How Much Does an Open Adoption Cost?

As with many important questions, the answer to this one is, “It depends.” The answers can range from next to nothing to tens of thousands of dollars. In our family, our total cost for adopting David was about $1200, and we didn’t have to pay it all at once. We paid the lawyer in installments, we paid for a home study and a guardian ad leitem, each of whom cost us about $200, and we paid the legal fees, such as filing fees and court costs.

Others, however, pay much more than that. One acquaintance in California said that because his state is broke, their home study alone was in the ballpark of $4000. My sister lives in Kansas and will have to pay $1200 for a home study out-of-pocket, because she (apparently) can’t even enter the adoption process until the home study is complete.

We didn’t go through an agency, because we knew our son’s birthmother, but going through an agency can result in extra costs. Many people find the extra costs worth paying, since an agency has the resources to screen both birthmmothers and adoptive parents, and to access legal, medical, financial, and emotional support resources for everyone involved. In addition, there’s a transparency to going through an agency that appeals to many people; these records will be examined and kept legal and ethical.

Some not-for-profit agencies can keep their costs down through tax-exemptions and low overhead. A family I know in Tennessee went through Catholic Social Service for about $4000 per child. Other agency costs can range from $5000 to $40,000, depending on the different factors.

Another variable factor is the birthmother’s expenses. It is, of course, illegal to pay the birthmother for the baby—adoption is not the buying or selling of a child. But many couples are glad to pay the birthmother’s medical, travel, or living expenses during the course of the pregnancy. In our case, the birthmother was disabled and so was on Medicare, and she lived close by and so had few travel expenses—we usually traveled the 25 minutes to see her or to accompany her to the doctor.

Different states have different requirements and different costs for the adoption procedure, so be sure to check in to your state’s laws. Don’t forget, though, that you rarely have to pay all the expenses at once; they can be staggered over the course of the process.

Image courtesy of GRP Health

Another aspect of an open adoption to consider is the cost of staying in touch with birthparents throughout your child’s life. With email and cell phones, this might be minimal, but it can include anthing from postage, extra photograps at school picture time, or Christmas gifts to plane fare and hotel rooms. Those costs will depend a great deal on what kind of relationship your family has with your child’s birthparents.

There is help to be had with adoption costs, so if these numbers seem high to you, don’t despair. A good place to start is www.adoption.com, which has information about any number of adoption issues. They can point you in the right direction.