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Quick adoption cost question - legal paperwork only


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Hi. If you are really serious about adopting, I would ask a local adoption attorney about their fees. Fees can really vary depending upon where you live. I would hate for you to plan based on an internet search and then find out that it is going to be several thousand more. Good-luck with your research! :001_smile:

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We adopted 2 years ago. We did not have to go thru an agency because we found our own birth mom however we did hire an adoption attorney for all the paperwork and the legal fee's were probably $4500.00

 

we then had another $3,000 for the birth mothers living expenses. and another $1500 to pay for an attorney for the birth mom.

 

Luckily my husbands employer reimburses up to $10k in adoptions expenses. We had to pay up front but we were reimbursed after the adoption was final.

 

We are in Indiana if that helps.

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Nope - not interested at all in adoption, however I am an adult adoptee. Someone posted on a friend's FB Wall something about about a tax credit and that adoptions cost around $35k, and I thought that it was insane. I understand paying legal and home study fees - after that it starts to really bug me.

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We are in Canada, so some things are different. We are adopting from Ethiopia, hopefully. It has been 5 years since we started the process; 4 years since our dossier landed in Ethiopia.

 

Ok, so our expenses...

Our first homestudy was about $2000. We also had to do a training course for International Adoption for $250. Fingerprints, Interpol Clearances, Vulnerable Sector clearances, HIV tests, medicals, and courier costs were easily another $1000.

 

Then we had to hire an adoption agency that is licensed to do adoptions in Ethiopia. Their agency fee was about $7500, which was dossier preparation, translation, authentication, and file management for the duration of our adoption process. (They staffed an office which provided updates, corresponded with Ethiopian officials, etc). They also assisted with the immigration process.

The in-country fee was also about $7500. This pays for the Ethiopian side of operations, including any filing fees, supporting the orphanages they work with (buying food etc for the children), paying the attorney who represents us to the Ethiopian courts, fees for the child's new birth certificate, passport, etc.

Immigration fees in Canada were $150 per child.

When we started the process, only one trip to Ethiopia was required. Now, adoptive parents are required to appear at court, then return to pick up their child 2-6 months later when all the paperwork, etc is ready. So, airfare $2000 x2 people x 2 trips = $8000, plus two stays in ET (say a min of $1500 each trip for accommodations, meals, in country transportation, etc). Plus return airfare for your child if they are over 2 (and most are).

 

In our particular case, the adoption agency we hired in Canada was grossly mismanaged, perhaps fraudulently, which resulted in them filing for bankruptcy. Rather than quit our adoptions, and lose everything invested so far, the over 300 families affected banded together and each contributed an additional $4000 to resurrect the agency and complete our adoptions.

 

As well, every 12-24 months, depending on which province you are in, you have to re-do your dossier, including a homestudy update. We were lucky that our update only cost $400, some provinces allow fees of up to $2000 for an update. Additional update fees were about $500.

 

Ok, if my math is correct, that adds up to $34,450. Yes, it's jaw dropping, but other than the $4000 after the bankruptcy, there is nothing we could have done to avoid these costs. In fact, adoption agencies in Canada are struggling to stay afloat, because that ~$7500 fee is not enough to support their costs, now that a typical international adoption process is 3-6 YEARS long... That is a long time to have to run an office, etc. Basically, each family is contributing less than $100 per month towards the cost of running their office (At minimum, receptionist, director, a couple case workers).

 

It's unfortunate that it costs so much, but other than homestudy fees being a little high, none of the costs seem too out of line compared to similar services offered by other professions.

 

I look around a typical parking lot and see many, many vehicles that cost more than our adoption will. I'm not judging that, but it helps me to put it in perspective.

 

I hope that helps understand where the money goes. Let me know if I can clarify anything.

Heather

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I look around a typical parking lot and see many, many vehicles that cost more than our adoption will. I'm not judging that, but it helps me to put it in perspective.

 

I also kept this thought in my mind throughout our adoption process. It definitely put everything in perspective. Our adoption was from China and was just over ten years ago, but adjusting for inflation and increased regulation (home studies for China are now more involved than they used to be), our expenses were roughly in line with yours.

