How much does adoption cost?

Question

My husband and I have recently thought about adoption, I just have a few questions.

How much does it cost? On average

Which is better adoption internationally or nationally??

How long does it take take to finally get a child?? On average

And any other information about adoption would be very helpful thanks!!

Answer 1

Yes. the expenses start at 20000. i have looked into this very resently. They could go more than 20000 depending on the legality and the legal fees.

you might want to look into fostering. see how that works out. you get paid for fostering because you help the stated out with caring for the child you get money to put toward anything the child needs kind of like child support i guess you can say. and if you decide you want to adopt the child you can but i am not sure what the fees would be there. you may want to call your local foster care office and see what they tell you about that.

Answer 2

The cost varies wildly.  Domestic foster-to-adopt is the cheapest, but those children are often older, special needs, or in sibling groups.  The other big advantage to foster-to-adopt, besides money, is that you can have a child in your home relatively soon.

International adoption is much more expensive and takes longer, but some couples prefer it because there is zero chance that the birthmother will try to take the child back.  Also, some find it more rewarding because they know they are saving a child from dire poverty.  

If you want to be able to interact with your child from day one, the only way to go is to be matched with a woman facing unplanned pregnancy who wants to give her baby up for adoption.  This is more expensive than foster-to-adopt but not as expensive as international.  Numerous domestic agencies offer this option closed, semi-closed, or open.  In an open adoption, the birth mother chooses you, and you work out an arrangement for visits, photo exchanges, etc.  

To sum up, they all have their pros and cons.  Here are some links for you, hope it helps.  Best wishes to you and your family!

Answer 3

It really is dependent on the type of adoption that you choose.  

International Adoption is typically your most expensive because of the additional travel expenses and documentation needed.  I know some people who have spent upwards of $35,000 for international adoption.

Domestic Adoption (inside the US) can vary on cost based on whether or not it is done privately - through an attorney - or through an agency.  Private adoptions sometimes involve helping to pay for the biological mother's medical bills, etc.  Agency adoptions can vary in cost as well.  We did an independent adoption (where we found the birth family) through an agency and it cost us about $12,000.  That includes all of the home studies, background checks, after placement reviews required by our state (for the first six months - year), etc.  It also included our attorney fees for finalization.  Our adoption, once we found our birth family, only took 4 months until we brought our son home.  But we were blessed; we know other people who it took much longer than that.  It took another year to finalize the adoption, but our son was with us that year.  

There is also the option of foster adopt through your local foster care system.  This is much less expensive as the state will assist you with some (if not most) of the fees.  

As for organizations to help with the money, we were blessed that a family member wanted to help us, and we had some money saved for the process.  However, because we adopted a child with a medical disorder, we did qualify to get some money back from the state once the adoption was finalized.  Adoption also qualifies you for a $10,000 tax credit on your income taxes the year of the finalization.

I know it is a lot of information to digest, and seems like a crazy process.  But it is worth every penny and every moment when you are able to bring your child home.

Good luck to you!

Answer 4

my sister cost my family 11,000 dollars. it was the best money my parents have ever spent. i love my sister

Answer 5

private adoption and international adoption is very expensive, often into the $10-30,000 range. There are no foundatiuons to help you with the money, many people take out loans or get a 2nd mortgage. Foster adoptions are very affordabel, but you may have to wait for years to get a child who is adoptable, and there are many kids over 5 who needs homes, so getting a baby may not be in the cards. good luck

Answer 6

How much does it cost? On average:

There really is no average.  If you adopt out of the foster system there is usually little to no cost and sometimes adoption subsidies (meaning the state pays a small stipend to help you support the child until they are 18) are available.  Private domestic adoption will usually end up being between 15,000 and 30,000 as will international adoption but there are some exceptions.

Which is better adoption internationally or nationally??:

Neither is better!  They are just different.  You need to look into and seriously consider what you want in adoption.  If you specifically and only want a new born then private domestic adoption is probably your choice.  If you are alright with a little older baby look into international and public domestic adoption.  Get info about all sorts of adoption, look online and get books from your local library and see what feels good to you!

How long does it take take to finally get a child?? On average

It depends on what adoptive system you choose and how much work YOU do in getting your end of things done quickly.  Also, it depends on whether you are adopting a newborn, an older baby, or an older child and if they are special needs or are a minority.

Answer 7

Don't forget to look into the adoption tax credit.  Yes, adoption is expensive, but with the tax credit ours ended up costing almost nothing in the long run.

We chose a domestic adoption for several reasons: you are more likely to be able to adopt an infant (if that's what you want); the paperwork is less (well, a little less); every country's rules about who is allowed to adopt are different, and we weren't suitable for some.

The paperwork/homestudy part takes several months, at least, sometimes a year--this depends both on how fast YOU fulfill the requirements, and how quickly your social worker can respond.  The waiting period is often another year or two.

Other info: adoptiong through a licensed agency is safer, for adoptive parents, than through a lawyer or facilitator.

An open adoption can sound strange or scary when you first start to think about it, but I have come to believe that if all parties act responsibly it's in everyone's best interest.

Best of luck to you!  It is a great adventure and a true emotional rollercoaster.  The process is full of heartache and frustration and doubts.  When you are finally parents, the joy outweighs all of it.

Answer 8

about 6500 cheap up to over 100000

Answer 9

We are talking about adoption also, we've found out it's very expensive! 11,500 all the way up to 60,000 depending on where and how old. I have two blocked fallopian tubes we can't have our own. Good luck!

It takes anywhere from 1-24 months or longer seems like the average is 9 months, I think nationally is the best, it's cheaper and you don't have to travel so so far.

Answer 10

If you go through your local health and human services it's free!  You adopt a child who is ALREADY in the system and that's it.  More than likely you will not get a newborn...most are older children.  Since we have started, we got a 3 yr old a 4 yr old and a 10 month old.