So what does a virtual assistant cost? Probably much less than you think, unless you really do need help full-time.

Rates vary widely depending on the task, experience and where the VA lives. A VA living in Manhattan, Kan., will likely charge less than someone living in Manhattan, New York, for instance.

But virtual assistants will certainly charge more per hour than you’d pay a regular admin, typically at least $35 an hour. That’s still a tremendous saving for on-call work, especially factoring in savings from office expenses and fringe benefits.

David Goldsmith, owner of the Goldsmith Group, uses his VA between 10 and 15 hours a month. He says he saves about 80 percent of what a full-time, in-house administrative assistant would cost, “yet I get all that I need. From my clients’ perspective, I have a full-time employee.”

And a VA can actually more than pay for herself through your own increased productivity once the work barriers are removed, particularly if your own hourly rate is substantially higher. Alexandria Brown, owner of EZineQueen.com, doubled her income in six months after she hired a VA

How, you may ask, do you pay someone you never see, who may work 3,000 miles away?

VAs typically work on an annual contract or letter of agreement specifying a monthly retainer for a set block of hours. Some VAs also take pay-as-you-go work for clients whose needs fluctuate or are occasional.

Payment is easy enough. VAs often accept credit card payment. Some take checks, and still others receive payment online through services such as PayPal, says Angela Allen, vice president of the International Virtual Assistants Association, a credentialing and VA support organization.

Paying them is one concern; there is also, of course, the flip side. How can you ensure that your unseen cyber assistant isn’t billing you for time not worked?

Stacy Brice, president of AssistU, which trains and certifies virtual assistants, says that’s rarely a problem. “It really isn’t as nebulous as it seems. If you are working together regularly, you would absolutely know if your VA is jerking you around. We make you happy or you have the right not to work with us.”