The Cost of Adoption

What does the “cost of adoption” include? For starters, you should expect to spend anywhere between $45K to $55K, which can seem very intimidating. However, let me break it down for you because those numbers include just about everything from start to finish.

Want to watch Becca break this down herself? Watch the video below! Otherwise, keep reading on!

The cost of adoption includes,

• Home study fees. This is typically paid to a home study agency, which operates in the state you reside in.

• Birth mother expenses. People ask me about this one all the time. Essentially, you need support this woman that is carrying a child. You need to make sure she is eating, has a place to live, and that she can get to and from her doctor’s appointments. Medicaid will generally cover medical expenses, but you will receive that information before you take on a match. You’re helping cover day-to-day living, but also ensuring that the expectant mother is in contact with the agency you are also working with.

• Agency fees. This is when our multiple step agency approach helps stretch this cost as much as possible. Some agencies have high upfront costs when you sign up with them, but others keep their upfront costs low (anywhere between $0 to $3K to get on their waiting families list). This allows you to sign up for more agencies and be presented to expectant mothers more often! Ultimately, these agencies will end up costing about the same as other agencies with high upfront fees, but you will likely have brought your baby home so much sooner!

• Legal fees. You will need to hire an attorney for finalizing your adoption, which of course comes with some added costs.

• Travel. If you’re adopting your child from another state, you will need to cover the cost of travel, and often, last minute plane tickets. Due dates are never 100% accurate, so you might have to hop on a plane at two seconds notice. There is also the cost of hotel rooms (or if you opt for an Airbnb), food, and transportation.

• Consultant fee. Most consultants charge a one-time fee and are there for you through every step of your journey. From vetting risky situations to picking agencies that are best fit for you to educating you on adoption in general, consultants are worth the cost!

Let’s talk about financial risks. This is something people often fear the most, but it happens all the time when an expectant mother changes her mind and decides to parent her child. The financial loss is typically around $10K. That’s a lot of money.

Thankfully, everyone I have worked with has found a way to move forward through the support of friends, grants, family, employee benefits, funding from a church or synagogue, fundraising, and the adoption tax credit (it’s around $13K and it comes back to you after you finalize the adoption)!

Trust me, do some research on all this and you will find a way to make it work. At the end of the day, it’s not about the cost, it’s about fulfilling your dream of building your family.