More
Free Adoption
While it may sound good at first glance, there is no such thing as a 'free adoption'.
There are costs involved in every adoption. Of the many types of adoption (foster adopt, international, domestic, etc.), they can vary widely in cost.
Adoptions through the foster care system come closer to ‘free’ than any of the other types of adoption. Generally, there are only small fees the adoptive parents will need to pay as the costs are covered by the local government (City, County or State).
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the average cost of a foster care adoption is between $0 to $2,500.
Foster care adoption costs for hopeful adoptive parents are low because local governments want to encourage the placement of children whose circumstances might make them more difficult to place with families.
With international or domestic infant adoption, families will work with an agency or attorney or facilitator. These professionals work directly with agencies in other countries for international adoptions. In the U.S., they find and assist expectant mothers who are considering adoption for their children.
The work these professionals do require hopeful adoptive families to incur costs that are not paid by the local governments as in the case of foster care adoption. Thankfully, there are many ways families can get help with these costs.
- Adoption Tax Credit – currently the U.S. government provides a tax credit to families who have qualified adoption expenses.
- Grants – organizations providing free money to families who adopt.
- Fundraisers – live or online events to get your friends/family/community’s financial support.
- Loans – some banks provide loans at low interest to families who adopt.
- Employer adoption benefits – some employers offer financial support to employees who adopt.
Additional information about adoption costs and financial assistance can be found at:
