[Wisdom]

I'm trying to make a list of every cost we will need relating to adoption fees (not including baby clothing, furniture and the like). Just a few minutes ago I spoke with a homestudy agency and they said we will also need someone to do "innerstate contact" (?) since we're adopting from another state. She said they charge an additional $2,000 for this. I never even heard of it. It seems the fees will never end. Below is my list. I would greatly appreciate it if you can look at my list and add to it if you think of any other fees we may have to pay. Thanks so much!

orientation fee
application fee
adoptive fees
travel fees
homestudy fees
post placement visit fees
birth father fees (any fees having to do w/getting him
to TPR-locating him, legal fees, etc. One
agency we're thinking of going with said we will
have to pay for this)
birth mother fees (if necessary)
fingerprinting fees
criminal record fees

[kelceesmom]

We live in CA and adopted in AZ. We used a facilitator so I am not much help. We did have to have a lawyer in both states. Your list looks pretty good to me.

[mom2sam]

The interstate compact is what I think it's called, our lawyer always called it the ICPC...additional paperwork that needs to be completed in the state the baby is born before you can leave that state and return home. Each state is different. We adopted in NE and it took 3 business days (we paid more to have the lawyer hand deliver the papers to the state capitol instead of mailing them). I think $2000 is high for the ICPC, but ours was a private adoption and it cost under $500 for that portion.

Off the top of my head I can't think of additional costs, your list looks very thorough. We just went at it and prayed the money would show up...and it did eventually. Good luck to you!

[StampnWendy]

We received a flat fee from our agency (we were matched one month ago). Our packet from the agency states that the ICPC fee is $1100.

Our list also states Birth Cert. fees of $60, Court filing fees of $350, Post Placement Supervision and File Maintenace of $1225 and unknown medical costs. Hope this helps.

[Robyn7135]

Researching all the options for domestica infant adoption is enough to make you pull your hair out. I ended up making an Excel spreadsheet to compare agencies (once we decided we wanted to go that route) and I had to have a gazillion rows simply because every agency has different verbiage for each fee. At the end of the day we settled on an agency that is all-inclusive with their fees so I don't feel like I'll have any surprises down the road. Good luck with your decision. Your list looks pretty good to me, and I'd say there's a strong chance you'll pay birthmother fees of some sort.

[gigigeorge]

Another thing to remember for out of state placements is hotel and travel expenses, you have to stay in the sending state (state the baby is born) until you are cleared through ICPC, in most cases its a week or two (sometimes only days) but sometimes it can be a month or more depending on the specifics.

g.

[mommmmy]

we had to pay our homestudy agency an extra $1000 for ICPC. The agency in the birth state charged $250 extra and the attorney there charged I believe $250 extra also.

Since you are listing all the fees for homestudy stuff....you will also need physicals and labs run so that could be extra fees for you. You also may have some document fees if you need to gather certain documents. Also fees for original birth certificates and then the adopted birth certificate. All minor fees but they add up. Depending on where you are at and the requirements there may be notary fees also.

Sometimes attnys include filing fees and such and many do not.

And yes there definitely can be additional fees regarding birth father issues. It depends on if you will need to post in publication, have him served, and so on.

You are dealing with an agency...but some add on advertisement fees. Or if you are advertising on your own in like Parent Profiles, etc then there would be those fees too.

There always seems to be extra fees that come up in the process....even with the all inclusive places.

[Wisdom]

Thank you everyone for your responses. Regarding interstate compact (ICPC), how does it work? Is it something done in court or is it some type of communication between the adoption agency (where the child is born) and the homestudy agency where I live? Is it the homestudy agency that must do it or do I hire an attorney in my state? Any additional info on this would be great. Thanks!

[mommmmy]

It can depend on the states you are working with and the type of adoption you are working with. In our case we adopted using an agency in the birth state (it's not officially an agency state but it just works best to use an agency there) So we had the agency here do the ICPC work with the agency there. There is some back and forth activity between the two and the ICPC offices in each state.

Typically the homestudy agency would not have anything to do with the ICPC unless they are the agency you are working with for placement/post placement stuff too.

Some states have it set up so that the home state (of the aps) agency can handle it rather than going to the state office, many do not.

For many it's a matter of the attnys handling it all with the ICPC offices.

So as with most things in adoption - it depends on the state and the type of adoption you are doing.

[usmcfamily2005]

your list looks pretty good

The ICPC of $2000 sounds really high to me.

Ours was only $400

The fingerprint fees are nothing to worry about. You go to your local city or county police department, ask them to do a fingerprint sheet for you. If you have lived in more than one state in the last 5-10 years get a set of fingerprints for each state you lived in plus one set for an FBI check. Our fingerprint fees were $4.00 each. The background check costs vary by state. We had lived in two states so the state of IL charged us $12 per person, NC charged us like $10 I believe, the FBI background fees were $18 each I think.

GOOD LUCK!!

[georgiagirl]

If you are not on city water and sewer, you may also have to pay for water tests and septic tank inspections

Virginia

[mommy3]

Your list is one reason we went with a full-service agency, so unless we wanted to accept a situation that included support monies to an expectant mom, we paid only for

--fingerprinting ($100 each)
--agency fees (which were a sliding scale based on family income and still reasonable at the high end)
--TPR if needed (relinquishment was included in the agency fee) (flat fee of $650 unless atty had to go to court and extra time or times)
--finalization costs (flat $650 with our lawyer)
--travel for counselor if she had to go far to get relinquishment(s)
(but add our travel, making birthparent letter and building website, etc.)

Of course, ICPC would be extra, depending upon the states involved. We adopted within our state each time. You're welcome to pm me about the agency we used 2X -- we thought they were great. susan

[gigigeorge]

another thing to remember is that if you are going out of state, along with the ICPC stuff you will also have two attorneys fees most likely.

g.

[Wisdom]

If we go through an agency will we still need to hire an attorney? I thought by going through an adoption agency we'd not need to get an attorney as the agency would provide legal services.

[mommamarci]

Originally Posted by Wisdom

If we go through an agency will we still need to hire an attorney? I thought by going through an adoption agency we'd not need to get an attorney as the agency would provide legal services.

It depends on the agency. With some, you do not need an attorney because they have one and it is included in costs. With some, they have one or two they recommend and it is cheaper that way. Some leave it totally up to you. Ask the agencies you are interviewing.