Pact, An Adoption Alliance - Adoption Finances

Adoption Finances - Other States

Understanding The Costs

Most states require that a home study of the family be made before placement of the child can occur. These can be conducted either by an independent social worker licensed by the state or by an agency (usually private, sometimes operated by the state department of social services). The cost for this service varies. Call your state's Department of Adoptions for information about home-study providers and any fees you may anticipate.
In some states, the adoptive parents must pay a fee to the state for their work in assisting and completing the adoption. This fee may be mandated and sometimes operates on a sliding scale.

Understanding The Laws

Buying, selling, or attempting to buy or sell any person to another, or paying or receiving anything of value for having a person placed in the custody of another, is a crime.
Paying a parent anything of value for placement for adoption, for consenting to adoption, or for cooperation in the completion of an adoption of his or her child, is a crime.
Obtaining benefits from prospective adoptive parents for payment of hospital or medical expense or financial benefits such as necessary living expenses related to the pregnancy of the birth mother or the birth of a prospective adopted child, with the intent to receive the benefits but not complete this adoption or consent to the adoption, is a crime.
Advertising placement of children for adoption or publishing a solicitation of a child for adoption without holding a license or permit to place children for adoption is a crime in some states.
Placing a child for adoption without holding a license or permit to do so is a crime. This statute does not apply to the birth parent of a child placed for adoption.
Intentional falsification of the accounting report made under penalty of perjury is a crime. A full accounting will be required of all disbursements of anything of value made by the adoptive petitioners in connection with the birth of the child, the placement of the child with the petitioners, any medical or hospital care received by the birth mother or by the child in connection with birth, or any other expenses of the birth parents or the adoption.
Wrongfully concealing or removing the prospective adopted child from the country in which the adoption is pending is not allowed.