarvis helps you build this definition during onboarding — it's built into our process.
Tool access and communication structure. Your VA needs login credentials for the systems they'll work in and a defined communication protocol (daily async update, weekly sync, how to flag urgent items). Setting this up takes 2–3 hours once and runs automatically after that.
Feedback in the first two weeks. The first two weeks require active feedback — specific corrections, examples of what "done right" looks like. Most founders find this takes 30 minutes/day at most in week one, dropping to near zero by week three. This isn't management overhead; it's context transfer.
Once the ramp is complete, most business owners spend 20–30 minutes per week in active management of their VA relationship. The rest runs on process.
Want full operational support with zero employment overhead? Book a free 15-minute call. We'll walk through the exact setup and give you a specific cost for your business. Book now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What employment costs does a virtual assistant eliminate?
Employer FICA (7.65%), state unemployment insurance (1–7%), workers' compensation insurance (0.5–3%), health insurance contributions, equipment and software costs, and PTO accrual. Collectively, these add 35–50% on top of base wages for a US employee — none of which applies to a VA service contract.
Is a virtual assistant considered an employee or a contractor?
Via Jarvis, the VA is an employee of Jarvis — you're contracting with Jarvis as a service provider. You have no employer relationship with the VA directly. No W2, no employer tax obligations, no employment law exposure on your end.
What happens if the VA doesn't perform?
Jarvis replaces non-performing VAs at no additional cost within the first 90 days. There's no termination process, no unemployment claim risk, no legal exposure. You end the service contract or request a replacement — that's the extent of it.
Can I get part-time remote support without employment costs?
Yes. Part-time Jarvis placements (20 hours/week) start at $800/month. The same zero-employment-cost structure applies regardless of hours.
Is the quality of remote VA support as good as an in-office employee?
For remote-executable tasks — email, scheduling, CRM, communication, document support — yes. Quality depends on training, process clarity, and feedback, not geography. Jarvis pre-trains VAs before day one and stays involved through the ramp period to ensure quality from the start.
40 Hours of Operational Coverage. Zero Employment Overhead.
The employment cost stack is a structure problem, not a necessity. You can get the same operational coverage without the tax, benefits, and legal overhead of employment. Book a free consultation and we'll show you exactly what it looks like for your business.