Custody case cost tracker (free spreadsheet + printable).

What’s in the tracker

Twelve columns, one row per bill or fee. The same columns are in the spreadsheet and the printable.

• DateThe date on the invoice, receipt or fee notice.
• Billed byWho sent the bill: the attorney or firm, the court, a mediator, an evaluator, a process server.
• What it was forOne plain line, copied from the invoice where you can, for example “Filing fee, motion” or “Phone call and email review.”
• CategoryAttorney time, retainer deposit, court or filing fee, service of papers, mediation, evaluator or expert, copies or records, travel, or other. The spreadsheet offers these as a dropdown, and you can type your own.
• HoursOnly if the invoice lists them. Leave it blank otherwise.
• RateOnly if the invoice lists it.
• Amount billedWhat the invoice or fee notice says, exactly.
• Amount paidWhat you actually paid. A partial payment is fine: enter what you paid.
• Date paidThe day the payment went out.
• Retainer balance (from statement)If a statement shows what is left of a retainer, copy that number. Don’t calculate it yourself.
• Invoice / receipt (where it’s kept)The exact place: which folder, email account or box. Keep the invoice itself.
• NotesAn invoice number, a fee-waiver form if you filed one, a question you asked about the bill and the answer.

Looking for help with custody legal fees?

There’s no single national program that pays for custody cases. What’s available depends on your state, your court and your income. These are places people commonly ask:

• A legal aid organization in your stateSome offer free or low-cost help in family cases for people under an income limit. Case types accepted, availability and wait times vary.
• Your court’s self-help centerStaff can explain forms and steps. They can’t represent you or tell you what to do in your case.
• The clerk, about fee waiversMany courts let people ask to waive or reduce filing fees if they meet that court’s rules. Ask the clerk or self-help center whether your court has a fee-waiver process and which form, if any, it uses.
• Limited-scope (unbundled) helpWhere the state allows it, some attorneys will take one task, such as reviewing a document or coaching you before a hearing, for a set fee or by the hour.
• The state bar’s lawyer referral serviceSome referral services offer a first consultation at a reduced fee.
• Law school clinics and court mediation programsSome law schools run family-law clinics, and some courts offer mediation at no cost or on a sliding scale.

Whether any of these fits your situation is a question for them, or for a licensed attorney where you live. This page doesn’t estimate what a case costs or say whether any cost can be recovered from the other parent.

How to fill it in

Record-keeping tips only. They don’t say whether any bill is reasonable or what to do about it.

• One row per bill or fee.Enter it the day it arrives. A year of invoices is much harder to rebuild later.
• Copy, don’t estimate.Hours, rates and amounts come straight from the invoice or receipt. If something is unclear, ask whoever sent it.
• Keep every invoice and receipt.Save the PDF or a photo, keep the original if you can, and write exactly where it lives.
• Copy the retainer balance from the statement.If a statement shows what is left of a retainer, copy that number. The tracker doesn’t work it out for you.
• Note fee-waiver papers too.If you file a fee-waiver form, add a row with no amount and a note of the date and where the copy is kept.
• Let the sheet do the math.The Total row adds Amount billed and Amount paid. Filter by Category or Billed by to see one kind of cost.
• Bring organized papers to paid time.Time spent sorting documents can cost money. Some people use an attorney handoff checklist and send non-urgent questions together in one email.

More free tools for the same job

• Attorney handoff packet checklist: what to bring a lawyer so paid time goes to advice, not sorting.
• Co-parenting expense tracker, for child costs such as medical bills, school and childcare.
• Custody evidence tracker, for texts, photos, emails and records.
• Free hearing-prep plan: a week-by-week organization checklist up to your hearing date.

A record-keeping template, not legal or financial advice and not a court form. For advice about your situation, talk with a licensed attorney where you live. More free downloads are on the free templates page.