A fractional EA (about 80 hours a month) covers roughly 4 hours of each working day: enough for inbox triage, scheduling and meeting briefs for one executive. A dedicated EA (about 160 hours a month) covers the full working day and owns the inbox, calendar, travel and follow-ups end to end. If you would delegate more than about 20 hours of work a week, choose dedicated.
What 80 and 160 hours a month buy you
| Fractional | Dedicated | Executive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | 80 a month (about 4 h per working day) | 160 a month (a full working day) | 160 plus extended coverage |
| Typical client | Founders and solo executives | CEOs and leadership teams | C-suite and family offices |
| Inbox | Triage and drafts at set times | Owned through the day | Owned, including early and late hours |
| Calendar | Scheduling and conflict checks | Full control across time zones | Full control, several principals |
| Response time | Same day | Within your working hours | Extended hours |
| At Hedly | Certified EA, core AI stack, weekly report | Inbox, calendar and brief agents set up, monthly review | Senior bilingual EA, full AI layer with approval modes and audit log, quarterly review |
All Hedly plans are month to month, with no setup fee and free replacement.
Signals that you need a dedicated EA
- Your inbox runs well past 100 emails a day. For reference, Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index puts the average worker at 117 a day; executives usually receive more.
- Your week has back-to-back external meetings, often across time zones.
- You travel at least once a month.
- You prepare for a board, investors or a leadership team every week, not every quarter.
- People expect an answer within the hour during your day, not by tonight.
- Your assistant would also support one or two people on your team.
Signals that fractional is enough
- You mainly want the inbox triaged and replies drafted at two or three set times a day.
- You have a handful of external meetings a week and travel occasionally.
- You still write most important messages yourself and want help with everything around them.
- You want to start small and see the weekly report before committing more hours.
A one-week test before you decide
- For five working days, note every task you did that someone else could have done: emails, scheduling, travel, research, follow-ups, expenses.
- Write the minutes next to each one. Be honest about the small ones; they add up.
- Add up the week. Under about 20 hours points to fractional; over 20 hours points to dedicated.
- Add 20 to 30% if you also want proactive work: briefs before every meeting and follow-ups after.
Starting fractional and moving up
Many executives start fractional and move to dedicated once the EA knows their preferences and the Friday report shows how much is being handled. Because Hedly plans are month to month, you are not locked into your first choice. Compare the plans or read what an executive assistant costs.
Frequently asked questions
01How many hours is a fractional executive assistant?
At Hedly, about 80 hours a month, roughly 4 hours of each working day.
02Can a fractional EA work at fixed times?
Yes. Most fractional EAs work set blocks inside your day, for example the first hours of the morning and a slot after lunch, so the inbox is triaged before you start.
03Can one dedicated EA support several people?
Yes, usually an executive and one or two people on their team. Hedly's Dedicated plan is designed for CEOs and leadership teams.
04Can I change plans later?
Hedly plans are month to month, so you can move from fractional to dedicated, or the other way, as your needs change.
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