 

My friends who have adopted domestically have spent similar amounts, but I do not know anything about how their expenses are allocated.

 

Best of luck with Ethiopia. Ethiopia certainly has some beautiful children (though soon, I hope, it will have one fewer beautiful child and your family will have one more).

 

Terri

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We completed two domestic infant agency adoptions (2008 and 2010) and each cost us just under $15,000. We worked very hard to control our costs, but domestic adoptions are easily in the $25-35k range these days, especially when an agency is involved.

 

The adoption tax credit has been a big discussion point in recent months. It used to be a non-refunable credit, initially intended for families adopting from foster care. In 2010/2011 it was a refundable credit. The families waiting to adopt now are up in arms over the fact that it is not refundable for 2012+. Adoption costs are skyrocketing and many families were depending on that money to complete their adoptions. I am personally of the belief that tax payers should probably not be subsidizing our family planning. However, rising adoption costs are driving good families out of the market simply because they don't have $25-35k in the bank for a baby. Adoption laws vary greatly by state and there are people make A LOT of money on adoption. Reform is needed, badly.

 

Hope that gives you a little background of the current hubbub. :)

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We are in Canada, so some things are different. We are adopting from Ethiopia, hopefully. It has been 5 years since we started the process; 4 years since our dossier landed in Ethiopia...

 

I hope that helps understand where the money goes. Let me know if I can clarify anything.

 

Heather - ty so much for that. It certainly helps me better understand international adoption costs. And maybe that's what the person who posted on my friend's FB page was referring to.

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Agency adoptions (nonfoster care) can be $20,000-$35,000 which includes agency fees, counseling for the birthmother and sometimes medical and living expenses for her as well. The tax credit is $13,000 per child.

There is no cost to adopt through foster care unless the attorney who files the paperwork charges more than the $1,000 the State will pay. Most will do it for that.

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"The adoption tax credit has been a big discussion point in recent months. It used to be a non-refunable credit, initially intended for families adopting from foster care. In 2010/2011 it was a refundable credit. "

 

Beth, shouldn't that be flip-flopped??? Prior to 2010 and after 2011 people who adopt from foster care can not get the refund. I don't have any cost to adopt my foster children, therefore there is nothing to refund. You have to prove expenses to get this credit. Because we finalized an adoption in 2010 we were able to get the refund even though there was no out of pocket cost. While the $ was nice since we bought a larger vehicle, I think the fact they gave it to us is silly.

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...Adoption laws vary greatly by state and there are people make A LOT of money on adoption. Reform is needed, badly.

 

Hope that gives you a little background of the current hubbub. :)

 

Thank you for the explanation. The huge problem I have is with the people who make quite a bit of money off adoption, and those who adopt from them. They are, in effect, selling and buying human beings. I'm not sure how one reconciles that.

Edited by knit247
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Beth, shouldn't that be flip-flopped??? Prior to 2010 and after 2011 people who adopt from foster care can not get the refund. I don't have any cost to adopt my foster children, therefore there is nothing to refund. You have to prove expenses to get this credit. Because we finalized an adoption in 2010 we were able to get the refund even though there was no out of pocket cost. While the $ was nice since we bought a larger vehicle, I think the fact they gave it to us is silly.

 

For special needs adoptions, you don't need to prove any out of pocket expenses. In my state most (all??) foster care adoptions are designated special needs. I guess I'm not sure how that plays out in other states. I should have stated s/n adoption instead of foster care adoption in my first post. Sorry. The big change for 2010/2011 was that foster/adopt families finally got refund money because it was refundable. Federal tax liability for a lot of families is so low that non-refundable credits aren't much to get excited about.

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I think some of the reasoning is that the costs are so out of line with what most people pay (out of pocket) to become parents biologically, and the credit is trying to offset some of that discrepancy. Maybe? Just a thought...

 

I do get overwhelmed and frustrated that adoption costs fall squarely on the shoulders of potential adoptive parents... Society as a whole, not just adoptive parents, benefits when children are adopted into loving homes. And part of the cost of domestic adoptions is providing free counselling/services to pregnant moms who end up NOT placing (which is completely their right). But it means that adoptive parents are paying not only for the actual expenses involved in their own adoptions, but the expenses of adoptions that never happened.

