Can a a 25 years old( single) adopt a child in the US? and Is it going to be very costly?

Question

where do I have to go? or which website. Thank you for the help

Answer 1

Yes you can. I don't know if the rules have changed any but i was adopted in leavenworth, kansas and no my mother wasn't a federal inmate. My mother was single,white and 38. the fact that she was white wouldn't have any bearing on this post but i am korean/black which may have added a little more difficulty.

She adopted me without any theropy, classes or anything. I was adopted 2 hours after i was born. she didn't get to see me before i was adopted. am 29 years old and have never been through theropy other than physical theropy a day in my life so i'm not tue sure about what the other posters are talking about. it may be new rules that came out after my adoption. I don't know how legal it was but it happened and a judge approved it so who knows.

Answer 2

contact social services and adopt through foster care, there is no cost involved, the county pays all fees. my mom was 45 and single when she adopted my sister.

Answer 3

Of course you can. There are a lot of options for you wityh a wide rage of costs.

The most inexpensive is to go thru your county's social or children's services agency. In most states/counties you will have very minimal out of pocket expenses to foster/adopt. You will still have to go thru a home study that will range between $3K & $5K. If you want an infant the wait could be a little longer thru your local agency, if you don't care what age the child it you will probably get one quickly.

You could also go with a non-profit angency, which are usually faith affiliated. We used International Christian Adoption (they have domestic and international). You could also try Catholic charities or Bethany, I think they are both nationwide. Our agency fees were less than $15K for each of our boys. With our oldest we had another $10K+ in legal fees with our youngest we haven't paid another penny other than the agency fees. The wait time is generally 6-24 months, but bear mind that a birthmother will be chosing you so if there are birthmoms that don't want their baby raised in single parent homes the wait may be longer.

Your other choice is to hire a facilitator or attorney. They will generally cost more than either of the above options. In CA where I live the typically run $20-$40K. Unconventional households (single parent, homosexual, etc) can sometimes have a better chance at adoption with this method than any other if you are wanting an infant. That's not so say that the others are impossible.

Then just remember whatever you do, you can qualify for an adoption tax CREDIT (not a dedection) the year after you finalize the adoption if you don't make more than $195K MAGI. That is the number based on married filing a joint return so your number may be different.

Anyhow check out www.adoption.org as well.....lots of good info on that site and there are adoption ser veice locators for each state. Oh, and you can also post a parent profile on that website so there's another avenue for you. I'm not sure what the cost is though. You can browse thru parent profiles it's kind of fun (but it can pull on your hearstrings) to see the families waiting for a baby and read their stories!!

Best of luck to you!!!!

Answer 4

yes you can.....and i would suggest checking with a local agency that services children and families.  you can have a homestudy done, and it's not that expensive.  i had to pay three thousand for my homestudy.  and if a child is placed with me, i get about half of the money back.  i went with Catholic Charities.  not complicated at all.

Answer 5

Hi,

Yes you can adopt at 25 and it is cheaper to do through social services than a private or international adoption.  I would caution you to think long-term here.  Most 25 year old do not have enough funds in savings or in retirement plans (IRA/401K) to qualify for an adoption or if they do qualify, for it to be wise.  You don't need to be wealthy, but if you or the child has a massive medical problem, would you have enough in savings, disability insurance, time built into work, etc to carry you through this time?

I would give yourself a couple of years, maybe two or three, to ground yourself further in your career and finances.  Max out your retirement contributions (401K & IRA especially), create a 3 month or more emergency savings account (for you plus adoptee), and begin a college plan (yes you can do this even before there's a baby). When trouble comes for a two-income family, it's rough, but honey it's just the two of you.

In two or three years, if you decide to adopt that's great...if not (new boyfried, earning a master's, want to think about it more, etc.) then you have a great foundation for your financial future.

If you think I'm overboard, talk to a single mom who makes just about the same as you do.  Still have the adoptee bug become a big sister or something in the meantime

Answer 6

If you are not looking for just an infant you can contact your local county agency.  They are always looking for foster homes and adoptive homes.  You just have to be 18 and be able to financially, physically and emotionally care for a child.  They would do a home study and ask a bunch of questions and you would need to give personal references (the more the better) and probably attend some classes, have a background and fingerprint check.  If you go through private adoption agencies you will be looking at about $10,000 or more, if you go through a family attorney that knows about adoption it will be legal fees, court costs and if you adopt an infant then there would be hospital costs and maybe more.  Adopting isn't cheap but neither is having a baby.  Some agencies will work with single parents and others won't.  The first step I would suggest is contacting the local county agency, you could probably get their number through job and family services.  Once you take the classes and do the homestudy you can go from there.

Answer 7

Yes, it is not easy. You have to go through foster/adoptive parent classes and become a certified home. You have to foster before you can adopt. It is a tough and difficult process, but very rewarding. You will at times want to scream, pull your hair out, or cry. Other times you can't see yourself doing anything else. There are so many children in the U.S. growing up in group homes that will never know what it is like to live in a family environment. To feel loved or cherished.

  The 2ND part of your question, yes it can be expensive, but it really depends on your lawyer. Sometimes the dept. of social services can help.

Answer 8

Havanah is absolutely correct =]  You will have to go through a program and have a homestudy done as well but then they will match you with a child that meets your specifications.  Good luck.

Answer 9

Yes you can adopt at 25 you have to go through lots of paper work! You will think your through filling out paper work and then you go through the pride classes and you get another bunch of paper work. Me and my hubby are in the middle of the classes and then we wait for the home study. Beware they are very picky on the fire inspection in your home. The cheapest way to go is through CPS. Look up TARE adoption on the internet. Homes 4 Good in Conroe is who we're going through. They are a non profit agency and when you adopt theres a 1500.00 dollar charge for the attorney. Thats the cheapest way to go! Their # is 936-756-3003. GOOD LUCK!!!