Adoption costs are part of the journey many avoid discussing. Families come to adoption in various ways. This is only our story and experience.
Adoption

Adoption – The Cost

(Last Updated On: July 23, 2016)

Adoption costs are part of the journey many avoid discussing. However, few people are truly aware of or prepared for the adoption costs.

Families come to adoption in various ways, after long infertility battles or even as the way to grow their family by choice, or desire to give a family to a child in foster care. This is only our story and experience.

Seven years ago today, we officially started our adoption journey with our first conversation with an adoption facilitator and our first sticker shock.

I went from excited to defeated in one call, but we had a plan.

We don’t want to think about the costs. It seems vulgar to assign a monetary value to a person.

Discussing #adoptioncosts is hard, but being prepared is priceless if you're planning to adopt. Click To Tweet

But the expenses don’t pay for a baby, they pay for all the necessary parts of funding an agency or court fees, etc. and understanding these expenses can mean having the option to adopt or not having the resources when your heart is ready.

Adoption costs are part of the journey many avoid discussing. Families come to adoption in various ways. This is only our story and experience.

Adoption costs vary depending on the adoption route.

Some are nearly free or just legal fees, which generally run a couple thousand dollars (foster to adopt or private adoption of a family member’s or friend’s child).

Some are less expensive, through state or public agencies or the adoption of a minority or impaired child (mentally, physically, health impairments, etc.) in which the state assists with the costs.

The (potentially) quickest (but costliest) method of adoption is the one we pursued, private agency.

We chose a non-profit agency, but the agency still has employees and maintains several offices across the country with overhead expenses.

Our adoption costs from 2010

Rates change yearly, and some agencies have a sliding scale depending on salary.

Home study – $1500 for the first visit and subsequent two visits post placement. About $250 baby-proofing for the home study.

$ 500 – application fee (one agency had a $150 fee just to get the application)

$6000 – retainer due when accepted as clients

$10,000 – Agency fee due prior to placement. We paid this AT the hospital.

$4,610 – Birth mother living expenses for end of pregnancy (6-9 months)

$1830 – birth mother expenses postpartum (one month to recover)

$1000 – travel expenses for agency (we lived in same state as agency and birth mother, these could have been much higher)

$6320 – anticipated legal costs (ours turned out to be $1850 higher)

Total – $31,760 plus all the little fees and costs here and there.

Attaining certain documents and fingerprinting cost several hundred dollars.  We spent a  $110 on our profile booklet.

We spent another $250 for website advertising of us as a “Waiting Family” plus various hotel/travel living expenses while the baby was in the NICU.

Total adoption costs for us ended up at around $36,000.

Depending on your family’s financial situation, this may not be an overwhelming expense, but as a teacher and soldier, our budget definitely needed some adjusting.

It took years of discipline, of living below our means to save the money. We lived very frugally, eliminated all unnecessary debt and still had to borrow $6000 from my mom.

Saving for an adoption took sacrifice, but so does parenting #AdoptionCosts #PricelessBlessings Click To Tweet

I didn’t buy new underwear for a really long time, much less new shoes.

Sacrifice is definitely part of the parenting equation anyhow!

For my first birthday as a mom, I gave myself a high chair for our daughter. For Christmas I got a vacuum and was SUPER excited.

That’s how you know you’re a grown up.

Saving up on a modest income can be challenging.

My best recommendation is to pay off your cars, even if you have to trade down to eliminate payments. Cut as many unnecessary expenses as possible.

If you are able to wait, then it’s a good to be debt free, have a savings account, before you start saving toward an adoption. Being financially secure when the baby comes is priceless. We used Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover.

If necessary, adoption loans exist, and you could pay back a loan using the adoption tax credit from your taxes, which was $13,170 in 2010.

Saving money has never been easier than when I knew the goal was a beautiful baby. Yet, it took quite a bit of dedication and combined commitment as a couple to save the money.

But we can’t put a price tag on our wonderfully precious daughter because somethings are just priceless.

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12 Comments

  • Rober Smith

    Me and my wife are planning to adopt a child AND I’m definitely was not aware of the expenses on the Adoption but I have got some idea on the expenses. Are these expenses applicable to all age groups of children ? If yes can you please mention it..

    • Jennifer

      These expenses are for infant adoptions through an agency. Expenses are more for foreign adoptions which are for older children generally. In the US, you can adopt older children through the foster system for a few thousand dollars, generally 90% legal fees.

        • Jennifer

          Your state should have a foster care system that cares for children who have been removed from the care of their parents due to abuse or other serious causes.

          • Rober Smith

            Thanks for giving me some idea on foster system yeah I will look into this but I was concerned for Bloomington,Indiana (US ). Do you have any idea for US regarding Adoption and information related to Adoption. If you have anything you can share with me I will be very thankful to you because me and my wife are planning to adopt a child.

  • Rachel Osborn

    I don’t understand why it has to be so expensive. Like, why does an application cost that much?? Isn’t it cheaper for the state to have a child placed in a loving home rather than to be place in foster care? And why is it you have to pay for the mother’s expenses? It is just not fair!

    • Jennifer

      The application fee goes toward your expenses but makes sure the family is serious and not just curious. And living expenses are optional, but we chose to pay them. She didn’t have a great job and this gave her the ability to focus on her health.

  • Becoming Mom

    My husband and I are planning on adopting our next child. I think the whole concept is such a beautiful and amazing picture of the gospel. I am not looking forward to the money side of things but you are so right…some things are priceless! Seeing the cost of your adoption is definitely a sobering eye opener for me. I need to spend less and save more.

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