What Temporary EA Cover Costs in London in 2027

Glassdoor’s October 2026 London average for a temporary Executive Assistant is £22 an hour, on a range of £18 to £29. That average is almost useless as a budget figure, because the live market runs from £20 to £50 depending on who the person is supporting. Book at the average and you will either overpay for team assistant cover or underpay for a CFO and get nobody.

Reed carried 47 temporary Executive Assistant vacancies within ten miles of London in 2026. Here is what they actually paid.

Live London temp EA rates

On day rates, contract EA roles of six to twelve months were advertised at £200 to £225 a day through Adecco in Spitalfields and £240 to £250 a day through Michael Page in September 2026. A temporary EA to a City CEO was advertised at £350 to £380 a day.

That is a 150% spread between the bottom and the top of the hourly market. Three things move a rate up it.

What moves the rate

Who the person reports to. Supporting a team sits at £20 to £24. Supporting a founder or a C-suite principal sits at £25 to £30. Supporting a UHNW principal sits at £40 to £50. The diary complexity, the confidentiality exposure and the decision authority all change, and so does the market.

Language capability. A fluent French EA covering a CFO’s maternity leave was priced at £33 to £38 an hour against a general market of £22 to £28. That is a premium of roughly 40% for one named skill.

Project management. Robert Half’s 2026 guide ranks project management as the single highest premium pay skill in business support, ahead of systems or software. Generative AI tool use now appears in the same premium category, with Robert Half noting AI is reshaping executive support roles rather than removing them.

Microsoft and Google suite fluency is still the most commonly named requirement in admin and support postings, but it no longer commands a premium. It is the floor. Understanding what strong executive support actually looks like at senior level is the difference between pricing a diary manager and pricing a gatekeeper.

The charge rate, and where the money goes

Three statutory costs sit between the pay rate and the charge rate in the 2026/27 year. Holiday accrues at 12.07% for irregular hours workers. Employer National Insurance runs at 15% on gross pay above a £96 a week secondary threshold. Auto enrolment pension adds 3% of qualifying earnings between £120 and £967 a week.

Applying those published assumptions to a £25 an hour temporary EA on a 40 hour week:

Statutory cost accounts for £7.50 of the £15.63 difference between pay and charge. None of it reaches the agency. For a published benchmark on what the remainder looks like at scale, Hays reported an underlying temporary margin of 15.1% of temp gross revenue for the year to June 2026, down from 15.3%. The same comparison applies when weighing outsourced support against a direct hire, because a virtual arrangement prices the statutory element differently rather than removing it.

Any agency quoting a flat percentage without showing the NI and holiday lines is not quoting you a margin. It is quoting you a total and keeping the split private.

Why London firms book temporary EA cover

Four triggers show up repeatedly in 2026 London postings.

Maternity and long term absence. An eight month EA to CFO brief with a fluent French requirement at £33 to £38 an hour.

Interim cover during a permanent search. One LoveSuccess brief in August 2026 was explicit, covering a founder “whilst they go through the permanent recruitment process” at £25 to £30 an hour. A temp to perm EA to COO role in Kensington was advertised at the same rate.

Project and contract work. Nine to twelve month EA contracts through Morgan McKinley and Adecco in September 2026.

Board support. Ad hoc committee minute taking priced separately at £17 an hour.

No published source quantifies the share of London temp EA bookings by reason, so treat the order above as what the market advertises rather than as a measured split.

The permanent comparison

Business support salaries rose 3.8% in 2026 against a 2.2% all sector average (Hays, 2026), which is the highest increase of any function Hays tracked. Permanent inflation pulls temporary rates up behind it, so a temp rate agreed in early 2026 is not a 2027 rate.

Temporary cover is the cheaper way to test fit before committing to a £50,000 to £60,000 London EA salary. It is also the honest answer to the question of whether the business needs an EA at all, or a PA, or something between the two. Working out which support role the business actually needs is easier after three months of cover than after three rounds of interviews.

What to agree before the booking starts

Three terms decide whether a temporary EA booking works commercially.

The support level, written down. Specify the principal’s seniority, the diary volume, the travel complexity and any language requirement. “EA cover” with no detail attracts the wrong rate in both directions.

The temp to perm position. Agree the transfer terms at brief stage rather than at week eight. Under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, an agency must offer an extended hire period as an alternative to a transfer fee, and no fee can be charged after the later of eight weeks from the end of the assignment or fourteen weeks from its start. What agencies charge to place a London EA permanently is a separate conversation from the temp rate, and conflating the two is how employers end up paying twice.

The 12 week point. Under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, a temporary worker completing twelve calendar weeks in the same role gains equal basic pay and working conditions to a comparable permanent employee. Budget for that date.

Morgan Spencer’s executive assistant and PA recruitment covers temporary, fixed term and permanent EA and PA briefs across London.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a temporary EA cost per hour in London?

Live 2026 London postings paid temporary Executive Assistants mostly £20 to £30 an hour. Glassdoor’s October 2026 London average is £22 on a range of £18 to £29. Bilingual and C-suite cover reached £33 to £38 an hour, and UHNW hedge fund support £40 to £50.

What is the charge rate on a £25 an hour temporary EA?

Applying published 2026/27 assumptions of 12.07% holiday accrual, 15% employer National Insurance above a £96 a week threshold and 3% pension on qualifying earnings, the total employment cost is £32.50 an hour and the charge rate at a 20% agency contribution is £40.63.

What daily rate do interim EAs charge in London?

Contract EA roles of six to twelve months advertised in September 2026 paid £200 to £250 a day through umbrella arrangements, via Adecco in Spitalfields and Michael Page. A temporary EA to a City CEO was advertised at £350 to £380 a day.

Why do London firms book temporary EAs?

2026 London postings show four repeat triggers. Maternity cover, including an eight month EA to CFO brief. Interim cover during a permanent search, often one to two months. Nine to twelve month project contracts. Ad hoc board support such as minute taking at £17 an hour. No source quantifies the split by reason.

What is the permanent salary for an EA in London?

Morgan McKinley’s 2026 London data puts Executive Assistants at £45,000 to £55,000 with nought to three years’ experience, £50,000 to £60,000 at three to five years, and £60,000 to £90,000 at five years and above. London Personal Assistants sit at £45,000 to £55,000.

Can a temporary EA convert to a permanent hire?

Yes, subject to the transfer terms agreed at brief stage. Under the Conduct Regulations 2003 an agency must offer an extended hire period as an alternative to a transfer fee, and no fee can be charged after the later of eight weeks from the end of the assignment or fourteen weeks from its start.

About the author

Gemma Stacey is Managing Consultant at Morgan Spencer and one of London's most experienced recruiters of temporary and contract business support professionals, with more than 20 years of specialist recruitment experience.

Throughout her career, Gemma has partnered with SMEs, professional services firms, property companies, financial services organisations and global businesses to deliver exceptional Office Administrators, Receptionists, Team Assistants, Personal Assistants, Executive Assistants and Office Managers at speed. She is particularly recognised for helping employers secure high-quality office support talent for urgent requirements, project work and business-critical cover.

Her extensive knowledge of the London office support market provides clients with expert guidance on hiring trends, salary expectations, workforce planning and attracting the administrative professionals who keep businesses running efficiently.

Through her articles and market insights, Gemma shares practical recruitment advice based on more than two decades of placing office support professionals across London.