MyFertilityGuide

The term 'child adoption' refers to the adoption of any child more than 1 year old. It is estimated that about 130,000 children are adopted in the United States every year. Of these, almost half are domestic child adoptions and about half of those are private adoptions of children by non-blood relatives or stepparents. The cost for a child adoption as compared to an infant adoption can be much lower in some cases with a much shorter wait time, but adoption is almost always costly.

How Much Does Child Adoption Cost?

The cost of a child adoption varies according to a number of factors including:

• Type of adoption
• Current tax breaks available
• Insurance benefits and employer benefits
• Agency sliding scales based on income

For example, for adoption of children with special needs there are usually a number of state subsidies and reimbursements for non-recurring expenses incurred during the adoption process. Also, international adoption costs vary widely based on the child's birth country: the number of visits to secure an adoption, host country legal fees, health costs and more.

In general, an international adoption, whether private or independent, can cost anywhere between $10,000 and $40,000. Domestic public agency adoptions are the least expensive with most costing no more than $3000 while domestic private agency adoption rarely cost less than $5000 and often as much as $40,000.

Domestic Independent Adoption Costs

When a child adoption is undertaken independently, legal issues demand certain processes, which will need to be paid for out of pocket. In total, this can cost anywhere from $8000 to $40,000 or more.

Here are how the individual costs of domestic independent adoption break down. The average price falls midway between the two prices listed. It goes without saying, of course, that if insurance coverage is available then the prices will drop accordingly.

• Application fee: $100 - $500
• Home study and preparation services: $700 - $2,500
• Post-placement supervision: $200 - $1,500
• Parent physical (each parent): $35 - $150
• Psychiatric evaluation (each parent; if required): $250 - $400
• Legal document preparation fees: $500 - $2,000
• Petition and court representation to finalize placement: $2,500 - $12,000
• Advertising to find birth parents: $500 - $5,000
• Birth parent expenses (unless covered by insurance and as reviewed by the court) including medical expenses (prenatal, delivery, postnatal, perinatal) which can range from $10,000 - $20,000 and monthly living expenses (rent, food, clothing, transportation, etc) which can range from $500 - $12,000
• Legal representation: $500 - $1,500
• Counseling: $500 - $2,000