The Cost of Adoption

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It’s no secret that adoption costs are a necessary reality and often a significant amount. In doing a bit of research for this post, I polled several friends who’ve created their families via adoption. These gals make up nearly every aspect of adoption: domestic, international, foster to adopt, and private.

Here’s what I found: Every adoption story is different, including the dollars and cents. 

For those of us using an agency, whether domestic or international adoption, the cost is almost always somewhere in the five-digit range. This covers so much: an agency who has reputable access to waiting children, counseling services for the birth families (sometimes even housing for birth mothers, etc.), paperwork associated with state and national (and sometimes international) laws, counseling services for the adoptive family, facilitating the match between birth mother/orphanage and adoptive parents, completing home study, and so forth. And really when you consider all the work a case worker does on behalf of the adoptive parents for a few months to even a few years, the cost begins to pale. (For a more detailed look at the cost of domestic infant adoption through our adoption agency, click here.)

For those venturing down the private adoption path, the costs vary, but are usually in the four-digit range, depending on particular lawyer’s fees, state fees, and the duration of the process. Private adoption occurs when a birth mother and adoptive family have found one another outside the parameters of an agency. An adoption attorney handles all the paperwork.

For those choosing foster to adopt, the cost is much, much less–often to the tune of $0.00. Yes, you read that right! While foster to adopt comes with more paperwork and legal hurdles, you can adopt through the foster system at no cost. In many instances, the adoptive family will receive stipends from the state to help support the well-being of the child.

With all of these adoption options, it is important for moms and dads thinking about adoption to simply do some research: Contact local agencies, state services, and adoption attorneys to find out what path is best for their family.

But please, please, please, don’t let the cost of adoption scare you, intimidate you, or worry you. It is doable, even the five-figure totals.

Several of the gals I polled mentioned creative ways they raised funds to bring home baby:

  • Ask friends and family to donate items for a garage sale. Advertise the sale as a fundraiser to bring home your child–both in ads notifying others about the sale and at the sale’s location the day of. A friend of mine raised $1500 in one day!
  • One family received 20 percent of purchases from a restaurant during a designated day.
  • Professionals are often willing to donate time to help with the fundraising. For instance, two hair stylists and one masseuse volunteered four hours on a Sunday, raising monies and pampering friends at the same time.

While there are literally endless ways to raise the money to pay for adoption, there are also numerous–and that number is growing–organizations committed to providing scholarships and interest-free loans to families pursuing adoption. It is likely your chosen adoption agency will provide you with more information about such, but these groups are the most commonly referenced:

It is worth noting that many companies provide adoption assistance–and these funds often go unused because many folks don’t know about it. Check with your HR office to determine if this option exists. The government also provides a tax credit for families who adopt a child. This credit is applied to your IRS tax forms submitted the April after placement of the child. Depending on your income, the amount can reach $13,000.

Domestic or international or private or foster, 1 million dollars or zero–the cost of adoption is so very small when you consider the love, the joy, the hope, the wonder of becoming a family with the one meant for you.

What other creative ways have you seen families  raise funds for adoption?

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. I think you have left out the costs of failed adoptions. Many couples try and try to adopt and only experience failed adoptions. Thousands and Thousands of dollars are lost every year to these failed adoptions and there are very few ways for these couples to recoup these losses. Many adoption agencies refuse to work with couples with failed adoption due to these couples being “unlucky” or “too damaged” from the experience. Also many couples cannot continue to try to adopt due to the financial losses. Adoption is not for the weak.

  2. Friends! I’ve learned a bit more about the adoption tax credit since writing this post. In past years, the credit was more like a refund check, but now it is just applied to your taxes. The IRS will deduct from your tax obligation, etc until your allotted credit is used up. Just wanted to be clear on that one!

  3. Jane: You are right! As with anything important, there is always risk. In fact, I have a dear friend who’s tried for three years to adopt. She calls it “adoption infertility.” And if she and her husband choose to stop pursuing adoption, they will lose their deposit with the agency, which is no small chunk of change. However, this financial strain doesn’t apply just to adoption. Certainly, couples who struggle with infertility spend thousands visiting doctors and utilizing treatments to no avail. Parenting–even just trying to become parents–is not for the faint of heart!

  4. Totally agree with you, Emily about important things being a risk and worth it. Parenting is not for the faint of heart and definitely not cheap, no matter how those babies get into our arms. Having “easy” healthy pregnancies, my costs were definitely still not on the small side (doctors, hospitals, specialists, etc) and not subject to a tax credit…just part of becoming parents. Kids aren’t cheap from birth/adoption to college and beyond sometimes! Just part of what we do as parents – make it work, even when it isn’t easy. Finances are always on everyone’s mind, especially during these economic times, but I love you encouraging people to see the bigger picture. I know my husband and I have tried to take the “financial” out of the equation as much as we can, when we make choices based on what we feel is best for our family (such as going to one income when I quit my job to stay at home with kids). Our goals determine our finances, not the other way around.

  5. Emily, can you speak to the cost of adoption attorneys? I have gotten the base pricing from Hope Cottage and Gladney but I am curious to know how much the estimated attorney fees add. Thanks for all of your blog post. They are super helpful!

    • In both of our Texas adoption cases, our attorney costs were less than $2,000, but I suppose that always depends on the situation, etc. But currently, I think that is a fair average. Another great resource for this is FWMB new Adoptive Moms Neighbor Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1655317544708477/. I’m sure a quick poll of these ladies would prove helpful too.

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