HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire a personal assistant in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Personal assistants need no licence in the UK. Here is the employment-status point, data and access, and what to agree in writing.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a personal assistant in five steps

  1. Decide: freelance or employeeA freelance PA invoices you; a PA on set hours under your direction may be your employee.
  2. Give access, not passwordsDelegate access to email and diary; never share your own passwords.
  3. Set spending rulesWhat the PA may spend, how, and with receipts.
  4. Ring two referencesRecent clients or employers, by phone.
  5. Put it in writingHours, rate, tasks, confidentiality and notice.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Working as a PA is unregulated in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — no register and no licence. The checks are references, status, and how they handle your data and money.

Ring two references and agree terms in writing.

Employed or self-employed (HMRC and employment law)

A personal assistant who invoices you, works for other clients and controls how the work is done is normally self-employed. One who works set hours under your direction may be your employee, and gov.uk says status must be checked for both HMRC tax purposes and employment law — getting it wrong can mean unpaid tax and penalties.

Ask for invoices; if the arrangement is regular and directed by you, check the status on gov.uk. gov.uk →

ICO data protection fee

A personal assistant running a business handles your emails, contacts and documents — personal data. gov.uk says a business or sole trader processing personal data must pay the ICO data protection fee unless exempt, and is then listed on the ICO's public register.

Ask whether the PA is on the ICO register or exempt, and how they store your data. gov.uk →

Basic criminal record check (self-requested)

There is no legal duty on a personal assistant here. Still, a person working with access to your accounts, diary and home can get a basic check on themselves — DBS in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland — to show you.

Ask whether they have one from the last year, and see it. gov.uk →

VAT

A personal assistant working by the hour supplies a standard-rated service, so a VAT-registered one adds 20% to the hours. Most freelance personal assistants are below the £90,000 registration threshold; an individual under it charges no VAT and has no VAT number to give. Expenses paid on your behalf are passed on at cost.

Ask whether the personal assistant is VAT-registered; if not, the timesheet invoice should carry no VAT. gov.uk →

“Do you work as a self-employed personal assistant, and do you invoice?”

A good answer: Yes, with invoices for hours; other clients too. If not, you may be an employer.

“How will my personal assistant access my email and diary?”

A good answer: Delegated access you can remove, never your own password.

“What can a personal assistant spend on my behalf, and how?”

A good answer: A limit, a method and receipts.

“How do you keep my information confidential?”

A good answer: A written confidentiality promise, secure storage, nothing shared.

“Are you on the ICO register as a personal assistant business?”

A good answer: Yes, or an explanation of why they are exempt.

“How does the assistant record hours?”

A good answer: A timesheet sent with each invoice.

“What notice do you need to end the arrangement?”

A good answer: A set period, written down.

Booking by the hour

  • The hourly rate, and the evening, weekend or out-of-hours rate
  • The minimum booking each week or each visit, and whether an early finish is billed for the hours used or the hours booked
  • The list of tasks agreed before the first hour, written down, and how a new task is added
  • What each side brings: you the access you choose to give and a way to share documents; the personal assistant their own laptop, phone and a timesheet
  • ID checked and the personal assistant's rating, with expenses paid at cost against receipts

Walk away if

  • Asking for your passwords
  • No timesheets
  • No references
  • Unclear spending rules
  • Set hours under your direction with no thought about status
  • No confidentiality terms
LOW
£14
TYPICAL
£20
HIGH
£35

What a personal assistant costs: £14–£35 per hour

Personal assistants charge by the hour, with minimum hours, out-of-hours work and expenses agreed separately. Personal Assistant price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Personal assistants near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. BriefTasks, hours, tools and boundaries.
  2. Access set-upDelegated access, spending method, contacts.
  3. Working patternRegular check-ins and a task list.
  4. ReportingTimesheet and receipts with each invoice.
  5. ReviewA check after the first month.

Delegated access
Permission to use your email or diary without your password.
Timesheet
The record of hours worked.
Self-employed
Working for yourself and invoicing clients.
IR35
Tax rules on contractors who work like employees.
Confidentiality clause
A written promise not to share your information.
Expenses
Money spent for you, repaid with receipts.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check timesheets and receiptsAgainst the invoice.
Review accessRemove what is no longer needed.
Keep the agreementHours, tasks, notice and confidentiality.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours about the work and the timesheets counts. If something was wrong, the make-it-right step comes first and the personal assistant is asked to fix it.

STEP 1Tell the personal assistant, in writingSet out what went wrong with the work and what you want done, by message or email. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires a trader to use reasonable care and skill; where the work fell short, ask for it to be done again at their cost, or for money off.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the personal assistant under four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Data misuse, or a trader disputeIf your personal data was misused, the ICO handles data protection complaints. For other disputes, Trading Standards is reached through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeA claim against a personal assistant for a refund or the cost of putting things right can go to small claims: up to £10,000 on the county court small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a personal assistant: questions people ask

A personal assistant needs no licence in any UK nation.

Possibly, if they work set hours under your direction. gov.uk says status must be checked for tax and employment law; a PA who invoices and works for others is normally self-employed.

No law requires one. They can request their own basic check — DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI — and show you.

£14 to £35 an hour, typically around £20. Experience, hours and skills move the price. Hourly rates by experience and hours are in the personal assistant price guide; enter your town above for PAs near you.

A business processing personal data must pay it unless exempt; ask.

Raise it in writing. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must use reasonable care and skill.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in personal & lifestyle

How to hire: Concierge ServiceHow to hire: House ManagerHow to hire: Errand RunnerHow to hire: Travel PlannerHow to hire: Personal ShopperHow to hire: House SitterHow to hire: Genealogist / Family HistoryHow to hire: Home OrganiserAll 701 hiring guides →

Personal assistants near you

Personal assistants in LondonPersonal assistants in ManchesterPersonal assistants in BirminghamPersonal assistants in GlasgowPersonal assistants in BelfastAll personal assistants on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — employment status: self-employed and contractor
  2. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  3. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  4. mygov.scot — Level 1 (basic) disclosure
  5. nidirect — apply online for a basic check (AccessNI)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register