 

It is a very complicated system, and I agree reform is needed.

Heather

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Thank you for the explanation. The huge problem I have is with the people who make quite a bit of money off adoption, and those who adopt from them. They are, in effect, selling and buying human beings. I'm not sure how one reconciles that.

 

There are people making a lot of money from adoption and it is essentially a free market out there in a lot of states. I am in an agency-only state that requires all adoptions are done through an agency. A third of our cost was legal fees for the birth parents (we did our own legal) and the rest went to the agency. We paid no birth parent expenses or medical (our state provides medical care for expectant moms). Our specific agency works with over 100 expectant moms each year and 10-15 of them make adoption plans. I'm okay with paying them what we paid them ... they are barely staying afloat and they do help young moms. That said, there are very few organizations out there like we worked with. We are done with adoption for a lot of reasons, but a big one is the ethics. We were blissfully unaware when we started our adoption journey and we are so lucky that we happened to pick the right agency. I honestly don't know that I would sleep at night if I thought there were ethical issues with my kids' adoptions.

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Thank you for the explanation. The huge problem I have is with the people who make quite a bit of money off adoption, and those who adopt from them. They are, in effect, selling and buying human beings. I'm not sure how one reconciles that.

 

Who is getting rich off of adoptions? Other than the odd rogue agency owner who engages in fraud, can you provide some examples? I didn't run into anyone who is getting rich and am just wondering where they are.

 

Terri

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Who is getting rich off of adoptions? Other than the odd rogue agency owner who engages in fraud, can you provide some examples? I didn't run into anyone who is getting rich and am just wondering where they are.

 

Terri

 

Yes, I think it is important to differentiate between people who earn their living off adoptions, and those who are getting rich. For instance, the social worker who wrote our homestudy is earning her income from adoptions, but she is by no means "getting rich". Some of the "adoption attorneys" who advertise privately might fall into the "getting rich" category...

 

Heather

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Who is getting rich off of adoptions? Other than the odd rogue agency owner who engages in fraud, can you provide some examples? I didn't run into anyone who is getting rich and am just wondering where they are.

 

Terri

 

Please note that my reply was in response to another post in this thread (my bold), and I was trying to convey that I agreed.

 

Adoption laws vary greatly by state and there are people make A LOT of money on adoption. Reform is needed, badly.
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I agree, our adoption (international) saw a lot of money changing hands but I saw very few rich people getting the money. Well, actually I was most annoyed with OUR governmen'ts take on some things...they seemed most out of line for the service rendered.

But the money paid to China seemed fair. I was basically paying for the care my child received for the 14 months I could not provide that care. Some might call it sub-standard, but then the fee I paid was the same for any child birth to 13 yrs.

Don't biological births cost a lot too except they are covered by insurance? Don't bio parents pay for every second their child is in the hospital? Except its covered by insurance? Don't I sort of subsidize those?

It occurs to me every time I listen to the vacations of others that I could adopt again if I could afford that trip.

I don't have infertility. I could do a "cheap, ethical kid" (see below...this was an implied term by someone telling me what I should build my family with)...but that's not where my heart is. Yes, adoption has its issues. But why people can't look at the cost of a biological child (supposed actual cost, not what insurance makes them pay) and see issues, is beyond me.

 

ETA-"cheap, ethical kid"=a biologically birthed baby. Not my term, but what has been implied many times by thoughtless people that imply I shouldn't have paid so much for my precious, much prayed for children---as if they were less than (I clearly do not think they are anything but miracles)...I didn't pay for "them". I paid for a process. Same as I would have if I had opted to pay for ob visits and delivery room fees. I can not articulate this well because it really upsets me that these sorts of things are constantly applied to who my children are or why I would build my family through adoption.

 

ETA again.....gee...I really can't articulate this at all! :). Adoption is my heart. I can have biological children, but that is not my heart. I did not pay for children. I paid for what was done for them before I could get to them. I paid in good faith. I think people miss what is paid for in biological children when critiquing what is paid for in adoption. Do I think there are issues in adoption? Yes. There are always issues in a system where humans are involved. And I always wish I would keep my cyber-mouth closed on heart issues because I can't type as fast as I think. Sorry for any offense.

