How expensive is adoption?

NEW ANSWER

If you adopt a child through the state on NJ there is an extremely good chance the child will be subsidy eligible. Over 90% of the children adopted are. If subsidy eligible, there is no cost to adopt. A monthly subsidy is paid to the adopting parents in excess of $500 per month. In addition, the attorney fees (if using a contracted attorney) are also paid. No cost is incurred by the adoptive parents. The subsidy payment continues until the child is 18 years old or until the child graduates high school. There are also college scholarships available to adoptive children as well as the federal credit of over $10,000. The subsidy in itself makes the child special needs and qualifies the adoptive parents for this tax credit. There are many children awaiting homes. Visit www.heartgallerynj.com or http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/adoption/adopt

Answer

The average cost for an adoption is between four thousand and thirty thousand dollars.

Domestic adoptions can cost anywhere in that price range. There are cases where a domestic adoption can cost less. Special needs children for example may cost less to adopt.

International adoptions tend to run from about twelve or fifteen thousand to about thirty. But the cost usually includes agency fees, travel expenses and CIS (formerly called the INS) fees, as well as the fees required by the country from which you are adopting.

In most cases, the money is paid in increments as you go through the adoption process rather than all at one time in a lump sum.

Check with your accountant or the IRS, because adoptive parents may be eligible for a tax credit of over ten thousand dollars.

There are also government subsidies for those who adopt special needs children who meet certain qualifications.

Answer

I happen to be adopted so I can probably help with this.The cost of adoption depends on if you decide to adopt in the country or nationwide. I was adopted from Dominican Republic and the cost of my adoption was around 20,000- 25,000 dollars. The adoptive parents are usually required to pay for the expenses of couseling for the birthmother and for certain medical procedures that may take place if the birthmother does not have insurance or if the insurance doesnt cover the procedures. I reccomend adopting through a private adoption and not an agency. There are many private adoption attorneys. They make the process much smoother on you and the birthmom. Also, more choices are made by you and not someone else if you decide to adopt privately with an adoption attorney.

Answer

In the case of International adoptions, private adoptions are not often a viable alternative. Agencies specializing in International adoptions, often called intercountry adoption, will guide you through the process, help you find your way through all of the red tape, act as a liaison between adoptive parents and foreign officials, and handle any details or difficulties that may arise during the long and involved adoption process.

Adoptions from China, for example, range in cost from $15K or $18K to about $20K. The children available for adoption have been determined by the government to be orphans with no family. Therefore, there would be no fees for the mother's medical expenses, etc., because the child ''has'' no mother.

Adoptions from Russia, if I recall correctly can cost up to $40K. In the US adoptions can range from next to nothing in cost all the way up to $40K or more. Do your research.

There are, no doubt, different criteria for someone who is adopting a child who is biologically related to him or her. Or for someone who is or has been a resident of the country of adoption.

Of course, different countries have different laws and regulations. In fact, in the US these laws and regulations may even vary from state to state. These state regulations often dictate eligiblility based on income, lifestyle, number of children one already has, race or ethnicity (not so much these days as in the past) and various other factors. And then even adoption agencies have their own criteria. I know of one agency who will not accept smokers as clients. Another will only work with church-going Christians. You can't get around government regs, but agencies are an altogether different story. If you don't meet their requirements, or if you just don't like the agency...move on. There are lots of other agencies out there. But you will invariably find that the costs for International adoptions will not vary significantly from agency to agency. Be skeptical if you do happen to find an agency offering their services for much lower fees. They may just cost you more in the long run.

Private adoptions ''can'' end up costing far more than an agency adoption. Not always, of course, but it happens. And if private International adoptions are even possible now, I haven't seen evidence of it during all of my research.

''However'', most of my research has been focused on China/Asian adoptions.

My biggest issue with private adoptions lies with the manner in which our court system handles cases where an absentee father or other biological relative of the child shows up out of the blue years later and IMO selfishly wants to take a child away from the only family he or she has ever known. Think of the price of this sort of scenario. The emotional price is far higher than any dollar amount.

As the biological mother of three beautiful, healthy kids and as a prospective adoptive parent of a baby girl from China, the emotional price is just too high. I don't think there is anything wrong with private adoptions, don't get me wrong. It's just not what I would choose.

I'm just saying that the decision to adopt is very personal. Take advice from friends, family and well-meaning stranges under consideration, but do your own research. What may seem like the best, even only, way to go to one family, isn't necessarily right for everyone. There are many adoption options available. However, if money is your only concern, maybe you should take a step back and re-evaluate your motives.

Answer

Private adoptions can be very costly. Adopting needy children from our nation's overflowing foster-care system is usually MUCH less expensive. In fact, most states subsidize much, if not all of the cost. For some children, there may even be a post-adoption assistance subsidy available to the family (in my state it's based on the child's special needs, regardless of the adoptive family's income).

Adopting "special needs" children is challenging, but it's a tremendous need ... think about it! Not only healthy infants deserve forever families!

First answer by ID2560844999. Last edit by Smurfyday. Contributor trust: 79 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 132 [recommend question]