Review criteria
- +Hours by case and date
- +Expenses and mileage
- +Billable vs. retainer draw
- +Invoice-ready totals
PI Hours & Expense Tracker in Private Investigator
The PI Hours & Expense Tracker is a copy-ready spreadsheet for private investigator that tracks time, case, hours, expenses, billable. It opens unchanged in both Google Sheets and Excel, needs no add-ons or macros, and takes about 15 minutes to set up.
Last updated: August 2026
Excel workbook · opens in Google Sheets · 3 tabs · no sign-up
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What’s inside “PI Hours & Expense Tracker”
Tabs: How to use · Time and expenses · BillingFormat: Excel (.xlsx) · opens in Google SheetsSetup: About 15 minutesColumns: 8
Columns (grey = calculated for you)
- Date
- Case
- Activity
- Hours
- Miles
- Expenses
- Expense note
- Billable
- Open the Time and expenses tab and replace the sample rows with your own — one row per entry. Formulas fill in automatically for new rows.
- Log hours, miles and receipts the same day; your report and invoice come from this log.
- Retainer left shows when to ask for more before working past what the client prepaid.
- Using Google Sheets? Upload the file to Google Drive, then open it with Google Sheets (or File → Import in an open sheet). Formulas, dropdowns and highlights carry over.
The file opens locally on your device — nothing is uploaded, and you own the copy outright.
PI Hours & Expense Tracker
About this template
It is built for people who want results without another subscription: investigators billing by the hour. The whole template is free to copy — there is no paid tier. Because it is a plain spreadsheet, you own your data outright and can shape every column to how you actually work.
Review evidence
What to verify before choosing PI Hours & Expense Tracker
Use the review criteria below to decide whether this template fits your workflow.
Often worth considering when
- +Investigators billing by the hour
- +Anyone drawing from retainers
Pause before choosing when
- -Automated invoicing
- -Integrated payment processing
About Private Investigator
Why people consider this option
- +Track cases, hours, and expenses without paid software
- +Keep every case file and surveillance log in a file you own
- +Know your billable hours and case status
What to review before acting
- -No secure evidence storage or reporting without a tool
- -Busy firms need real PI software
Trust FAQ
Questions people ask before copying a template
Does the PI Hours & Expense Tracker work in both Google Sheets and Excel?
Yes. It is built with standard functions and no macros, so it opens and works the same in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel — on desktop or your phone.
Is the PI Hours & Expense Tracker really free?
The core template is free to copy and use. There is no paid tier — download the Excel workbook, replace the sample rows with your own, and you are ready to work.
What does the PI Hours & Expense Tracker track?
It tracks time, case, hours, expenses, billable. The workbook comes with these columns plus the formulas, dropdowns and highlights already set up. Replace the sample rows and the totals update as you go.