A handle assembly for a spinning reel includes a handle, a handle shaft, and a tubular member. The handle is configured to be rotated by a user. The handle shaft includes a distal-end portion screwed to a tubular gear shaft disposed in a gear that is built into a reel body, and a base-end portion onto which the handle is attached. The tubular member covers the handle shaft, the handle shaft has a flange between the distal-end portion and the base-end portion and at a position spaced apart from the base-end portion, and the tubular member has a first portion abutting the flange and a second portion abutting a shaft bearing of the gear shaft.