What is a subcontract PI job?

A subcontract PI job is a case engagement where one agency hires an independent licensed investigator on a 1099 or contract basis to handle specific case work. Agencies use subcontracting to extend capacity, cover unfamiliar geography, or access specialty experience.

Private Investigation Agencies

Q: Are private investigation agencies licensed?

Yes — in most US states, both individual private investigators and the agencies they operate under must be separately licensed. Requirements vary by state. Every agency on Investigator Jobs Portal is licensed-verified before they can engage clients or post jobs.

Q: How do agencies use Investigator Jobs Portal?

Agencies use the platform to hire full-time investigator employees through the job board, subcontract case overflow to qualified independent PIs, and extend geographic coverage by engaging licensed PIs in states where the agency does not have in-house staff.

Q: How do I find a private investigation agency near me?

Post your case on Investigator Jobs Portal and receive proposals from agencies and investigators in your area. You can filter by location, specialty, licensing, and ratings to find the right fit.

A private investigation agency is a licensed firm of professional investigators that handles cases for attorneys, insurance carriers, businesses, and private clients across the United States. Agencies typically offer broader service coverage, multiple investigators per case, and the operational infrastructure that complex investigations require.

Investigator Jobs Portal connects both sides of the private investigation agency ecosystem:

If you’re looking to hire a private investigator: Whether you need a single investigator or a multi-specialist agency, start by posting your case through our job portal.
If you’re a private investigation agency:Use the platform to post subcontract jobs, hire full-time PIs, or extend your case capacity nationwide without expanding overhead.

Hire a Private Investigator

What Is a Private Investigation Agency?

A private investigation agency (also called a PI agency or private detective agency) is a licensed firm that conducts investigations on behalf of clients. Unlike independent solo investigators, agencies typically employ multiple licensed PIs, handle higher case volume, offer multi-disciplinary specialties under one roof, and maintain the operational infrastructure (case management, reporting, billing, compliance) that complex investigations require.

Most US states regulate private investigation agencies through licensing boards that oversee both individual investigators and agency operations. State requirements vary; see official PI licensing websites for all 50 US states for jurisdiction-specific information.

Private investigation agencies range from:

Solo-led agencies; a licensed lead investigator with a small team or subcontractor network
Regional firms; multi-investigator agencies serving a specific metro or state
Multi-state agencies; larger firms with licensed coverage across many jurisdictions
Specialty agencies; firms focused on a particular type of work (insurance fraud, corporate investigation, surveillance, background screening)

Why Work with a Private Investigation Agency

Clients hire private investigation agencies, rather than solo PIs for several reasons:

Capacity: Agencies can dedicate multiple investigators to time-sensitive cases (surveillance teams, multi-state coordination, parallel work streams)
Specialty coverage: Larger agencies often have specialists in forensic accounting, computer forensics, surveillance, and background work all under one engagement
Geographic reach: Multi-state agencies handle interstate matters with licensed investigators in each jurisdiction
Operational reliability: Established agencies maintain insurance, bonding, case management systems, and reporting standards expected by law firms, insurance carriers, and corporations
Continuity: If one investigator is unavailable, agencies have backups; solo PIs don’t
Vendor compliance: many corporate and insurance carriers require licensed agency engagement rather than 1099 solo investigators for vendor-risk reasons

When you hire a private investigator through the Investigator Jobs Portal, you can engage either a solo investigator or an established private investigation agency, whichever better fits your case.

Services Private Investigation Agencies Provide

Private investigation agencies handle the full range of investigative work:

Surveillance and Field Investigation

Stationary surveillance, mobile surveillance, activity checks, and sub rosa investigations. Agencies handle surveillance volume that solo investigators often can’t, with team coverage for multi-location or extended-duration cases.

Litigation Support and Legal Investigations

Witness location, evidence gathering, asset searches, and trial preparation; supporting law firms across civil litigation, criminal defense, family law, and commercial disputes.

Process Service and Court Support

Process service, court document support, and coordination of difficult service of evasive parties, often handled by agencies with both PI and process server credentials.

Background Investigations and Due Diligence

Comprehensive background investigations for hiring, partnership due diligence, litigation, and personal vetting; covering criminal, civil, financial, professional, and reputational research.

Corporate and Internal Investigations

Internal fraud, employee misconduct, IP cases, due diligence, and executive background screening, confidential investigations for businesses of every size.

Fraud Investigation

Insurance fraud, workers compensation fraud, corporate fraud, and consumer fraud investigations; combining surveillance, financial analysis, and statement-taking under one agency engagement.

Skip Tracing and Witness Location

Locating individuals who cannot be found through public records alone by using legal databases, field investigation, and structured locate techniques.

How Investigator Jobs Portal Connects You with Private Investigation Agencies

If you’re searching for a private investigation agency for your case, Investigator Jobs Portal lets you post your case and receive proposals from agencies and investigators whose specialties, location, and experience match your needs.

Rather than searching directories of unverified agencies or relying on phone-book listings, you can:

Post your case and receive multiple proposals from qualified agencies and investigators
Compare credentials, specialties, and prior case experience before engagement
Verify state licensing, every agency and investigator is licensed-verified before they can submit proposals
Engage with escrow protection, funds released only when agreed milestones are met
Manage the entire case through one secure platform, communication, deliverables, and payment in one place

For specialized needs, consider engaging agencies experienced in:

Litigation work: Check our private investigator for attorneys page
Insurance fraud, check our insurance fraud investigator page
Corporate investigations, check our corporate private investigator page

Or browse the full hire a private investigator hub for the complete range of options.

