[Jim_in_PA]

Please be sure you understand how the adoption tax credit works before you count on it relative to funding payoff of any adoption related debt. It's a tax credit. That means it only balances against taxes owed. If your normal tax bill is low, it could be up to five years before you realize the full benefit and in some circumstances, the tax bill is low enough that a family may not be able to receive the entire credit, even over the maxium number of years. You do not "get a check" from the government, per se...you get a refund of taxes owed up to the amount you paid in...and that only happens after you file your tax return for the year your adoption is complete.

Additionally, the credit phases out for higher income families starting at an AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) of $159K and is completely gone at about $199K. (In some areas of the country, that is not functionally high income due to cost of living, including housing costs...)

Granted, there are many, many families that find financial relief from this credit, but again...know your own situation. And be sure you either have professional help to prepare your returns or use softeware like TurboTax to insure they are done correctly.
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BTW, check with your employer to see if there is any adoption benefit available. Although most small to mid-sized businesses don't have it, many major corporations do offer some amount of money to employees who complete adoptions. My employer, for example, provides $3500 per child. Relative to the above discussion, there is an addional tax benefit for families who qualify that forgives Federal taxes on up to a certain amount of employer adoption benefits. It is calculated on the same form as the adoption credit.