What is a personal assistant?
A personal assistant — usually shortened to PA — is someone whose job is to organise and coordinate practical parts of another person's working or personal life.
In a normal office that might mean diaries, meetings, travel and correspondence. A private PA can work much closer to the person's everyday life: household appointments, properties, family diaries, travel, contractors, events, bills, reservations, vehicles and contact with advisers.
Specialist private-staff recruiters describe the role as one that can involve running substantial parts of household administration and liaising with family members, domestic staff, contractors, accountants and lawyers.
That does not mean a PA should automatically make financial, legal or investment decisions for you. Their main value is organisation, coordination and protecting your time.
A good PA gives you back time without taking control of your life
The strongest arrangement is not one where the PA knows everything, controls everything or becomes indispensable. It is one where recurring tasks move away from you while important decisions, relationships and high-risk permissions remain where they belong.
The win may create work you never had before
The money itself does not create a need for a PA. The lifestyle surrounding it can. A winner may suddenly have more travel, property, appointments, professional meetings, purchasing, family administration and incoming requests than before.
Appointments & calendar
Coordinate meetings, appointments, restaurants, family commitments and reminders.
Travel planning
Flights, accommodation, transfers, itineraries, restaurant reservations and changes while away.
Home administration
Coordinate contractors, servicing, deliveries, maintenance and access to one or more properties.
Filter routine approaches
Handle invitations, supplier enquiries and routine contact without giving everybody direct access to you.
Family logistics
Coordinate schedules, activities, appointments and travel arrangements across a busy household.
Documents & renewals
Keep warranties, memberships, household records, insurance renewals and practical paperwork organised.
Cars & transport
Arrange servicing, MOTs, drivers, airport transport, collection and practical vehicle administration.
Events & entertaining
Coordinate guests, venues, tickets, catering, accommodation and the practical side of celebrations.
Adviser coordination
Arrange meetings and documents with solicitors, accountants, banks and financial professionals.
Household suppliers
Manage appointments with cleaners, gardeners, trades, security installers and other household services.
Research & shortlisting
Find travel options, suppliers, venues or services so you choose from a manageable shortlist.
Routine expenses
Organise receipts, invoices and approved spending without automatically controlling your main accounts.
PA, private PA, lifestyle manager, household manager or family office?
These roles can overlap. The title matters less than clearly defining what the person is responsible for.
| Role | Main job | Typical involvement | When it might fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual / administrative PA | Remote organisation and admin. | Calendar, research, booking, email and reminders. | Your life is still fairly simple but administration keeps building up. |
| Private PA | Personal administration and coordination. | Travel, homes, diary, family logistics, suppliers and professional liaison. | You want one trusted person helping organise everyday life. |
| Executive Assistant | Higher-level executive or business support. | Complex diary, projects, correspondence and business-facing coordination. | You also run companies, investments or significant commercial activity. |
| Lifestyle manager | Broader affluent-lifestyle management. | Travel, events, memberships, suppliers, luxury purchases and experiences. | Your lifestyle itself has become operationally complicated. |
| Household / estate manager | Runs the home or estate. | Staff, contractors, property maintenance, systems and household operations. | The property has become more complex than your personal diary. |
| Family office | Coordinates substantial family wealth and affairs. | Professionals, entities, reporting, investments, governance and family administration. | Your needs extend far beyond a PA and into complex wealth infrastructure. |
Start with the workload — not the prestige of the job title
These are planning models rather than formal industry definitions. A good approach is often to start with less support and expand the role once you know which tasks genuinely repeat.
Useful for travel research, diary help, reservations and periodic administration.
A strong starting point when admin repeats every week but there is not enough work for a permanent role.
More appropriate when travel, homes, suppliers, schedules and incoming requests create a continuous workload.
Relevant where the job genuinely includes international travel, multiple homes and substantial private-office responsibility.
A trial period can tell you more than the jackpot size
If you are unsure, using a PA for defined part-time hours can reveal whether you actually have enough recurring work to justify expanding the role. You may discover that 10–15 useful hours each week improves your life more than hiring somebody full-time with too little to do.
How much can a private PA cost?
There is no lottery-winner rate. Salary depends on experience, location, hours, travel, availability, confidentiality, responsibility and whether the person works directly for you or through an agency.
| Market example | Current indication | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Private PA salary guidance | £50,000–£80,000 | Tiger Private's current general UK private-PA salary guidance. |
| Part-time remote private PA example | £25/hour | September 2026 Tiger Private vacancy for one day a week. |
| PA to UHNWI example | £60,000–£70,000 | September 2026 live private-sector vacancy. |
| Senior private PA example | £80,000–£120,000 | Highly involved London UHNW role requiring extensive flexibility and international travel. |
Do not treat these as a salary calculator
These are current recruiter figures and vacancy examples used to show how wide the market can be. A Wiltshire-based part-time role with predictable hours will not necessarily cost the same as a London UHNW role involving international travel and near-constant availability.
