December 30, 2025
Adopting is one of the most meaningful decisions you can make. It’s exciting to imagine adding a new member to your family, but the process can also feel overwhelming. Beyond the legal adoption process, there’s also the question of cost.
How much does it cost to adopt a child? Is there financial support? The short answer is that it depends. The cost of adopting a child varies a lot depending on the type of adoption and the services involved.
In this guide, we’ll explore the average cost to adopt a child through different types of adoption, what each one typically costs, and the financial support available to help.
The cost of adopting a child ranges from $500 to over $60,000.
Foster care adoption is usually the most affordable.
Private agency and international adoptions tend to cost the most.
The average cost to adopt a child through a private agency is $30,000 to $60,000.
Costs vary based on legal fees, travel, home studies, and agency services.
Financial assistance may be available through tax credits, reimbursements, and grants, depending on the facts and circumstances of your adoption and your family.
Always request a full breakdown of fees before starting the process.
The cost of adopting a child typically ranges between $500 to upwards of $60,000.
The biggest factor driving that range is the type of adoption. For example, adopting a child from the U.S. foster care system is often the most affordable option, with many families paying little to nothing out-of-pocket, especially after reimbursements. On the other hand, pursuing an international adoption through a private agency can be the most expensive, largely due to travel and legal agency fees.
Each adoption path comes with its own unique set of expenses. If you're adopting internationally, you'll need to budget for travel, visas, and medical exams abroad. Private domestic adoptions often involve legal services both domestically and abroad, agency fees, a home study, and sometimes covering certain expenses for the birth parent.
Adoption is ideal for individuals or couples who are ready to provide a safe, stable, and nurturing home to a child who cannot be raised by their birth parents. Adoption is a meaningful and lifelong commitment, whether you're looking to grow your family after fertility challenges, become a parent without a biological connection, or give a home to a child in need.
Adoption is well suited for anyone prepared to embrace parenthood with compassion, patience, and unconditional love. Adoptive families come in all shapes and sizes, and what they share is a deep commitment to offering a child the opportunity to thrive.
Related: How to Adopt a Child In Oregon and Washington
Typical Range: $30,000 to $60,000
Private agency adoptions are a common route for families pursuing infant adoption. In some cases, the agency’s role is to manage the legal process for families who already have a relationship with the birth parent. In others, the agency actively matches adoptive parents with a birth parent.
Most agencies offer full-service support. Their fees often include matching services, birth parent and adoptive parent counseling, legal coordination, and post-placement supervision. Costs like the home study or court filings may be included in the agency’s fee structure, but not always.
By law, adoption agencies in Oregon need to disclose itemized costs for things like a home study and agency fees. It’s important to ask for an itemized fee schedule to understand how much it is to adopt a child through a specific agency.
Typical Range: $500 to $2,000 + up to $6000 in lawyer fees (depending on whether the adoptive parents and the child reside in the same state or different states)
For families asking how much it is to adopt a child from foster care, the answer is often: far less than you’d think. Thanks to state and federal support, many families pay little or nothing to adopt a foster child. In Oregon, for example, the state offers a one-time $2,000 reimbursement for nonrecurring adoption expenses, like court fees and a home study. Many children adopted from foster care also qualify for monthly subsidies and Medicaid.
While you can adopt a baby from foster care, children for adoption from foster care generally fall between toddler age to 21 years old. As part of the process of adopting a child from foster care, you’ll go through training related to trauma, since foster care children have experienced some form of trauma.
Typical Range: $25,000 to $45,000 ($20,000 and $50,000 for international)
If you want to adopt outside of the public child welfare system without going through a private adoption agency, you’ll work directly with an adoption attorney. An attorney will assist you and the adoptive parents through the adoption process, handling things like termination of parental rights and court reporting services.
The cost of adopting a child independently can vary widely depending on whether you're adopting a known child (e.g., a relative or stepchild) or locating a match on your own. Fees also go up when you are adopting a child from a different state.
You'll still need to complete a home study and legal fees, along with additional fees like birth parent expenses, advertising, and travel.
Typical Range: $20,000 to $50,000
Adopting a child from another country makes things a little more complicated. Beyond agency and legal fees, you'll also pay for:
Travel and lodging
U.S. and foreign legal fees
Translation and document processing
USCIS and visa applications
Medical exams for the child
The average cost to adopt a child from another country depends heavily on the country of origin and the agency's structure.
Advertising and Networking: In independent adoptions where you haven’t already connected with a birth parent, you may choose to spend money on outreach. While not always necessary, tools like print ads, online listings, or adoption profile services can help you make that connection. These costs typically range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.
