{"id":7763,"date":"2025-02-21T10:28:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/?p=7763"},"modified":"2025-02-21T10:28:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T15:28:53","slug":"kn-p-330-dollars-and-cents-and-private-investigators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/2025\/02\/kn-p-330-dollars-and-cents-and-private-investigators\/","title":{"rendered":"KN, p. 330  &#8220;Dollars and Cents and Private Investigators&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kerrian-Magnify-Numbers-IMG_5845-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7764\" src=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kerrian-Magnify-Numbers-IMG_5845-261x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kerrian-Magnify-Numbers-IMG_5845-261x300.jpeg 261w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kerrian-Magnify-Numbers-IMG_5845-892x1024.jpeg 892w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kerrian-Magnify-Numbers-IMG_5845-768x882.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kerrian-Magnify-Numbers-IMG_5845-1338x1536.jpeg 1338w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kerrian-Magnify-Numbers-IMG_5845-1784x2048.jpeg 1784w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">If there are no paragraph separations in this article, please double-click on the title to create a more readable version.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">No real surprise, the cost of licensing and fees to become a P.I. varies from State to State and so does the income. There are the guys and gals who want to be their own boss and barely scrape by. There are some that work for pricey attorneys or big corporations, have their fees paid for them, and can make $100K (or more) a year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">In the <strong>State of North Carolina<\/strong>, there is an application fee of $188, which includes a fingerprint check. The license fee is $550, and is good for two years. The licensing process can take anywhere from two to four months. There are several different types of licenses, requiring different levels of education and experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The very basic requirements for the job are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">At least 18 years old<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">High School Diploma or GED<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">United States Citizen<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">No criminal record<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Successfully complete a 90 hour training course<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Pass a written exam<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Have a surety bond of $10,000 to guarantee that the P.I. will do the work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Experience in the field (universally seems to be three years or more, and can include working in other law enforcement fields)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">How much does it cost to be a Private Investigator in <strong>New York?<\/strong> New York fees include $400 for the initial application for a P.I. license, with an additional $400 for the branch office application, and another $88.50 for the fingerprint check. The license is good for two years, and the renewal will cost $400. If a business requires a P.I. or security guard on staff, then the fees are higher across the board and the license is held in the business name. Basic job requirements:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Be 25 years old<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Be a principal (owner\/primary employee) in the company<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Pass the Private Investigator examination within the two years immediately before the application date<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Have either 3 years\u2019 experience or 3 years equivalent position and experience or 20 years of service as a police officer or Fire Marshall.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Fingerprint check<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Proof of a $10,000 surety bond<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The hourly rate for an Investigation company in NYC ranges from about $75 to $150 per hour. Some companies will work out a deal attached to a guaranteed result.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Texas Private Investigator Training <\/strong>You must complete 40 hours of training from a school approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety (the same department that oversees the Texas Rangers.) The courses cover private investigation work, crowd control, observing, weapons, disaster response, traffic direction, and ethics. Once proof of training is submitted, you can then submit the license application.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Fees Required: A $33 application fee and a $25 application fee<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Registration Needed: You need to mail two fingerprint sets or an electronic fingerprint receipt. If the application is approved (with no criminal history) you will receive your license.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Renewal takes place every two years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Texas has one of the largest Private Investigator workforces in the country. Data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 3,320 PIs were working in Texas in 2015. If you choose to work on your own as a Private Investigator in Texas, your salary will average $49,460 per year. That\u2019s about $25. an hour to chase after cheating spouses, and be shot at by people who don\u2019t want their trucks repossessed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Consider the average starting salary of over $63K in 2024 if working for a corporation or the government or an insurance company investigating fraud or financial crimes. Getting shot is less likely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">But, if a becoming a mall cop or night security guard (licensed by the same agency that handles the paperwork for skip tracers and investigators for attorneys) is your goal, then expect a salary less than $40K.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The educational training requirement varies according to the gig.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Police Detective<\/strong>: Just for comparison sake, the USA average starting salary was pegged at a little over $47K a year in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The <strong>risk vs reward<\/strong> discussions should come into play when considering these careers. There are Investigator jobs that can be done mostly at a desk (background checks, financial fraud) and others that are more high-risk (skip tracers, undercover work). Choose wisely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The cost of becoming a Private Investigator<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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