For Private Investigation Agencies: Use the Platform to Hire and Grow

If you operate a private investigation agency, Investigator Jobs Portal is built to extend your capacity, simplify your hiring, and let you focus on case work instead of recruiting overhead.

Agencies use the platform for three primary purposes:

Hiring full-time PI employees; post job openings on our PI job board, receive applications from licensed investigators nationwide
Subcontracting case overflow; when case volume exceeds your in-house team’s capacity, post subcontract jobs to qualified PIs
Extending geographic coverage; post cases in states where you don’t have licensed investigators of your own, and engage local licensed PIs through the platform

Posting Subcontract Jobs to Other Investigators

When your agency takes on more cases than your investigators can cover or when you need a licensed PI in a state where you don’t have coverage, the platform connects you with private investigator subcontractor jobs available across our network of qualified independent investigators.

Post a subcontract job specifying:

Case type, jurisdiction, and required licensing
Scope of work, deliverables, and timeline
Compensation structure (fixed-fee, hourly, or per-case)

Receive proposals within hours, review credentials and ratings, and engage qualified subcontractors with full escrow protection. The platform handles W-9 collection, agreement signing, payment, and case management end-to-end.

Posting Employee Job Listings (Full-Time PI Hiring)

Agencies that want to hire full-time, salaried investigators can post private investigator jobs through our job board. These are conventional employment listings, viewable to PIs across the country who use the platform to find work.

Hiring through the platform gives agencies access to:

Licensed PIs actively seeking employment
Investigators with verified credentials and prior case experience
Specialty-matched candidates (fraud, surveillance, background, corporate)
PIs in specific states where your agency needs licensed coverage

How to Use Investigator Jobs Portal as an Agency

Sign Up as an Agency

Access the Dashboard

Look on the map to see how many investigators we have in the area where you need coverage.

Post the Subcontract Job

Invite select agencies or open to all. Block unwanted ones. Get proposals, check profiles and chat with investigators.

Hire your Subcontractor

Use our subcontracting agreement template or upload your own. Sign and send it to subcontractor to sign as well.

W9 Form Processing

Pay via escrow or later. New users should use escrow for more proposals. Reputation can ease later payments.

Case Information Form

Fill out the case information form, so your subcontractor can begin the case.

Case Materials

Receive the necessary case materials provided by the subcontractor.

Approval

Review the completed work carefully and decide whether to approve it or request any necessary changes.

Release Payment

Confirm that the job has been successfully completed to your satisfaction and release the payment.

Rating

Evaluate your subcontractor’s performance by providing a rating based on their quality of work.

What It Costs for Agencies on the Platform

Agencies use Investigator Jobs Portal under transparent, no-surprise pricing:

Free signup and verification: No setup fees, no upfront commitment
Subcontract job posting: Small posting fee or transactional model
Employment job posting: Small fee per posting for full-time PI job listings
Escrow processing: Transparent percentage on transaction value, fully disclosed upfront
No recruitment commissions: Direct relationship between your agency and the investigators you engage

See our full transparent fee structure for agencies, investigators, and clients.

Why Choose Investigator Jobs Portal for Your Agency

Verified investigator network: Every PI is licensed-verified before they can submit proposals
Nationwide coverage: Find qualified investigators in any US state
Escrow protection: Your agency’s funds are protected through every engagement
No recruitment fees: Direct, platform-mediated engagements without third-party costs
Custom agreement support: Use your own engagement terms and NDAs
Case management built-in: Communication, deliverables, and payment in one system
Specialty matching: Find investigators with the specific experience your cases require

Frequently Asked Questions About Private Investigation Agencies

What’s the difference between a private investigation agency and a solo private investigator?

A licensed PI works independently; a private investigation agency is a licensed firm with multiple investigators, typically offering broader service coverage and operational capacity. Both must be properly licensed. Larger cases often benefit from agency engagement; smaller, single-investigator work may be efficiently handled by a solo PI.

How do I find a private investigation agency near me?

Post your case on the Investigator Jobs Portal and receive proposals from agencies and investigators in your area. You can filter by location, specialty, licensing, and ratings to find the right fit. Our licensing websites by state directory also provides official PI regulatory boards in every US state.

Are private investigation agencies licensed?

Yes! In most US states, both individual private investigators and the agencies they operate under must be separately licensed. Requirements vary by state. Every agency on Investigator Jobs Portal is licensed-verified before they can engage clients or post jobs.

How do agencies use Investigator Jobs Portal?

Agencies use the platform to (1) hire full-time investigator employees through the job board, (2) subcontract case overflow to qualified independent PIs, and (3) extend geographic coverage by engaging licensed PIs in states where the agency doesn’t have in-house staff.

Can my agency post jobs in multiple states?

Yes. Agencies can post subcontract jobs and full-time openings in any US state. For cases requiring multi-state coordination, the platform supports coordinated engagement across multiple licensed investigators.

What’s a subcontract PI job?

A subcontract PI job is a case engagement where one agency hires an independent licensed investigator on a 1099/contract basis to handle specific case work. Agencies use subcontracting to extend capacity, cover unfamiliar geography, or access specialty experience. See private investigator subcontractor jobs for more.

Does the platform replace recruiters and staffing agencies?

For PI hiring, yes, agencies hire investigators directly through the platform with no recruiter fees, no third-party commissions. The agency-investigator relationship is direct and platform-mediated.

Browse all frequently asked questions about the platform.

Get Started

Whether you’re looking to hire a private investigation agency for your case, or you operate a private investigation agency and want to expand your hiring and subcontracting capacity, Investigator Jobs Portal is built for the entire PI ecosystem.

Hire a Private Investigator