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Why you need an FOI tracker
A single FOI request is manageable in your inbox. Ten requests to different authorities on the same investigation — with different deadlines, reference numbers, and response status — is a system problem. Without a tracker, deadlines slip, follow-ups are forgotten, and you lose the thread of what has been disclosed and what has not.
A tracker also serves as an evidence trail. When you publish a story based on FOI disclosures, your editor, legal team, and fact-checkers need to verify that the data came from where you say it did. The tracker, combined with filed PDF responses, creates that chain of custody.
Finally, a tracker shows patterns: which authorities consistently respond late, which routinely refuse, and which have provided useful data on similar topics before. This intelligence improves your future requests.
When tracking is essential
- 1Multi-authority projects — filing the same request to 20+ councils, trusts, or police forces.
- 2Long-running investigations where requests span weeks or months alongside other work.
- 3When you need to cite specific FOI responses in a story — reference numbers, dates, and authority names must be accurate.
- 4When working with an editor or producer who needs visibility of your evidence base.
- 5When you anticipate legal challenge to your published story — a documented evidence trail matters.
- 6When you return to a topic months later and need to know what was already obtained.
Red flags without a tracker
- You have lost an authority's reference number and cannot identify which request their response relates to.
- You miss the 20-working-day deadline without chasing — the authority is in breach and you did not notice.
- You cannot locate the original PDF of a response when your editor asks for it.
- You are unable to accurately cite the date and reference number in your published story.
- You have filed a duplicate request to an authority that already responded — wasting their resource and your time.
- You cannot tell at a glance which requests are overdue, which are in internal review, and which are at ICO stage.
The tracker columns explained
ID
A sequential reference you assign (FOI-001, FOI-002, etc.). Use this to label your file folder and PDF copies.
Authority
Full legal name of the public authority — as it appears in their correspondence. Important for accurate citation.
Topic / Story
Short description of the request and the story it relates to. Helps you group related requests.
Date Sent
The date the request was submitted. The 20-working-day clock starts from receipt, not sent — but sent date is your reference.
Ack Received
Date of the authority's acknowledgement. Some do not send one — note if absent. If no ack in 5 days, send a confirmation of receipt request.
Deadline (20WD)
Calculate 20 working days from receipt. Use our FOI Deadline Calculator tool for accuracy — bank holidays vary by nation.
Chase 1 / Chase 2
Dates you sent follow-up emails. Send Chase 1 on or just after the deadline if no response. Send Chase 2 one week later. Keep copies.
Response Date
Date the authority's response was received. Critical for timing your internal review if refused.
Ref Number
The authority's own reference number for your request. Always quote this in all follow-up correspondence and in your story citation.
Outcome
Full disclosure / Partial disclosure / Refused / No information held / Exemption applied (note which).
Internal Review
Date you requested an internal review, if applicable. The authority has 20 working days to respond (can extend to 40).
ICO Complaint
Date you submitted an ICO complaint, if applicable. Keep your ICO case reference number here.
Status
Current state: Pending / Overdue / Partial / Refused / Internal Review / ICO / Closed.
File Path
Where you have saved the original PDF and plain-text copy of the response. Use a consistent folder structure.
Notes
Anything relevant: exemptions cited, subjects mentioned, follow-up questions to file, or story angles revealed.
Copyable tracker template
Copy the text below and paste into Google Sheets (File › Import › Paste) or Excel. Columns are tab-separated. Each row is one FOI request.
ID Authority Topic / Story Date Sent Ack Received Deadline (20WD) Chase 1 Sent Chase 2 Sent Response Date Ref Number Outcome Internal Review ICO Complaint Status File Path Notes FOI-001 Metropolitan Police Service Taser deployment 2022–2024 2025-01-06 2025-01-07 2025-02-04 Pending /foi-files/FOI-001/ FOI-002 NHS England Waiting list over 52wks by specialty 2025-01-08 2025-01-08 2025-02-06 2025-01-28 FOI-2025-00123 Partial disclosure Closed /foi-files/FOI-002/ Some specialties redacted s.40 FOI-003 London Borough of Hackney Legal fees 2022–2024 2025-01-10 2025-02-07 2025-02-10 Requested 2025-02-15 Internal review /foi-files/FOI-003/ Refused s.43
Tip: add conditional formatting in Google Sheets to highlight rows where the deadline column date is in the past and Status is still “Pending” — this gives you an automatic overdue alert.
