Adoptive Family Costs
Explained Clearly.

Our fees include all agency services required from the time you join our program through placement: education, profile creation, matching, birth parent support, hospital coordination, and legal coordination, and lifelong access to resources, support, and guidance from us.

Paid separately: attorney fees, travel (if interstate), additional adoption professionals’ application fees, and medical expenses if the expecting mother has no insurance (which is rare).

No. All agency fees and expected third-party costs are disclosed upfront.

The only variable expenses are attorney fees, travel, and medical bills if the expecting mother is uninsured. We outline these ranges before you match so there are no surprises.

If a match does not result in placement because the expecting mother withdraws before placement, 50% of the matching fee is refunded. This refund does not apply if an adoptive family decides to withdraw from a match. The remaining 50% almost always qualifies for the federal adoption tax credit, which helps families recoup those costs. All other agency fees reflect services already provided and living expenses already paid to the expecting mother. They cannot be refunded. Additional adoption professionals’ application fees are separate and follow those providers’ policies.

Adoption costs have increased steadily over the past 20–30 years because of stronger ethical standards, expanded birth parent support, increased legal protections, trauma-informed practices, and higher compliance requirements. These improvements protect all families, and they are the main reason adoption costs have risen faster than inflation—and will likely continue to do so.

Beyond the initial adoption fees, families may have optional long-term expenses: adoption-competent therapy, travel for open-adoption visits, books or conferences, and cultural or identity-related experiences (especially in transracial adoption). These vary widely—many families spend $5,000–$25,000 over childhood, depending on needs and preferences.

Helping you protect your resrouces is important to us, so:

• We waive the $4,950 Program Fee when we complete your Adoptive Home Study.
• We include birth parent living expenses in the matching fee (no separate billing).
• We never charge extra for interstate adoption agency fees.
• We help birth parents apply for Medicaid when eligible.
• We provide detailed invoices to help families access grants and employer benefits.

Attorney fees vary widely based on state laws, case complexity, whether the adoption is local or interstate, and how many legal filings are required. Typical ranges are provided ($7,000–$8,000), and once you have a specific match, your adoption attorney will be able to give you a more precise estimate based on your situation.

Medical expenses vary because coverage differs from case to case. Costs depend on whether the expecting mother has Medicaid, private insurance, or no insurance. Most expecting mothers qualify for coverage, resulting in $0 medical costs. In rare cases where she is not covered, prenatal and hospital expenses may range up to $12,000+.

Additionally, if the adoptive family’s insurance does not begin until placement—which can occur up to two days after birth—they may be responsible for the baby’s medical bills for those first days.

We use milestone-based payments tied to each step of the process, and we do not offer payment plans. We do, however, provide all necessary documentation to support grant applications, employer reimbursements, or loan arrangements.

Lower-cost agencies often rely on donor funding and offer a narrower set of services, sometimes with requirements tied to their religious affiliation. Higher-cost national agencies have larger advertising budgets, more overhead, and operate across many states. Adoption & Beyond falls in the mid-range, with comprehensive services, predictable fees, and personalized support without national-level overhead.

Yes. After placement, your fees include ongoing support for both your family and the birth family.

For adoptive families, this includes lifelong access to resources and guidance, adoption-competent referrals, open-adoption guidance, and monthly educational newsletters. 

For birth families, it includes continued case management, grief support, connection to a community of birth parents, and six weeks of postpartum living expenses.

Families commonly use a combination of:

• Federal & State Adoption Tax Credits
• Employer and military personnel adoption benefits
• Adoption grants
• Loans
• Fundraising

Our free Making Adoption Affordable guide walks you through all the details. Download it here.