Birth Mother Medical Expenses: In many private adoptions, adoptive families help cover certain allowable costs for the expectant mother. These may include uninsured prenatal care, hospital delivery charges, rent, utilities, or maternity-related travel. Each state regulates what’s permissible, so guidance from an experienced adoption attorney is essential.
Home Study: A home study is required in nearly all adoptions. This comprehensive evaluation assesses your readiness to adopt and ensures a safe and supportive environment for the child. Costs typically range from $1,000 to $3,000, though some agencies include this in their program fee. In Oregon and Washington, adopting through the foster care system usually means the state covers the cost.
Legal Fees: The cost of legal representation for court filings and finalizing the adoption depends on the complexity of your adoption and the jurisdiction you live in. Costs for documentation and an attorney can range from $2,500 to more than $12,000.
Post-Placement Supervision: After a child is placed in your home but before the adoption is finalized, you’ll complete a period of post-placement supervision. These in-home visits are conducted by a licensed social worker to monitor the child’s adjustment. Agencies may charge per visit, often ranging from $200 to $500 each, depending on your location and the number of reports required.
Travel and Lodging: Travel costs can be expected if you’re adopting out of state or internationally. You may need to stay in the birth parent’s home state to comply with interstate adoption rules (ICPC) if you’re adopting out of state. Meanwhile, international adoptions involved extended stays, multiple trips, and higher airfare costs.
As of 2025, families may be eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $16,810 for qualified adoption expenses. This credit is nonrefundable but helps offset overall adoption costs.
State Reimbursements and Assistance
Many states offer financial aid for adoptive parents. In Oregon, for example, there is an adoption assistance program for parents for whom adoption may not be financially viable. Oregon also provides a one-time reimbursement of up to $2000 for nonrecurring adoption costs and further assistance for parents adopting from the foster care system.
Title IV-E of the Social Security Act provides federal financial support for families who adopt eligible children from the foster care system. This assistance is available in all 50 states and includes:
One-time reimbursement of up to $2,000 for nonrecurring adoption expenses such as legal fees, court costs, and home study expenses.
Monthly adoption assistance payments, determined by the child’s needs and negotiated between the family and the state.
Medicaid coverage for the adopted child which can help cover medical and mental health services until adulthood.
Eligibility for Title IV-E benefits generally requires that the adopted child meet certain criteria, such as being classified as a child with special needs. These supports aim to remove financial barriers for families considering foster care adoption, and provide ongoing help to ensure stability for the child.
Nonprofit Grants and Crowdfunding
A number of nonprofits offer grants or fundraising support to adoptive families:
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption focuses on finding permanent homes for children in foster care and provides educational and grant resources.
Organizations such as Gift of Adoption and HelpUsAdopt.org provide need-based financial support to qualifying families.
AdoptTogether and similar crowdfunding platforms allow families to raise funds for adoption costs with the added benefit of tax-deductible donations for contributors.
These are all viable routes to consider to help ease the financial burden of your adoption.
How much does adoption cost overall?
Costs can range from under $1,000 for a foster care adoption to more than $60,000 for a private or international adoption. The exact cost depends on the type of adoption, travel requirements, legal needs, and whether agency services are involved.
Is foster care adoption really free?
In many cases, yes. Most foster care adoptions involve little to no out-of-pocket expense, especially when you factor in Title IV-E reimbursements, legal aid, and state support. Some families may incur small fees, but these are often reimbursed.
Do I need a lawyer to adopt?
Yes, an adoption lawyer is required. Every adoption requires legal finalization through the courts.
What’s included in agency fees?
Matching, counseling, legal coordination, and sometimes home studies. Always confirm what's included in writing.
Can I get financial help with adoption costs?
Yes. Between the federal adoption tax credit, Title IV-E support, state reimbursements, and nonprofit grants, many families find meaningful relief from the financial burden. Crowdfunding platforms like AdoptTogether also offer accessible ways to raise funds.
Does insurance cover any adoption-related costs?
While private insurance won’t cover adoption fees directly, some employers offer adoption assistance benefits, including reimbursements or paid leave. Check with your HR department to see what’s available to you.
Adoption is a life-changing journey. While it’s emotional and deeply rewarding, it can also be a complex process to navigate. Having the right legal guidance makes all the difference. At Gevurtz Menashe, we bring more than 30 years of family law experience, including a long-standing commitment to helping families grow through adoption in Oregon and Washington.
