If you’re pricing an Australian mortgage broker virtual assistant, you’re not really comparing “cheap vs expensive.” You’re comparing operating models. One model buys you time and control. Another buys you speed and scalability. And the wrong model quietly adds risk, rework, and compliance headaches.
Mortgage brokers now settle around three quarters of new residential home loans in Australia, which means demand for support staff keeps rising. When brokers get busy, admin becomes the bottleneck. That’s why virtual assistants have become a growth lever, not a cost-cutting trick.
This guide breaks down what virtual assistants cost for Australian mortgage brokers, what drives price, and how to choose the right structure for your team.
Most brokers start with an hourly number. That’s normal. But the real cost is your total cost to capacity:
A low hourly rate can become expensive if it creates:
If your VA touches client documents, you’re also managing privacy and process risk, not just workload.
Here are the main cost bands brokers typically see, depending on the hiring structure.
Australia-based admin and broker support salaries vary by market and seniority. As a reference point, SEEK reports broker assistant salaries commonly in the A$65k–A$85k range. Salary aggregators may show different medians due to sample size and role definitions.
What you’ll usually pay (ballpark, annual):
Best for:
Direct offshore hiring can reduce cash cost, but increases your management and compliance workload.
What you’ll usually pay:
This model can work brilliantly if you already have:
With a managed partner, you pay a higher “all-in” price, but you typically get:
This often suits brokers who want outcomes without building an internal operations engine.
Not all “VAs” are the same. Pricing moves based on whether the role is:
A loan-processing-capable VA costs more than general admin, because they reduce rework and speed settlements.
If you want:
…expect pricing to rise. You’re buying availability, not only skill.
The cheapest VA is not the lowest rate. It’s the VA who:
That’s what reduces your cost per loan.
Below is a decision table you can drop into your internal planning.
| Model | Typical direct cost | What’s included | Hidden costs you must plan | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia-based employee | Higher | Local context, real-time phone support | Recruitment time, on-costs, churn risk | Boutique brokerages with in-office cadence |
| Offshore direct contractor | Lower | Raw labour capacity | Training, QA, security controls, coverage risk | Brokers with strong SOPs and ops discipline |
| Managed VA partner / EOR-style | Medium | Hiring, HR admin, coverage support (varies) | Less control, provider dependence | Brokers who want speed and stability |
Tip: Compare models using monthly cost per clean submission, not hourly rate.
A strong VA is built around a clean handoff. Here’s a realistic task map.
If you’re building this as a scalable model, define:
This isn’t legal advice, but you should understand the shape of the obligations.
ASIC’s guidance on the mortgage broker best interests duty explains what the regulator looks for when assessing compliance. A VA can support compliance by improving:
But the broker and licensee still own the obligation.
If you operate under internal dispute resolution expectations, you need a system that records and responds to complaints properly. ASIC’s RG 271 sets standards for IDR systems for financial firms in scope. A VA can help track and triage, but only inside a defined process.
If your VA accesses Australian customer personal information, cross-border handling matters. OAIC guidance on APP 8 explains steps and accountability considerations when disclosing personal information to overseas recipients.
Practical controls brokers use:
Use this practical framework to avoid under-budgeting.
Pick one:
Budget for:
For example:
That’s how you see ROI clearly.
If your workflow lives in your head, you pay for it every day. Document:
If 20% of files need repackaging, your VA cost doubles on those files.
When a VA is unavailable during peak time, the broker does the admin. Your “cheap rate” becomes irrelevant.
If you’re employing staff in Australia, minimum wage and award obligations set a legal baseline. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s minimum wage page provides the national minimum wage rate as of 1 July 2025. This matters for budgeting junior support roles.
Rates vary widely by role, country, and skill. For context, PayScale shows an average base hourly rate for virtual assistants in the Philippines (in PHP). This is not a “broker VA” benchmark, but it helps you understand the labour market baseline.
For broker businesses, your effective cost depends on:
The only benchmark that matters is: cost per clean submission.
Start with an admin-to-processing hybrid VA.
Target outcomes:
Add structure:
Build a small pod:
At this stage, cost matters less than throughput and predictability.
The best Australian mortgage broker virtual assistant setup is the one that reliably converts workload into settled loans. Don’t buy hours. Buy outcomes. Compare models using cost per clean submission, privacy-safe workflow, and the broker time you get back.
If you want, we can help you map the right role, process, and cost model for your brokerage, then propose a staffing plan that scales cleanly.
Call to action: Book a discovery call to get a tailored VA cost model, role design, and implementation plan for your brokerage.
Costs depend on the model. Onshore staff usually cost more but offer tighter day-to-day control. Offshore direct hire can be cheaper but needs strong SOPs and QA. Managed VA partners sit in the middle, adding coverage and HR layers. Compare using cost per clean submission, not hourly rate.
Many brokers do, but you must manage privacy and process controls. If personal information is disclosed overseas, APP 8 considerations apply. You should also ensure your workflow supports compliance evidence and file quality expectations.
They can manage CRM updates, chase documents, package submissions, track conditions, coordinate valuations, and maintain pipeline reporting. Brokers should keep final decisions, advice, and approvals. Clear SOPs make delegation safe and repeatable.
If SOPs exist, basic onboarding can take days, with performance improving over 2–4 weeks. Without SOPs, onboarding can drag for months. The difference is documentation, checklists, and QA routines.
Use least-privilege access, MFA, separate logins, secure file portals, and documented data handling SOPs. APP 8 guidance outlines cross-border disclosure expectations and accountability risks. Consider role-based access and rapid offboarding controls.