Comprehensive cost analysis of child adoption processes

Adopting a child into your home is an exciting prospect. However, you might also be a little nervous about the expenses involved in becoming a parent or expanding your family through adoption. The nerves are perfectly normal, and you might ease many of them by reviewing good resources about the cost of adoption, including this article. Below, we discuss the different types of adoption that may be available to you and what type of financial impact they might have on you and your family.

What are the different types of adoption?

There are different pathways to building a family, and there are different pathways to adopting a child. You might adopt your child through one of the following avenues:

Depending on your unique circumstances and the process you choose, the average cost of adoption could be anywhere from $0 to $60,000. Now, let’s review how adoption costs might differ with each process.

Pro tip: Take time to think about all the types of children you could imagine adopting. Ask yourself whether you must adopt an infant or if you’re open to adopting a child who is several years old. Also ask yourself if you could adopt a child with special needs or who is from a different racial background than your own. Adoption of an infant may take longer and expose you to higher fees. Adoption of a child with special needs or different ancestry might require you to pay for more counseling or health care.

The cost of adoption from a public child welfare system

Adopting a child from the public child welfare system, sometimes called foster care adoption, is often the least expensive option. This type of adoption typically involves children who are already in the foster care system and are waiting to be placed in a permanent home. If you seek this type of adoption, you may have no fees. However, some cases include minimal fees for services such as:

If you have to pay fees for a foster care adoption, you might receive up to $2,000 in adoption assistance. Families choosing public adoptions might also be eligible for ongoing financial support, including assistance with healthcare and education costs. Please note that adoption assistance varies by state. 

The cost of private adoption

Adopting through a private adoption agency is another common option, and the price may vary greatly. Private agencies work directly with birth parents and adoptive families to facilitate the adoption of infants and children. The average cost of a private agency adoption in the US may range from $30,000 to $60,000. The cost of private adoption might vary based on factors like:

Pro tip: Think about attending adoption orientations with many private agencies. These orientations might help you better understand your options and what you might need for the adoption process. Many agencies offer these orientations free of charge. 

The cost of independent adoption

In independent adoptions, attorneys help adoptive parents and birth parents complete adoptions privately and without working with an agency. This type of adoption process may vary significantly depending on your state’s regulations. The cost of an independent adoption typically ranges from $25,000 to $45,000, making it a slightly more affordable option compared to a private agency adoption. 

In an independent adoption, the costs might include:

The cost of international adoption

International adoption involves adopting a child from another country and might sometimes be more expensive than adopting a child stateside. The average cost of international adoption ranges from $20,000 to $50,000 or more. Costs often depend on the country from which the family is adopting and which entity is facilitating the adoption. One of the reasons intercountry adoption is so expensive is that it involves navigating the adoption laws of both the US and the child’s country of origin. This often includes multiple trips overseas, which may quickly add to the total cost.

Couples might adopt through any one or a combination of the following entities:

Costs in an international adoption might also vary based on factors such as:

Adoption service fees may vary widely depending on where your adoptive child lives. For instance, the United Kingdom, Belize and Sri Lanka have had median adoption service provider Hague Convention fees of $0. But a median adoption service provider convention fee might be more than $20,000 in South Korea.

A closer look at common costs in the adoption process

Now that you know the basic factors that might affect an adoption, let’s go over the average cost of some of the individual elements in an adoption. 

Home study fees

A home study is an essential part of most adoptions. A home study might include the following:

The cost of a home study may range from $1,000 to $3,000. This fee may also double because some adoptions take several years to complete, and home studies expire, so you may have to pay for more than one.

Travel expenses

If the type of adoption you seek requires you to travel, you may spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on airfare and hotel stays. And you may have to travel multiple times before completing the adoption process.

Legal fees

Your adoption will likely require some kind of court intervention. Court documentation for an adoption might cost you between $500 and $2,000. And these prices significantly increase if you hire an attorney to help you.

Adoption lawyer fees

You may seek the help of an adoption lawyer for any type of adoption. And you may pay as much as $4,500 or more for attorney assistance. The cost of an attorney might vary according to: 

How an attorney may help

Adoption in the United States offers a variety of options, each with its own costs and procedures. Many adoptive parents find attorney guidance useful for fulfilling the many requirements and diminishing stressors that may come. An attorney can research the state laws that might apply to you in an adoption situation and identify which adoption options are available to you. An attorney may also help you communicate with adoption agencies and draft paperwork necessary to facilitate and finalize an adoption.