How much did it cost to adopt a child in 2010-2011? More than 1,500 families that adopted a child in 2011 or 2010 completed our survey on the cost of adoption (before adoption-related employee benefits or the adoption tax credit). We thank everyone who took the time to share their cost details!
- Domestic adoptions, on average, cost less than international adoptions.
- U.S. foster adoption is the least expensive adoption route, by a significant margin.
- 80 percent of respondents who adopted from foster care receive an ongoing monthly subsidy. On average, these families reported receiving $630 per month.
- For most adopters, the average total expenses were about $30,000.
- 39 percent of domestic adopters had at least one “false start,” in which adoptive parents worked with one or more birth mothers before a match that succeeded. The majority (77%) of “false starts” cost less than $5,000.
Please feel free to cite these figures, but be sure to link back and credit Adoptive Families magazine as the source.
How long does it take to adopt? See the timing data from AF‘s 2010-2011 Cost & Timing of Adoption Survey.
Average Domestic Adoption Cost
|
Domestic Newborn – Agency |
Domestic Newborn- Independent |
U.S. Foster |
|
| Home Study Fee | $1,820 | $1,538 | $285 |
| Document Preparation & Authentication | $768 | $680 | $0 |
| Adoption Agency Application & Program Fees | $14,441 | $4,608 | $0 |
| Legal Fees | $3,536 | $10,331 | $686 |
| Advertising/ Networking |
$2,172 | $3,437 | $0 |
| Birth Family Counseling | $1,233 | $543 | $0 |
| Birth Mother Expenses | $3,834 | $4,274 | $0 |
| Foster Care | $230 | $38 | $0 |
| Travel Expenses | $1,870 | $2,285 | $521 |
| All Other Expenses | $4,108 | $2,488 | $761 |
| TOTAL | $34,012 | $30,222 | $2,253 |
Average International Adoption Cost
| China | Ethiopia | Russia | South Korea | Ukraine | |
| Home Study Fee | $2,052 | $2,107 | $1,923 | $2,178 | $1,886 |
| Document Preparation & Authentication | $2,214 | $1,769 | $3,258 | $1,472 | $1,272 |
| Adoption Agency Application & Program Fees | $7,652 | $11,988 | $22,173 | $16,675 | $6,143 |
| In-Country Adoption Expenses | $5,581 | $1,979 | $6,709 | $9,007 | $13,946 |
| Child’s Passport, Visa, Medical Exam, and Other Fees | $716 | $837 | $1,431 | $888 | $1,021 |
| Post-Adoption Expenses | $1,576 | $1,150 | $1,684 | $1,775 | $767 |
| Major Travel Expenses | $7,181 | $7,852 | $14,748 | $5,577 | $9,614 |
| In-Country Travel Expenses | $2,704 | $1,080 | $6,709 | $583 | $2,386 |
| All Other Expenses | $2,125 | $5,363 | $7,569 | $8,533 | $5,000 |
| TOTAL | $31,801 | $34,125 | $66,204 | $46,688 | $42,035 |
Cost Distribution
| Less than $1k | $1k to $5k | $5k to $10k | $10k to $20k | $20k to $30k | $30k to $40k | $40k to $50k | More than $50k | |
| U.S. Agency | 0% | 1% | 6% | 25% | 37% | 23% | 7% | 1% |
| U.S. Independent | 1% | 7% | 14% | 24% | 22% | 17% | 13% | 2% |
| U.S. Foster | 70% | 23% | 4% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| China | 0% | 0% | 0% | 4% | 58% | 32% | 6% | 0% |
| Ethiopia | 0% | 1% | 0% | 10% | 50% | 30% | 8% | 1% |
| Russia | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 17% | 45% | 35% |
| South Korea | 0% | 0% | 0% | 9% | 36% | 42% | 11% | 2% |
| Ukraine | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 32% | 36% | 32% | 0% |
Giving Back
To gather as much data as possible, we once again posed a challenge: If more than 1,000 people who adopted in 2011 or 2010 completed our Cost & Timing of Adoption Survey, we’d select one at random and donate $500 to the adoption charity of his or her choice. We’re thrilled to report that more than 1,500 adoptive parents completed the 2011-2010 survey! The winner of our giveaway was Amy Kolker. of Illinois, and we were honored to contribute to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, an organization that offers a range of services, including adoption and pregnancy counseling.
