Virtual assistant / admin freelancer software, built around IRS, E&O and multi-client mailbox delegation

Arkathos gives a virtual assistant a workspace tailored to how the work actually runs — This workspace is built around running clients' inboxes and calendars on a retainer. Arkathos tailors a virtual assistant workspace around 5 agents: Treasury, Sentinel, Courier, Quartermaster, Herald.

Compliance a virtual assistant can't afford to miss

Watchtower tracks every license, bond, insurance policy, and continuing-education requirement for a virtual assistant, with renewal cadences and staged reminders so nothing lapses.

• A virtual assistant must maintain a Business entity registration (LLC / Corporation), through the State Secretary of State (business division), which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a General Business License, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a DBA / Fictitious Business Name Registration, through the County Clerk, which renews every 5 years.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Local business license / business tax certificate, through the City or county business licensing / tax office, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a DBA / Fictitious (trade) name registration, through the County Clerk or State Secretary of State, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Home Occupation Permit, through the Municipal Zoning Dept, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Employer Identification Number (EIN), through the IRS, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) Insurance, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a IVAA membership / Certified Virtual Assistant credential (voluntary), through the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA), which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a AssistU Certified Virtual Assistant (voluntary), through the AssistU, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Fidelity / Surety Bond, through the Surety / Bonding Company, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Professional Liability / Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance, through the Licensed commercial insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a General Liability insurance, through the Licensed commercial insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Seller's / Sales & Use Tax Permit, through the State Dept of Revenue, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Cyber Liability / Data Breach insurance, through the Licensed commercial insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Professional Software Certification (MOS / QuickBooks ProAdvisor), through the Vendor Certification Body, which renews every year.
• A virtual assistant must maintain a Workers' Compensation insurance, through the State workers' compensation system / licensed insurer, which renews every year.

Everything Arkathos runs for a virtual assistant

These are the agents set up first for a virtual assistant — and because it's one platform, every plan includes all 16 Arkathos agents. Also included whenever you need them: Guardhouse, Scribe, War Room, Armory, Marshall, Mint Warden, Vault Keeper, Watchtower, Bulletin Board, Client Portal.

• Treasury — Invoicing & payment collection, Expense tracking, Accounting & bookkeeping, Business tax prep & filing, Recurring billing & subscriptions, Financial dashboards & reports.
• Sentinel — Contact & lead management, Deal / estimate pipeline, Task & follow-up tracking, SMS & email outreach, Pipeline reporting.
• Courier — Unified email inbox, Smart categorization & routing, Scheduled & drafted sends.
• Quartermaster — Online booking & appointments, Calendar & availability, Events & waitlists, Automated reminders, Job dispatch & scheduling.
• Herald — SEO & get-found content, Social media scheduling, Email & newsletter campaigns, Brand voice & content studio, Review & reputation growth, AI-overview & directory visibility.

Your tailored virtual assistant workspace

These are net-new, virtual assistant-specific capabilities — not a generic CRM bolted onto your industry.

• Multi-client mailbox delegation (Courier): Connect and operate several clients' mailboxes from one console with strict per-client separation, send-as-client, and a delegation/audit log; Courier today only manages the tenant's own inbox.
• Retainer hour-bank + time tracking to invoice (Treasury): Prepaid monthly hour retainer that draws down from a built-in timer and converts overage hours into a draft invoice; the core VA billing model.
• NDA e-sign + per-client credential vault (Scribe): Confidentiality/NDA + data-handling agreement e-sign plus an encrypted per-client login/credential store, since VAs hold client passwords and PII; reuse vault-transit for the secure store.
• Recurring task templates per client (Sentinel): Reusable daily/weekly admin checklists (inbox triage, calendar review, reporting) instantiated per client so recurring VA work auto-populates the task list.
• Cross-client calendar delegation (Quartermaster): Manage multiple clients' calendars from one scheduling view with per-client permission scoping and booking-on-behalf-of.

The agents and tabs you get

Treasury for a virtual assistant surfaces Financial sheet, Invoices, Draft estimate, Transactions, Chat. Sentinel for a virtual assistant surfaces Overview, Contacts, Tasks, Chat. Courier for a virtual assistant surfaces Inbox, Compose, Filters, Categories, Link email, Chat. Quartermaster for a virtual assistant surfaces Calendar, Bookings, Availability, Chat. Herald for a virtual assistant surfaces Brand voice, Compose, Schedule, Get found, Directories, ✦Studio, Chat.

Frequently asked questions

best software for virtual assistant business

Most VAs stitch together a CRM, time tracker, invoicing, scheduling and project tool (Asana, Toggl, QuickBooks, Calendly). All-in-one platforms like Arkathos fold those into AI agents under one flat, no-per-seat price.

how much should a virtual assistant charge per hour

US-based VAs typically charge about $25-$50/hour, offshore $7-$15, and specialized skills $50-$100+. Rates depend on experience, niche and task complexity. Monthly retainers or prepaid hour blocks are common.

how do virtual assistants invoice clients and track hours

Track time in Toggl or Harvest, then bill logged hours as line items, often on retainers or prepaid blocks. Tools auto-generate branded invoices with reminders; Arkathos runs time-to-invoice and payment collection in one flow.

do virtual assistants need a crm

Not mandatory, but juggling 6-10 clients without one invites missed deadlines. A CRM centralizes contacts, project status and communication history. Arkathos includes a CRM agent so client data and follow-ups live in one place.

how to manage multiple clients as a virtual assistant

Time-block per client, prioritize by deadline, and centralize every task in one CRM or project tool. Set clear communication hours and boundaries. Automate scheduling, follow-ups and invoicing so nothing slips through.

do i need a contract as a virtual assistant

Yes. A contract defines scope, payment terms, confidentiality, IP ownership and termination, protecting you from scope creep and unpaid work. Clients who refuse to sign are a red flag. Customizable templates are widely available.

do virtual assistants pay quarterly taxes

Usually yes. VAs are typically 1099 self-employed, so no tax is withheld. If you expect to owe $1,000+, pay quarterly estimated taxes (income plus 15.3% self-employment) around Apr 15, Jun, Sep and Jan 15.

how much does it cost to start a virtual assistant business

Often $500-$1,000: a computer, reliable internet and software subscriptions. Individual tools run roughly $5-$50/month each and stack up fast, so flat-rate all-in-one platforms cut the per-tool sprawl.

best time tracking app for virtual assistants

Toggl Track, Harvest and Clockify are popular: simple punch in/out with exportable client reports that feed invoices. Pick one that integrates with your invoicing so logged hours bill automatically.

What licenses and insurance does a virtual assistant need?

Arkathos tracks 17 items for a virtual assistant, including Business entity registration (LLC / Corporation), General Business License, DBA / Fictitious Business Name Registration, Local business license / business tax certificate. Each renewal and expiration is monitored in Watchtower with staged reminders.

Which Arkathos agents does a virtual assistant get?

Arkathos tailors a virtual assistant workspace around 5 agents: Treasury, Sentinel, Courier, Quartermaster, Herald.

How is the Arkathos workspace tailored for a virtual assistant?

Beyond the standard tools, Arkathos builds virtual assistant-specific features: Multi-client mailbox delegation; Retainer hour-bank + time tracking to invoice; NDA e-sign + per-client credential vault.

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