How much is it to adopt a child in the us

Average Adoption Costs — How Much Does It Cost to Adopt

Because of several serious health conditions, Leah Atkins knew that when she and her husband were ready to expand their family, adoption was the way to do it. 

Atkins, an interior designer in Lawrenceville, GA, says she and her husband carefully chose an adoption agency that felt like a good fit for them, but they also wanted an agency that focused on the birth mother during and after the adoption. They found the agency and the birth moms, and now the couple has two children. 

While they planned for the adoption costs, the numbers still shocked them. “We knew that it wasn’t cheap, but we had no idea just how expensive it truly was,” said the mom-of-two. “A lot of it goes towards legal fees, which is understandable, but can still be frustrating.” 

While talking about adoption costs can be uncomfortable, Atkins said it’s necessary. “Bringing money into any conversation about adopting a human child sure makes it feel taboo. I think it is important for all parties involved in adoption to educate themselves thoroughly as well as see a therapist to work through any emotions that come up during the process.”

Average adoption costs can vary greatly based on the type of adoption and circumstances around the adoption. If you are considering adopting a child, these are some of the costs you can expect so that you can begin planning for your family’s future. 

The three types of adoption

There are three routes to adopting a child:

• Domestic Adoption: Adopting an infant in the United States
• International Adoption: Adopting a child from another country
• Foster-to-Adopt: Adopting a child from the foster care system

“Researching the various types of adoption is an important part of beginning the adoption journey,” said Rita L. Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “The costs of each kind of adoption differ widely. It is important to know that there are also many options for financial assistance for families hoping to adopt and that understanding these options can go a long way toward alleviating the worry about cost.”

Cost of a domestic adoption

According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average costs of adopting a child in the United States is between $20,000 and $45,000. This price can cover legal fees, home studies, travel and lodging, court fees, and medical and living expenses for the birth parent. Soronen said it’s important to get clarity from the adoption agency or the attorney involved on specific costs prior to making a commitment.

Parents can expect a private adoption agency to be more expensive. However, some agencies will offer a sliding scale based on the adoptive parents’ income. 

For an independent domestic adoption, parents find the birth mother without an agency and use an adoption lawyer to facilitate all of the legal aspects and paperwork. Costs can range from $15,000 to $40,000, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Adoption costs by state may differ since adoption laws vary state to state. 

Cost of an international adoption

Depending on the country of adoption, international adoption costs will vary greatly. Parents should plan to pay between $20,000 and $50,000 for an international adoption, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. 

Be sure to budget for multiple trips to the country before and during the adoption process and add the extra expenses of travel and hotel costs. 

Cost of adoption through foster care

Morgan Lampp and her wife Mara Hill dreamed of adopting a baby and were surprised to learn that in their home state of Florida, foster care adoption costs were almost nothing. “Through our adoption classes it was very clear that there would be little to nothing out of pocket with our adoption,” says Lampp. “The classes, home study, fingerprints and background checks — all covered. Even our lawyer costs for adoption were covered in full.” 

While every state has different rules and fees associated with adoption through foster care and every case is different, for this couple, the process moved very quickly. “Last year we had our home study completed and within a month we were matched with our baby Kai. She was officially adopted by us at the end of May,” said Hill.

According to Soronen, here’s what prospective parents need to know about adoption through foster care:

Adoption from foster care entails working with the public child welfare system and their contract agencies. 

Since the agency holds custody until they are adopted, most of the fees are the responsibility of the public system. 

There are some costs that can occur, including home studies or other out of pocket fees, but these are typically reimbursable and range from $0-$3,000. 

Children adopted from foster care often qualify for state or federal subsidies that follow the child through age 18 or in some circumstances until age 21.  

Many states also offer educational vouchers for youth adopted from foster care. This can include college or trade schools.

New parents Lampp and Hill said they hope adoption through foster care is one that more hopeful parents will explore. “We encourage anyone interested in adopting because these children need a safe and loving environment, and a forever family. If money is something stopping you, know that this may be a route for you.”

