Article #10 the price of adoption.

I found a really great site listing the average prices of adoption. This site listed information for Maine adoptions and was very helpful.The prices they listed are as follows: the cost of a domestic public agency adoption zero to $2,500. A domestic private agency adoption: $4,00 to $30,000+ Domestic independent adoption: $8,000 to $30,000+ Inter country private agency or independent adoption: $7,000 to $25,000. Then
there was an estimation of specific adoption costs. These are a general range all depending on the type of adoption, the state the adoption occurred, whether there's a sliding scale fee depending on income, the country of origin of a foreign born child, the amount of subsidy available for adoption of special needs, tax credits available for reimbursement of adoption expenses, employer adoption benefits, and finally State reimbursement for non-recurring expenses for the adoption of a child with special needs.

Domestic Adoption Costs

	Low	High
Agency fees
Application fee	$100	$500
Home study and preparation services	$700	$2,500
Post-placement supervision	$200	$1,500
Parent physical (each parent)	$35	$150
Psychiatric evaluation (each parent; if required)	$250	$400
Attorney fees
Document preparation	$500	$2,000
Petition and court representation to finalize placement	$2,500	$12,000
Advertising	$500	$5,000
Birth parent expenses (Amount and type of expenses allowable for payment usually restricted by state law and subject to review by the court.
Medical expenses (prenatal, birth/delivery, postnatal for mother; perinatal care for child)	$0 (insurance)	$10,000 - $20,000 (depending on difficulty of the delivery, etc.)
Living expenses (rent, food, clothing, transportation, etc)	$500	$12,000
Legal representation	$500	$1,500
Counseling	$500	$2,000

There is also the cost of foreign adoption, where most of the expenses are paid out of pocket by the family adopting. These fees include: travel expenses, foreign agency placement fees, foreign attorney legal and placement fees, foster and medical care, use of translation and escort services, foreign court filing fee and document fees (birth certificate and adoption decree), the required "donation" to orphanage or agency and passport office fees. Thankfully, there are resources to help lower the cost of adoption. Things like a federal tax cut which is $5,000 for each child and $6,000 for children with special needs. A state tax cut for adopting domestic in that state. Adoption from the US public foster care system which allows parents who adopt for foster care to have the fees be minimum or even waived. Many of the children are eligible for federal or state-funded payments for meeting the child's needs. Some children even qualify for SSI to help pay for their medical needs. Adoption subsidy which is for children with special needs to help pay for their needs. These have to be negotiated before the adoption is finalized. Non-recurring adoption expense reimbursement. This is to pay for expenses after the adoption of a child with special needs has been finalized. This cannot exceed $2,000 and helps pay for travel costs, attorney expenses, home study fees, etc. Employer benefits, adoption loans, and finally adoption cancellation insurance which pays for expenses paid by prospective parents after the birth parent backed down from the adoption.