privateadoption.orgQuestions to ask before you start
Bring these to a first call with an agency or attorney. Write the answers down so you can compare.
Are you licensed in my state, and in the states where births often happen for your families?
Who will be my main contact, and how quickly do you usually reply?
If the birth is in another state, who handles the ICPC packet?
Can I see your full fee schedule in writing?
Which fees are refundable, and which carry over if a match does not go forward?
What expenses does my state, and the birth state, allow adoptive families to help with?
Who may do my home study here, and can you recommend providers?
How long is a home study valid, and what does an update involve?
When can consent be signed in this state, and is there a window to withdraw it?
How does this state handle notice to a father, and is there a registry?
Ask a tax professional whether the federal adoption credit applies to you. The IRS explains it on Topic 607.
Ask your employer about leave for the placement of a child.
Who to ask
Rules differ by state. An adoption attorney licensed in your state, and in the birth state if it is different, can tell you how they apply to your family.
- Child Welfare Information Gateway - Home Study Requirements for Prospective Parents in Domestic Adoption · as of 2026-10-21
- Child Welfare Information Gateway - Consent to Adoption · as of 2026-10-21
- Child Welfare Information Gateway - Regulation of Private Domestic Adoption Expenses · as of 2026-10-21
- Child Welfare Information Gateway - Planning for Adoption: Knowing the Costs and Resources · as of 2026-10-22
- IRS Topic 607 - Adoption Credit and Adoption Assistance Programs · as of 2026-10-22
The PrivateAdoption guide app
The whole adoption, step by step
The guide app walks you through every stage in order. It keeps your document checklist, estimates your costs, reminds you of key dates, suggests questions for your attorney, and lays out the interstate steps if the birth is in another state. Every state rule comes with its official source.
Now covering 11 states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. More being added.
Get the guide app - $199One time, no subscription. You can also give the guide app as a gift for the same $199.
A short note when pages change
Occasional, and only when a state page or article is added or updated. No other mail, and you can leave any time.