It’s no secret that adoption can be expensive. But when you know what to expect, it’s easier to organize your budget. Prospective adoptive parents may be concerned about adoption costs and their abilities to meet those costs. However, with planning and knowledge about all available resources, they can develop a budget that includes most of the expenses.

Adoption costs depend on a number of factors, including:

Type of adoption, type of placement, your child’s age, area of the United States where the adoption takes place, and if you are working through an international or domestic adoption.

Employer adoption benefits:

Federal or State tax credits available for reimbursement. Before you even apply for adoption, it is important to make a financial plan. You should also research whether you can qualify for adoption loans or grants.

Range of adoption costs:

Costs of adopting may be minimal or can total more than $40,000. This depends on many factors as well as on what type of adoption agency you choose. Here are some common cost ranges:

• Public Agency ($0 - $2,500). Most public agencies place their primary focus on placing children from foster care.
• Licensed private agency ($5,000 - $40,000+). These costs vary according to the type of agency you choose.
• Independent adoptions ($8,000 - $50,000+)
• International adoptions ($15,000 - $30,000+)

In some cases, the total costs may be much less than the figures cited here, this is just an estimate, but adoption costs vary from agency to agency. For that reason, it is worth thorough due diligence.

General expenses:

There are some costs that are all the same for all adoptive families. These expenses include a home study and court costs. A home study must be completed no matter what type of adoption you intend to pursue, and adoptive parents usually do pay for it. The cost for this ranges from around $500 to $3,000. Domestic adoptions and some international must be finalized in a court in the United States. Prospective parents can expect to pay the fees for court document preparation from $500 to $2,000. Some of these costs may be reimbursable.

Domestic adoptions:

When adopting domestically, adoptive parents can expect to be responsible for birthmother expenses, which can range anywhere from the low end of $500 to the high end of $3,000- $5,000 or more. They will also be responsible for all the travel expenses related to the adoption.

International adoptions:

Agencies that provide international adoptions charge fees that include dossier, court costs, and immigration processing. There can be some additional costs, such as parent’s travel and in-country stays, child’s medical care, foreign agency fees, translation fees, and visa and passport processing fees. As you can see, there may be a lot of additional fees, so it is something to discuss openly with your adoption agency. Don’t forget to ask about adoption financial assistance options. These are available, so it is important to consider the qualifications for your own application.