Unexpected adoption fees

Even with careful planning, there may be additional fees and expenses that prospective parents should budget for during the adoption process. “Depending on the circumstance and age of a child when adopted, there may be a need for post-adoption medical or mental health assistance,” said Soronen.  

There may also be legal fees to consider. “Since adoption is a legal exchange, families may want to consider engaging an attorney, even if one is not required, to assure that all aspects of the adoption are handled appropriately. ”

How to pay adoption costs

While the cost of adoption can be expensive, there are a variety of ways to save and pay for adoption, including:

• Federal and state subsidies for foster care adoption
• Loans and grants for individuals
• Employer benefits
• Military reimbursements 

The bottom line

“The adoption journey is one that, in the end, joyfully creates or expands a family and provides a child a permanent and loving home,” says Soronen. “Although costs can be a challenging part of that journey, there are multiple options and supports available.”

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Child?

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The adoption process can be long and cost anywhere from less than $1,000 to more than $50,000.

By

Taryn Phaneuf 

Taryn Phaneuf
Writer

Taryn Phaneuf is a writer at NerdWallet. She previously worked as a data reporter and researcher for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. She has reported on education, public policy and other topics for local news outlets in Minnesota, Washington and Kentucky. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota. Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.

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Sep 1, 2022

Edited by Rick VanderKnyff  

Rick VanderKnyff
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Rick VanderKnyff leads NerdWallet's news efforts, and also manages the team responsible for expanding NerdWallet content to additional topics within personal finance. Previously, he has worked as a channel manager at MSN.com, as a web manager at University of California San Diego, and as a copy editor and staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Master of Arts in anthropology.

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Bringing a child into your family is a big decision, emotionally and financially. The process can be long and cost anywhere from less than $1,000 to more than $50,000. Here’s a breakdown of the different ways you can grow your family through adoption — and how much you could expect to spend.

How much does adoption cost?

The cost of adoption depends on the type of adoption you pursue. As you consider how you might want to move forward, keep in mind there are several ways to pay for adoption, from fundraisers and grants to personal loans.

Public agency adoption

How it works: Adopting children through the public welfare system often means beginning as a foster parent. Each state has its own agency, which oversees licensing, education, placement and support for adoptive families.

What it costs: Adoption from foster care is a low-cost option for parents. Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children’s Bureau under the federal Office of the Administration for Children and Families, characterizes foster care adoption as “virtually free of cost.” The majority of foster adoptions cost less than $1,000, according to the most recent Adoptive Families magazine adoption cost survey conducted in 2016-17.

This path to adoption is inexpensive because of state and federal adoption assistance programs put in place to make it more accessible and appealing to adopt children who are in foster care. These children are often older and may have experienced trauma or have special needs.

Helpful resource: The Children’s Bureau offers a state-by-state guide to adoption assistance.

Private adoption

How it works: Parents can work with an adoption agency or attorney to find and adopt children in the U.S. Generally, the process of adopting a child is similar whether you work through a private agency or independently with the help of an attorney. It involves a home study, placement, counseling, training and legal documentation.

What it costs: The cost of a private adoption varies. Working with an agency, you can expect to spend between $30,000 and $60,000, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. It’s slightly less expensive to pursue an independent adoption, which involves working with an attorney. That process ranges in cost from $25,000 to $45,000. Private adoptions are more likely to involve newborns. That means in addition to paying for the adoption process, you would also cover the birth mother’s medical and other expenses.

Intercountry adoption

How it works: This path involves working with private or public adoption agencies in countries outside the United States. The process and fees vary by country and depend on the organization you work with, which could be a government office, agency, orphanage, nonprofit or an individual like an attorney. Some aspects of the process are unique. You’ll have to work through the immigration process, including applying for passports and travel visas, and navigate foreign legal systems. The road can be long. Child Welfare Information Gateway estimates intercountry adoption can take one to five years to complete.