How much should your PA actually know?
A PA may eventually become one of the people who knows the most about your everyday life. That is exactly why access should be deliberate. Start with what the job requires and add permissions only when the responsibility genuinely requires them.
Think “need to know”, not “trusted enough to know”
Trust matters, but even a completely trustworthy employee does not need every password, every account or every family document. Less unnecessary access also protects the PA if something later goes wrong elsewhere.
An NDA is not an access-control system
Confidentiality clauses can be useful, but a signed document is not a reason to provide unlimited information. Good boundaries should exist alongside sensible employment terms.
A PA can be close to the decision without becoming the decision-maker
They can organise
- arrange solicitor meetings
- collect paperwork
- schedule adviser calls
- request routine information
- track agreed follow-up
You should normally decide
- whether to invest
- how much money to give away
- whether to buy a property
- which professionals to appoint
- major family decisions
Professionals should advise
- investment recommendations
- tax treatment
- legal agreements
- trusts and estate planning
- specialist security risks
How much support might actually fit your life?
This planner deliberately does not ask how large your lottery win was. It looks at the workload a PA would actually be handling.
A defined part-time role could remove recurring administration without creating a larger household structure than you need.
Recruit for trust, judgement and organisation — not just convenience
A private PA may know when you are travelling, who visits your home, where your children need to be and which professionals you work with. That makes recruitment more important than simply finding somebody who is good at calendars.
Write the role first
Define duties, hours, travel, availability and information access before interviewing candidates.
Check employment history
Verify references and previous roles rather than relying only on a polished CV.
Check right to work
If you employ somebody directly, follow the current UK right-to-work process before employment begins.
Check DBS eligibility properly
Some personal-employee roles can qualify for Enhanced DBS checking, but eligibility depends on the duties.
Document confidentiality
Use suitable employment or engagement terms covering confidentiality, data, expenses and access.
Create separate accounts
Give the PA dedicated email, calendars and service access rather than sharing your personal master credentials.
Set spending authority
Agree what can be purchased routinely and which amounts require your approval.
Plan for departure
Know how keys, devices, documents, accounts and digital permissions will be returned or revoked when the role ends.
Remember that hiring help can make you an employer
GOV.UK says you are usually considered the employer when you directly hire somebody to work in your home and they are not genuinely self-employed or paid through an agency.
Contract
Employees have employment rights and should receive the required employment documentation.
Payroll
You may need to register as an employer and operate payroll, tax and National Insurance correctly.
Insurance
Employers' liability insurance may form part of your employer responsibilities.
Pension & rights
Workplace pension, holiday, statutory payments and other employment rights can apply where eligibility rules are met.
Use the support that already comes with a major National Lottery win
£1 million+ winners receive specialist support
The National Lottery currently states that anyone who wins £1 million or more receives free access to legal and financial advice and a wellbeing expert, whether or not they choose publicity. A private PA is therefore not a replacement for the specialist help available through the claim process.
A simple post-win life may not need permanent staff at all
You have little recurring admin
If the workload only appears occasionally, outsourced help may make more sense.
You like managing your own life
There is nothing wrong with continuing to book your own travel, manage your diary and deal directly with suppliers.
You are hiring because it feels expected
Winning millions does not create an obligation to build a staffed household.
What could a new lottery winner actually advertise for?
Private Personal Assistant — example scope
Support a private individual/family with diary management, personal administration, travel, appointments, property and supplier coordination, household paperwork, reservations, events and liaison with professional advisers. The role requires discretion, excellent organisation and sound judgement. Financial, legal and investment decisions remain with the principal and their professional advisers.
Related My Lottery Life guides
Personal assistant FAQs for lottery winners
What exactly is a personal assistant?
Do lottery winners actually need a PA?
Should I start with a part-time PA?
How much does a private PA cost?
What information should my PA be allowed to see?
Should my PA have access to my bank accounts?
Can my PA talk to my solicitor or financial adviser?
Should a PA sign an NDA?
Can I get a DBS check for a PA?
Do I become an employer?
Can a PA travel with us?
What is the difference between a PA and a household manager?
When would I need a lifestyle manager?
When is a family office more appropriate?
Sources used for this guide
Salary figures are market examples rather than guaranteed rates. Employment, DBS and right-to-work information is based on current UK government guidance.
My Lottery Life is an independent information website. This guide is general information about private household support and is not employment, tax, legal, financial, data-protection or security advice. Salary and recruitment conditions change over time, so check current market information before hiring.