Edited by mom2hunangirls
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I could do a "cheap, ethical kid"...but that's not where my heart is...

 

You could "do a 'cheap, ethical kid'"??? Do you hear what you just said??? I so don't want to fight or argue with anyone. I truly don't want to. But that was flat-out wrong... Thank God for my parents, who didn't adopt me because I was cheap - or ethical - or foreign - or US-born - or any of that. Children should not be picked-over like produce... They are, after all, human beings first and foremost.

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I think some of the reasoning is that the costs are so out of line with what most people pay (out of pocket) to become parents biologically, and the credit is trying to offset some of that discrepancy. Maybe? Just a thought...

 

I do get overwhelmed and frustrated that adoption costs fall squarely on the shoulders of potential adoptive parents... Society as a whole, not just adoptive parents, benefits when children are adopted into loving homes. And part of the cost of domestic adoptions is providing free counselling/services to pregnant moms who end up NOT placing (which is completely their right). But it means that adoptive parents are paying not only for the actual expenses involved in their own adoptions, but the expenses of adoptions that never happened.

 

It is a very complicated system, and I agree reform is needed.

Heather

We adopted two of our children through domestic infant adoption, through an agency. I didn't mind paying for those counseling services at all. That is one of the reasons we chose to work with that particular agency, rather than "finding a birth mom on our own." We wanted to parent a child who needed parents, rather than soliciting an expectant mother to give us her child. We were chosen several times by moms who were able to get a parenting plan in place, and ultimately brought their children home. We were even able to give gifts to those new moms after they did so. I'm so glad that we were able to do that, and I rest comfortably in the knowledge that the parents of the two children who were ultimately placed with us were in no way coerced to give up their children.

 

I do know people who have done private adoptions ethically, and I also know of agencies that manipulate women into placing. Please be careful, and research any agency that you may consider working with, as well as adoption attorneys, you will be the one who will have to relay to your child one day, how they came to be part of your family.

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We paid about $4,000 for legal fees. Other than that, we paid about $500 for travel, $1,000 for homestudy and that was it.

 

I agree that the adoption industry needs MASSIVE reform. Two issues that concern me: birthfather rights and paying living expenses to expectant mothers. Basically, anything beyond medical is too much, IMO, and creates an atmosphere that lends itself to exploitation and coercion.

Edited by shinyhappypeople
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I didn't mind paying for those counseling services at all.

 

Oh, I don't neccesarily *mind* but it's part of what drives costs up, so I thought it was relevant to this discussion. And I do think counselling for expectant moms shouldn't be the sole responsibility of adoptive parents (but then I'm in Canada, where most mental healthcare is covered).

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Oh, I don't neccesarily *mind* but it's part of what drives costs up, so I thought it was relevant to this discussion. And I do think counselling for expectant moms shouldn't be the sole responsibility of adoptive parents (but then I'm in Canada, where most mental healthcare is covered).

 

The agency I worked with also takes charitable donations, that combined with the tax refund, means that adoptive parents don't end up paying the full amount. Honesly, we will likely continue to give donations to that particular agency, as well as another crisis pregnancy center.

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You could "do a 'cheap, ethical kid'"??? Do you hear what you just said??? I so don't want to fight or argue with anyone. I truly don't want to. But that was flat-out wrong... Thank God for my parents, who didn't adopt me because I was cheap - or ethical - or foreign - or US-born - or any of that. Children should not be picked-over like produce... They are, after all, human beings first and foremost.

 

Oh no no no!!! I was misread! I was referring to people that ask me why I didn't just birth a child! Oh heavens, I'm so sorry it was taken that way! So many people have said mean things to me because I would rather adopt...I lash out in my thoughts at those things. So the "cheap, ethical kid" would = a biological birth.

 

I paid for services my child received before they were mine, or the process to make them mine. In no way do I feel I bought a child anymore than a bio parent pre-pays for their child before delivery.

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Oh no no no!!! I was misread! I was referring to people that ask me why I didn't just birth a child! Oh heavens, I'm so sorry it was taken that way! So many people have said mean things to me because I would rather adopt...I lash out in my thoughts at those things. So the "cheap, ethical kid" would = a biological birth.