Status key
PendingPartial disclosureFull disclosureRefusedInternal reviewICO complaintClosed
Use these in the Status column. Apply matching colour-coding in your spreadsheet for at-a-glance visibility.
File management and evidence preservation
For each request, create a folder named with your tracker ID (e.g. FOI-001/). Inside that folder, keep:
- The original request (PDF or plain-text copy of your email).
- The acknowledgement from the authority (if received).
- The full response PDF — exactly as received, unedited.
- A plain-text extraction of the key data from any attached spreadsheets.
- Any follow-up correspondence (chase emails, internal review requests).
- Screenshots of the WhatDoTheyKnow disclosure log entry, if applicable.
Back up to at least two locations (e.g. cloud storage + local drive). Do not rely on WhatDoTheyKnow as your only copy — it is a third-party platform and responses can occasionally be redacted or removed by the authority or mySociety.
Tracking checklist
- I have created a tracker row for every active FOI request with a unique ID.
- I have calculated the correct 20-working-day deadline for each request, accounting for bank holidays.
- I have a recurring calendar reminder to review my tracker every Monday morning.
- I have filed the original PDF of every response received in my evidence folder.
- I have noted the authority's reference number for every response received.
- For refused requests: I have recorded the exemption(s) cited and my plan for internal review.
- My tracker is backed up to at least two locations.
- When citing an FOI response in a story: I have the authority name, reference number, and response date confirmed.
Calculate your FOI deadlines automatically
Use our FOI Deadline Calculator to add exactly 20 working days to your submission date, accounting for bank holidays in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Open FOI Deadline CalculatorCommon mistakes
- Calculating 20 calendar days instead of 20 working days — the difference is often a week, and errors trigger premature ICO complaints.
- Not saving a copy of your own request — you will need to quote it when asking for an internal review.
- Tracking in email folders rather than a dedicated tracker — works for three requests, fails at thirty.
- Waiting months before chasing an overdue request — the longer you wait, the harder it is to escalate to the ICO.
- Losing the authority's reference number — you cannot trace or cite the response without it.
- Not backing up — cloud services go down, accounts get locked, and WhatDoTheyKnow is not permanent storage.
Related guides
Primary sources
Frequently asked questions
How many FOI requests can one journalist realistically manage at once?
There is no fixed limit, but most journalists find 20-30 active requests manageable with a tracker. The key constraint is follow-up capacity: every request that does not receive a response within 20 working days needs a chase, and every refusal may need an internal review request. Build that workload into your estimation. For large multi-authority projects (e.g. filing to all 43 police forces), a dedicated spreadsheet and clear workflow is essential.
Should I use Google Sheets, Excel, Notion, or Airtable?
For most journalists, Google Sheets works well — it is free, accessible from anywhere, supports conditional formatting for deadline alerts, and is easy to share with editors. Excel is better if you need offline access or more complex formulas. Notion and Airtable offer kanban views and richer filtering but have a steeper learning curve. The best tool is the one you will actually maintain consistently.
What is the correct citation format for an FOI response in a news article?
The standard format is: [Authority name], response to FOI request [reference number], [date of response]. For example: 'Metropolitan Police Service, response to FOI request 2024-12345, 14 March 2025.' In broadcast and online journalism, it is common to include this in a source note at the foot of the article. Always include the reference number — it allows readers and fact-checkers to verify the response.
How long should I keep FOI responses?
Indefinitely, if possible. FOI responses are primary source documents and may be relevant to future stories, legal proceedings, or complaints. Store both the original (PDF or email) and a plain-text version. The ICO has confirmed that journalists may retain personal data in FOI responses for journalistic purposes under the journalism exemption in data protection law, provided it is held securely.
What should I do if an authority sends a response that contradicts an earlier FOI response from the same authority?
This is a potentially significant story in itself. Record both responses in your tracker with their reference numbers and dates. Write to the authority pointing out the discrepancy and asking for an explanation. The ICO takes contradictory responses seriously — if an authority cannot explain a material difference, it may indicate poor record-keeping or, in serious cases, deliberately misleading a previous requester.