How Much Does It Cost To Adopt A Child?
Explaining the Cost Associated with Adoption
The cost associated with adoption is something many hopeful adoptive parents have concerns about. Most people know the process can be expensive but aren’t sure exactly what it looks like. We’re here to answer your questions.
There are many factors that determine how much it costs to adopt a child, including:
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Whether you adopt through a domestic adoption agency, an international adoption professional, the foster care system or as an independent adoption.
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The type of adoption professional you choose and how they structure their costs.
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The variable adoption expenses (medical, legal, living) required to complete the adoption.
The following information will break down adoption costs in the U.S. for hopeful adoptive families.
Additionally, this guide will provide information about the cost of adoption with American Adoptions and how we can benefit you.
How Much Does it Cost to Adopt a Baby in the United States?
The average cost of adoption can vary widely, and the best way to find out the cost for your specific adoption is to speak with adoption professionals.
Ask any professional you are considering working with these questions, and look for specific answers.
Some of the costs for adoption that you find may seem high, but there are reasons for the expenses. Understanding those can help paint a clearer picture of why these costs are necessary.
While some adoption professionals, like law centers and adoption facilitators, try to hide extra fees in the footnotes, you won’t find that with American Adoptions. If you’re wondering how much it costs to adopt, you’ve come to the right place.
We are committed to completing your adoption journey from start to finish with financial transparency and clarity when it comes to the practical aspects of this process, like the costs that come with infant adoption.
Helpful Information
Adoption Costs and 3 Benefits of American Adoptions
American Adoptions specializes in private domestic infant adoptions. If you are adopting from foster care or considering international adoption, adoption expenses will differ from what is outlined here.
We are specifically looking at the question, “How much does adoption cost in the U.S.?”
Any family who commits emotionally and financially to the adoption process deserves an adoption professional who is equally committed.
There are several important benefits worked into our total adoption costs, all of which exist to help our adoptive families collectively save hundreds of thousands of dollars:
1. Fixed Agency Fees
Our agency fees remain fixed regardless of the total cost of the adoption or the number of hours required by our staff to complete the entire adoption process.
Some adoption professionals will dramatically increase fees as the adoption process goes on, which can add up quickly and drastically increase how much it costs to adopt a child.
2. Refunds
Many of our adoptive families receive a refund from their adoption, ranging from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
American Adoptions always prepares families financially for the worst-case scenario by collecting medical expenses to cover any:
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Retainers
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Co-pays
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Out-of-pocket medical expenses not covered by Medicaid or other insurance
Once the adoption is finalized and all final billing is complete, unused money for medical expenses is given directly back to the adoptive family.
3. Financial Protection
Many families won’t experience an adoption disruption. But, it can still happen. According to national research, as many as 10-25% of adoptions don’t work out.
It’s something you have to consider, especially when asking, “How much does adoption cost in the U.S.?”
An adoption disruption can occur late in the process after you have already put significant financial investment into the adoption.
So, what happens to all of those expenses that have already been covered?
Most adoption professionals are unable to offer any kind of financial protection, and the few that do usually use a “rollover” process.
This means your lost money will be “rolled over” into a future adoption situation.
Instead of using the rollover process, American Adoptions makes it very simple for families with our Risk-Sharing Program. This program has saved adoptive families more than $4.6 million since 2009.
In the event of an adoption disruption, any post-activation money you’ve invested with our agency will be directly refunded to you. This includes:
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Living expenses
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Medical expenses
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Fixed agency fees
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Most legal expenses
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And more
Even though some families may suffer emotional disappointments, they shouldn’t suffer financial disappointments.
Setting Your Adoption Budget
You will work with your adoption specialist to set your maximum adoption budget.
You will then be presented with adoption situations that fall within or below your budget based on the total anticipated cost of the adoption. In some cases, you may also be presented with adoption situations where the adoption cost is above your budget.
This is based on the prospective birth mother’s circumstances throughout her pregnancy.
You are not obligated to accept these adoption opportunities; however, many families have pursued these situations outside of their budget because they were able to adopt sooner.
For more information on financial planning and the most up-to-date average total adoption cost for our program, you can contact us online today or call us at 1-800-ADOPTION.
List of Private Adoption Costs with American Adoptions
Let’s get to the “why” behind all these costs. How much adoption costs is based on a wide array of necessary expenses to complete a successful adoption. There are many moving parts in this process.
As an adoptive family, you deserve as much transparency as possible about what your funds are going toward. Transparency is the key to trust, which is vital in the adoption process.
The following is an itemized list of American Adoptions’ services and fees required to successfully complete an adoption:
Professional Services for Adoptive Parents
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Counseling and educational preparation for adopting a child
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Orientation conferences, meetings and adoption seminars
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Arranging, coordinating and overseeing the entire adoption process
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Support and education throughout the adoption process
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Contact with a home study professional
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Hospital documentation, retrieval of medical records
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General case management services and file documentation
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Risk-Sharing Program in the event of a disruption
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Post-adoption support gatherings and events
Professional Services for Birth Parents
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Screening and evaluating prospective birth parents’ commitment to adoption
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Adoption counseling and education
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24/7 support and counseling throughout the adoption process
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Developing an adoption plan around a prospective birth mother’s needs and wishes
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Developing a hospital plan and coordinating with health professionals
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Organizing housing and travel arrangements if necessary
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Post-placement adoption counseling
Birth Parent Expenses
Newborn Care and Services
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Hospital costs not covered by Medicaid or insurance
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Original birth certificates
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Physical examinations by a pediatrician
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Any necessary foster care services
Legal Expenses
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Termination of parental rights, including publications, court costs and attorney fees
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Finalization of adoption
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Legal counsel for the adoptive family and birth mother based on state laws
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Court reporting services
Investigative Expenses
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State and local background screenings
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State abuse registry clearances
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Diligent search for birth fathers
Media
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Extensive advertising: Google/Bing, Yellow Pages, crisis pregnancy centers, hospital/maternity wards, networking with other adoption professionals, branding and marketing across the country
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Internal media team: Dedicated to consistently improving AmericanAdoptions.com and building affiliate websites to stay high on search engine rankings, all in an effort to locate as many adoption opportunities as possible for our adoptive families
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Website updates and maintenance
Office Expenses
Staff
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Adoptive family education
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Birth parent support
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Personal, 24/7 availability and care
Believe it or not, this is just a brief look into what is required by the overall process of growing a family through adoption.
Every adoption is unique. There may be distinctive needs and expenses involved that can impact how much adoption costs.
One constant through all adoptions is this: American Adoptions will be honest and clear about how much it costs to adopt a child and will provide excellent, passionate service to help your family grow through adoption.
Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.