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.




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Adoption Agencies

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
City
La Crosse
WI
Adoption Routes/Programs
U.S. Newborn, International
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
ADOPTIONS FROM THE HEART
City
Wynnewood
PA
Adoption Routes/Programs
U.S. Newborn

See all adoption agencies >


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