What is the cost and time to adopt a child?

Question

I'm considering adopting one or more children in the future. I'm still young now, but I want to set aside a certain amount of money every month for this to happen. I have a questions:

1) What is the cost to adopt a child?

2) Why does it cost this much money? I've heard upwards of $100,000. How is this broken down? i.e. How much does the lawyer cost, the paperwork cost, etc.

3) Are there agencies out there that assist the middle-class in the adoption procedures, or are there agencies that make the process more affordable to a couple that owns a hosue but can't spend $100,000?

4) What is the overall timeline for preparing, actually adopting a child, and bringing it home?

Thanks!

Answer 1

The cost and time depends on several factors: 1. where you live 2. where you adopt from (international adoptions are very expensive, domestic ones can be also, but nit as much). 3. where you adopt from (private agencies cost more than public) 4. the type of child you adopt

My husband and I have adopted 2 children from the foster care system.  We adopted our son when he was 5 (he is now 9).  Because he was older, and in foster care, the adoption was free (the state paid for it).  The process was slow however (it took almost a year).  With our daughter, she was 11 months when we adopted her.  She was also in the foster care system.  It took almost a year to complete the process (she lived with us, but was still considered a foster child, not an adopted child).  Because she was under 2, her adoption was not subsidized.  It cost about $1500 in lawyer's fees.

Answer 2

If you adopt through the foster care system the cost is minimal or nothing at all.  The length of time will vary depending on how you go through the process.

In our state it works like this:

1.child is removed from biological parents and goes to foster home-if child becomes free for adoption the foster parent has first right of refusal....but the foster parent also has to send a lot of kids back home before one will become available for adoption.

2. If the foster parents do not want to adopt the above child and things are moving towards termination of parental rights the child may be moved to a home that is specifically set up in hopes of adopting a child.  But there too a relative could show up or the parents could turn their lives around and the child could go home.

3. If the child's parental rights are terminated and the foster parents do not wish to adopt the child is free for adoption to families who put their names on a list.  These families are pre-screened so that part of the process is over but these families do not wish to risk having to give a child back so they are not actually in the foster care system.

Best of luck

Answer 3

That is going to aquire alot of research depending on where you live. Here is a website for an agency that can help you out.

http://www.adoptionservices.org/adoption...

Answer 4

i don't know about the price i think it variesalot on your situation and state you live in, but my mate was told it can take anything from 1 year upwards so good luck

Answer 5

we just adopted a beautiful little girl a little over a year ago.  we matched within 48 hours and brought her home from the hospital.  we even were able to be present at her birth.  our total cost was around 20k.  i have never heard of 100k for adoption expenses.  it is all going to depend on what type of child you best think fits your family.  it was our experience that international adoptions are slightly more costly and take more time.  i believe the average wait for international is just under a year for a match and just over for when you bring baby home and the cost to be between 18 and 30k.  just to be safe plan on around 25k and a year wait or a little more.  our attorney was 6k and that included the homestudy.  the agency fee was 9k and birthmother expenses and medical were around 4k.  also there is a federal tax credit for around 11k.  but this is a credit that you can use over a 5 year span and only will reimburse you for money paid into your federal tax, it's not an automatic deduction.  you will only get the amount you've paid into federal back after your deductions have been taken.  also many states offer a tax credit as well.  usually for around 2500.  as for the time for preparing, start now, the better educated you are the better your chances for a shorter wait.  know what questions to ask, who to ask them to.  the better educated you are about adoption the simpler it can be.  good luck.

Answer 6

I have worked in adoption for a long time and I have never heard of a legal adoption costing 100K!

Most private adoptions are between 10K-40K and involve infants and young children, but many state adoptions (through foster care) are 0-$2000 and involve older school aged children, siblings, or very special needs babies and children (severel developmental delays, extreme medical issues, etc.)

Adoption fees are for all the services the agency provides to every birthmother helped.

Most full service licensed adoption agencies receive calls from hundreds of women a year. They may provide these women and their children with counseling, emergency food, clothing, formula and diapers, taxi fare, doctor visits, etc. and these are just the women who are NOT placing their babies for adoption.

And then there's the birthmothers who get housing paid for for 10 months, along with all their utilities, groceries, clothing, transportation, medical care, etc., and then choose to PARENT their babies.

Then there are the cases where a baby has been placed for adoption already, and the birthmother or birthfather then comes back before the adoption is finalized and tries to get custody of the baby from the adoptive parents. It often takes 1 - 2 years of court hearings and trials before the case is settled.  