 

I paid for services my child received before they were mine, or the process to make them mine. In no way do I feel I bought a child anymore than a bio parent pre-pays for their child before delivery.

 

You might want to edit your original post to say that instead. It came across as pretty horrifying.

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You might want to edit your original post to say that instead. It came across as pretty horrifying.

 

I tried. I think I made it worse. But at least I know I was right to be horrified when that's what was said to me. I promise it's not what I was calling any child. :001_huh: Although I see how it read wrong.

 

I'm just going to go snuggle my adored and cherished little 4 yr old...

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I tried. I think I made it worse. But at least I know I was right to be horrified when that's what was said to me. I promise it's not what I was calling any child. :001_huh: Although I see how it read wrong.

 

I'm just going to go snuggle my adored and cherished little 4 yr old...

 

If it is any comfort, I understood exactly what you meant, Of course, I read fine print (IRS regulations) for a living and chose to adopt, so take that for what it's worth. ;)

 

Terri

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You could "do a 'cheap, ethical kid'"??? Do you hear what you just said??? I so don't want to fight or argue with anyone. I truly don't want to. But that was flat-out wrong... Thank God for my parents, who didn't adopt me because I was cheap - or ethical - or foreign - or US-born - or any of that. Children should not be picked-over like produce... They are, after all, human beings first and foremost.

 

 

Knit247, great questions. I'm an adult adoptee too, and totally agree that we are talking about human beings. However, there is a huge market for "adoptable" children, and potential adoptees are largely treated as commodities. :glare:

 

If you want to find out who's making money off adoption, look to the agencies. I had the info for a while showing what the CEO's of the top agencies made, and they were big numbers. I'll have to see if I can find that info again. Also look into the NCFA; there is a lot of money there.

 

Kevin at Land of Gazillion Adoptees has been doing a fabulous job following the money trail lately. http://landofgazillionadoptees.com/

 

It's also important to note that those making money off adoption -- agencies and adoption attorneys -- are the same ones lobbying to keep OBC's out of the hands of adopted adults, pushing the tax credit, etc. The NCFA is basically an enormous lobbying group, made up of agency folks, maquerading as "the authoritative voice for adoption". I personally find the Evan B. Donaldson Instutute for Adoption and the American Adoption Congress much more credible.

 

I'm an adoptee and also an adoptive mom through international adoption. I love my family, but know the attitudes around the time of my birth caused unceasing heartache for countless women who lost their children to adoption. I'm also increasingly discouraged at what I find out about the country we adopted from. Again, much unnecessary separation of mothers and children, with adoption continually being promoted. Much reform is needed.

Edited by michelle l
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I think that's what I don't get - why there is a credit? I need to start Googling ;)

 

There is a tax credit because groups like the NCFA make it a lobbying point. Ideally, if there were to be a credit it would be for those adopting children from the foster care system, where there is a demonstrated need for permanancy. However, the NCFA's stated goal is to be "advocating for a culture of adoption", which really just leaves me scratching my head. https://www.adoptioncouncil.org/

 

I'll try to get that info aobut industry salaries for you.

 

EDIT: Ok, here you go. This was reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 26, 2010...

 

"Some agencies devote significant portions of their budgets just for one executive’s salary. For instance, Alpharetta-based AAA Partners in Adoption Inc. told the IRS that its executive director’s total compensation for 2008 was $107,747 — one-fourth of all its expenses that year.

 

The adoption and foster care agency Bethany Christian Services, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., with offices in Atlanta and Columbus, paid 72 employees at least $50,000 in 2007, according to its tax returns. The chief executive earned $169,000, while the agency’s vice president collected $178,000.

Bethany had a total budget of $9.1 million. However, $7.2 million, or almost four of every five dollars, went to management expenses. Another $1.2 million covered fund-raising costs — far more than the $694,000 that went to programs that directly served children.

 

The agency put more into employee pension plans than into children’s services.

 

Bethany collected $803,225 from the Georgia Department of Human Services for supervising foster children in 2009, state records show. The state money covers administrative costs as well as direct services to children."

 

 

BCS is the largest adoption agency in the U.S.

 

Edited by michelle l
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