Funding Adoption

Prospective adoptive parents may be concerned about the financial costs of adopting an infant or child and their ability to meet these costs. While becoming a parent is rarely free of expenses (even pregnancy and childbirth can be relatively expensive if there is inadequate insurance), adoptive parents often are faced with initial costs that can seem challenging. However, with planning and with knowledge about the different types of adoptions and available resources, they should be able to develop a budget that includes most of the foreseeable expenses. This information was designed to help prospective adoptive parents learn about these expenses so that they can make informed decisions throughout the adoption process.

The total cost of Intercountry adoptions can range from $7,000 up to $30,000, depending on a number of factors. The wide range reflects the multitude of factors that may affect costs, including the type of adoption, the type of placement agency or facilitator, and the child’s age and circumstances. Prospective adoptive parents are encouraged to check with the agencies they are considering to find out more about specific costs for their circumstances.

Range of Adoption Costs

While the overall figures may seem daunting, prospective adoptive parents should explore all adoption options and the associated costs for each. In some cases, the total cost may be much less than the maximum figures cited here; resources may also be available to help offset costs.

Breaking down the total cost into categorized expenses helps prospective parents understand what is involved and how to determine a predictable range for their costs. In some cases, understanding the costs associated with different types of adoption may help parents decide which type of adoption to pursue, or whether to pursue this approach to building a family.

To help explain some of the costs; we can look at two categories of expenses:

• Universal expenses, that is, those that occur for every type of adoption, including home study expenses and court costs.
• Intercountry-specific expenses, that is, those that are associated particularly with intercountry adoption, as opposed to foster care adoptions, and domestic infant adoptions.

All adoptive parents pay some combination of universal and adoption-specific expenses.