And then, there are the special needs babies that the agency reduces or eliminates the adoption fee for, so they may be adopted. These babies may have HIV, born with no brain, born blind or very ill.

And of course, there are the birthmothers who DO place their babies for adoption, and may recieve all the above mentioned -- housing, groceries, clothing, utilities, transportation, medical care, etc.  

The agency pays for all of this. That is why adoption fees are so high. And if your adoption fails, good agencies try to  absorb that financial loss, too - not the adoptive parent.

And then there are the lawyers. Agencies have to hire an attorney to represent the baby, one for the birthmother, and one for each named possible birthfathers. Sometimes a diligent search is conducted to find the birthfather, and sometimes a private detective has to be hired, too.

And there is office rent, phones, salaries, office supplies, etc.

You see, you do not pay JUST for YOUR child's birthmothers expenses and that is it. The expenses have to be paid for ALL birthmothers, so that those who do choose to place their baby for adoption, can. This is what it really takes to keep those doors open and those calls answered. That is where that fee goes.  

Timeframe?  With international adoptions taking longer and longer, domestic adoption agencies are getting more applicants, so the wait time is now getting longer, too.  Expect 1-3 years on an average.

Answer 7

Every question depends on what type of agency you go to to adopt and what type of child.

I know about adopting children from the state and the cost is only 200.00 for processing fees and you get that money back within two years.  You don't need a lawyer either, it's extremely easy to fill out the paperwork.

The timeline from the start, depending on how long it takes you to find an agency to work with is around a year and a half average and you still have to have go through assessments with the agency.

Answer 8

The answers all depend very much on where you want to adopt from. The age of the child when you adopt them is a big factor too. If you want to go outside of the US, it generally costs a little less, can take a little less time but, you won't get a newborn baby. Depending on where you adopt from, you might get a baby as young as around 4 months old or the child might be as old as 2 yrs old or a little older. If you want a newborn baby (like you can be there when the baby is born or take them directly home from the hospital when they are only a day or two old) then as far as I know you need to adopt from within the US. Depending on what state you live in, the laws are different. I don't think all states allow independent adoptions -- where there is no agency and you just find someone (through channels) who wants to give up their baby and you hire a lawyer and sign papers. The risk in doing it that way, if you can do it in your state, is that the birthparents can change their minds after they have gotten money from you to aid in their lives while pregnant and for the birth (hospital fees, doctor visits, etc can all be charged to you) and they are under no obligation to give up their baby and they don't have to return the money. You can most certainly not do anything to get them to give up their baby once it's born, if they don't want to. However, when you use an agency, some of them will charge you a flat fee and will agree to give you a baby for that fee, even if the birthparents change their mind. That is, if you are all set to expect such and such birthmother to relinguish her baby and at the last minute she changes her mind (which is perfectly understandable and to be expected to a cettain extent) the agency will not charge you any more money but, they will set you up with another birthmother. The risk you take in doing it on your own, without an agency, is that you may have to pay for a few birthmothers' expenses before you get a baby -- and that could end up costing you even more. Or you could get lucky, of course but, that's the risk. I don't really know what the actual amount is these days to adopt a newborn in this country but, it was close to $50,000 ten years ago but, no where near $100,000 that I ever heard of. Also jsut so you know -- caucasian babies usually cost more and so do healthy babies. I think that sounds awful but, if you are willing to accept a baby who is not caucasian and/or not completely healthy, your waiting time and expenses will be far less.

Answer 9

well my aunt and uncle recently adopted a baby girl from russia. it is very expensive. you have to fly there to meet the kid first. after that you come back a month later and stay there for about 2 months to bond with the child. you have to do all kinds of exams and paperwork. its very stessful

Answer 10

Adoption fees can vary a lot depending on the type of adoption and agency used. We adopted both of our children internationally, but from researching both international and private domestic, the average cost seems to be around $20,000. (both of our adoption fees were less then that)

It can be more expensive, but I've never heard of it costing anywhere near $100,000.

There is also a tax credit of a little over $11,000 that you will recieve after the adoption is finalized. You definetly don't need to be wealthy to adopt, just financially stable and able to provide a loving supportive home.

As far as time, the process was very quick for us and both times it was less then 7 months from start to finish. Most families I've talked to have had there child home within 1-2 years of starting the process.