How Much Does a Private Investigator Cost? 2026 Rates

Most private investigators charge by the hour, and a 2026 survey of 32 firms found an average of $132 an hour. Add a retainer of about $1,500 or more up front, plus travel and report fees, and a small case can reach four figures fast. Some of that money buys real fieldwork. Some of it buys a records lookup you could run in minutes.

• Hourly rate: $132 on average, from $25 to $250 (April 2026 survey)
• Retainer: about $1,500 or more before work starts
• Written report: $125 to $550
• Infidelity case: one investigator quotes $1,000 to $5,000
• Records question: a people search answers who, where and which number in minutes

How much does a private investigator cost?

Expect to pay about $132 an hour on average, with quotes running from $25 to $250. That figure comes from Zealous Advocate, which spoke with 32 investigation firms across the top 10 US metros in April 2026 (page dated May 5, 2026). Twenty-six firms gave a rate. The median was $130.

Rates move with your city, the investigator's experience and how hard the job is. Big metros cost more. Specialists cost more. A rate on a website is only a starting point, so always ask for the scope and the rate in writing.

The four numbers that shape most PI bills. Source: Zealous Advocate survey of 32 firms, April 2026.

How much does it cost to hire a private investigator?

The hourly rate is only part of it, because most firms ask for a retainer and then bill extras on top. Here is what the bill usually contains.

• Retainer: about $1,500 or more, paid up front. Your hours are billed against it.
• Investigative report: $125 to $550, according to the same April 2026 survey.
• Flat-fee cases: one investigator told eInvestigator he charges $1,000 to $5,000 for an infidelity investigation (page dated February 2026).
• Expenses: mileage, gas, parking, plane or train tickets, hotels, court fees and database report fees, all listed by eInvestigator (February 2026).

Most investigators bill surveillance by the hour, so I am not going to guess at a day rate. Ask each firm for its minimum session length and its mileage rate before you sign.

What does a private investigator do?

A private investigator gathers facts for a client, and the work falls into two very different kinds. The first is fieldwork: following a person, photographing what they do, interviewing witnesses and writing up what was seen. The second is desk work: searching public records, court files, address history and phone details.

The fieldwork is slow, so it is billed by the hour, and it can run for days. The desk work is where many clients overpay. A lot of it is a database search that happens to be billed at investigator rates, and eInvestigator notes that agencies pay subscription or search fees for those reports.

How to hire a private investigator?

Hire a licensed one when the job needs a person on the ground, or when the result has to stand up later. Three jobs really do need a professional.

1. Surveillance: someone has to watch, follow and document, which a database cannot do.
2. Evidence for court: an investigator can testify about what they saw and how they got it.
3. Service of process: legal papers have to be delivered the right way, usually by a process server.

Before you pay, check the license in your state, ask for the rate and retainer in writing, and ask what exactly the report will contain. That is trust but verify, and it saves money.

What can a private investigator find out?

A lot of what an investigator finds comes from public records, and that part is the same kind of search a people search runs. Think name and aliases, past addresses, relatives, phone numbers, social profiles, court records and marriage or divorce records.

If your question starts with who is this person, where do they live or what records exist, you are asking a records question. You are not asking for surveillance. Paying hours of investigator time to answer it is the most common way people overspend.

Sort the job first. Fieldwork and court evidence go to a PI. Who-is-this questions go to a lookup.

How to find out who owns a phone number?

Run the number through a people search and you get the carrier, line type and location first, then the name and the records tied to it. It is the same question many people pay an investigator to answer, and it takes minutes instead of days.

Deepscanner starts with a free preview, so you see what it found before you pay. The person you search is never notified. The exact price is shown before you pay, you can cancel in one click, and if nothing is found you can ask for your money back within 30 days. A full report takes about 2 minutes and draws on 500M+ records from 100+ sources.

What is a skip trace?

A skip trace is a search to locate a person who is hard to find, using their name, past addresses, phone numbers and other records. Many investigators bill it by the hour. It is a records lookup at heart, which is why a people search is built for it.

Run a number you already have and the report can show the name behind it, past and current addresses, relatives and associates, and social profiles. That is a strong starting point whether you go on to hire a PI or not.

Should you hire a private investigator or run a lookup first?

Run the lookup first, then hire a PI only if you still need fieldwork. Surveillance, court evidence and serving papers are real investigator jobs, and no website replaces them. Be honest with yourself about which one you have. If it is a records question, start there.

Deepscanner is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Do not use it to make decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or tenant screening.