What it costs: On average, intercountry adoption costs $20,000 to $50,000.

Expenses that may arise when adopting a child

Home study

A home study marks the beginning of the adoption process.

During a home study, prospective parents — and their family members — are checked out to make sure they would provide a safe and loving place for a child. A home study requires you to produce documents, including financial statements, employment records and a letter from your doctor about your latest physical. You’d also undergo background checks and interviews. This evaluation phase can cost from $2,000 to $4,000, according to The Gladney Center for Adoption, an adoption agency based in Fort Worth, Texas. That price may be adjusted based on your family’s income.

This step in the process also includes education and training. Some of it may be provided by the state agency that administers the home study at a cost ranging from $300 to $600. Additional hours of training are likely required and would be done on your own through books or online courses, which can cost $100 to $200 per person.

Lastly, during the home study, you’ll agree to a post-placement reporting phase. In the United States, a social worker visits the family multiple times over a six-month period after the child has been placed in the home. Fees for post-placement reporting can range from $1,500 to $2,000.

Search fees

When working with a private agency or an attorney, a major expense in the process goes to searching for and getting matched with a birth mother. Fees for a consultant and advertising may be rolled into an adoption agency’s overall fee. But if you’re pursuing an independent adoption, you’ll likely pay for these services separately and costs can range more widely, depending on how and where you want to advertise. The Gladney Center estimates consulting and advertising can cost between $3,000 and $7,000 for an independent adoption.

Birth mother expenses

People adopting a newborn will be responsible for paying the birth mother’s expenses. This can include medical bills and some living expenses, as well as counseling, legal fees and travel. The Gladney Center estimates these expenses can cost between $6,000 and $8,000 for parents pursuing a private adoption.

Legal fees

There are a lot of legal requirements in adoption, including terminating the rights of the birth parents, court filings, negotiating birth mother expenses and finalizing the adoption after the post-placement reporting period. An adoption agency may roll some of these expenses into its overall fee.

If you’re pursuing an independent adoption, legal fees will be the bulk of your expenses, costing between $7,000 and $15,000.

Travel

Travel costs can crop up for domestic adoptions, though they’re most significant in intercountry adoptions. Distance is a key factor in how much you’ll pay for travel. Another is time. You might be waiting days or weeks for the final legal approval to bring a child home, especially when crossing state lines or country borders.

For private domestic adoptions, you could pay up to $3,000 in travel expenses, according to the Gladney Center. (You could look at getting a travel credit card to offset some of those expenses.)

Estimates vary for intercountry adoption-related travel. The cost can depend on the country where the child is living and the organization you’re working with. In a cost estimate on its website, New Beginnings — an international adoption agency based in New York — says the adoption of a child in South Korea could include $6,000 to $9,000 in travel expenses. The Child Welfare Information Gateway advised in a September 2020 intercountry adoption guide that adoptive parents are often required to be in the child’s country to finalize the adoption. It may require multiple, extended visits.

Raising a child

Adoption in itself can be a long and expensive process, but that’s only a precursor to the full cost of raising a child. New parents should budget for those expenses, which can top $21,000 in the first year alone.

About the author: Taryn Phaneuf is a writer at NerdWallet. Read more

On a similar note...

Adoption process in the USA - Immigration to the USA

Family is, of course, one of the main values ​​in a person's life. However, unfortunately, not all families can have a child. Moreover, there are a huge number of children in the world who are deprived of parental love and affection. Therefore, adoption is a great option for many to find a long-awaited family.

It is worth saying that in the USA adoption of children from other countries is in great demand. According to USCIS statistics, there are about 5,000 international adoptions a year in the United States. nine0006 The reasons for this are the desire of Americans to help children from underdeveloped and economically unstable countries and give them a chance for a brighter future. In addition, at the moment, many are striving to create multicultural families. Well, an important factor that pushes families to international adoption is the huge competition and the duration of this procedure in the United States.