Your Adoption Budget Checklists

Not sure how you should plan your adoption budget? Use these checklists to keep track of the expenses you will encounter in the process of adopting a child.

A family creating an adoption budget on their computer

All adoptions, wherever from and via whatever method, include a home study, the process where a social worker checks that you are eligible to adopt. After that, adoption budget items vary.

Home Study

  • Social worker (one or more visits)
  • Certified marriage and birth certificates
  • Criminal records check
  • Physical exams and vaccinations
  • Notarization of documents
  • Postage (certified mail or courier) and phone

Private Infant Adoption via Agency:

Home study costs PLUS

  • Application fee
  • Agency fee
  • Pre-adoption education for adoptive parents
  • Birth mother’s medical expenses
  • Birth mother’s living expenses
  • Birth family counseling
  • Travel, food, lodging for adoptive family
  • Court filing fees for finalization

Private Infant Adoption with an Attorney:

Home study costs PLUS

  • Attorney’s fees
  • Attorney’s office expenses
  • Advertising and networking
  • Birth mother’s medical expenses
  • Birth mother’s living expenses
  • Birth family’s attorney
  • Birth family counseling
  • Travel, food, lodging for adoptive family
  • Court filing fees for finalization

International Adoption via Agency:

Home Study costs PLUS

  • Agency application
  • Agency program fee
  • Country fee
  • Certification of documents
  • Translation of documents
  • Fingerprinting
  • Court fees in sending country
  • Medical exams for child
  • Orphanage donation
  • Foster care between referral and travel
  • Passport for child
  • U.S. visa fee for child
  • Passports for adoptive family
  • Visas for adoptive family
  • Travel to meet child
  • Travel to bring child home
  • Escort fee to bring child home
  • Court filing fees for finalization

Adoption from Foster Care

Depending on whether you are adopting directly from foster care, doing fost-adopt (applying to foster a child you plan to adopt), or fostering with the possibility of adoption later, you may have:

  • Home study costs
  • Court filing fees for finalization
  • Agency application
  • Foster-parent orientation and training
  • Foster-parent license fee

But bear in mind, all of these may be waived or subsidized, depending on your circumstances and the child’s situation.




HOW TO ADOPT
Everything you need to know about the adoption process, delivered monthly to your inbox.


Adoption Agencies

City
La Crosse
WI
Adoption Routes/Programs
U.S. Newborn, International
City
Evanston
IL
Adoption Routes/Programs
U.S. Newborn, International, Special Needs/Waiting Child
Family & Children’s Agency
City
Norwalk
CT
Adoption Routes/Programs
U.S. Newborn, International
ADOPTIONS FROM THE HEART
City
Wynnewood
PA
Adoption Routes/Programs
U.S. Newborn
Adoption Choice Inc.
City
Green Bay
WI
Adoption Routes/Programs
U.S. Newborn, U.S. Foster, International
Agape Adoptions
City
Sumner
WA
Adoption Routes/Programs
International, Special Needs/Waiting Child

See all adoption agencies >


Copyright © 1999-2024 Adoptive Families Magazine®. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

More articles like this

Top