Financial Assistance

If you make an adoption plan, you are guaranteed to receive financial assistance for medical, legal, and counseling fees. You could also qualify for assistance with reasonable living expenses.

Typically, living expenses include rent, bills, groceries, transportation, and maternity clothes. Birthmothers are usually eligible to receive assistance with living expenses for about one to two months after birth.

All financial assistance must be handled through the social worker or attorney the adoptive family hires for you. It is never acceptable for an adoptive family to simply hand over money to a birthparent at any point before or after the birth. On top of the financial assistance you’d be eligible to receive, most adoption professionals provide their services for birthmothers free of charge.

State Restrictions

The specific types and amounts of financial aid allowed depends on the laws in your state. Your lawyer will work with you and the adoptive family to ensure you get any financial aid you’re eligible for to make the adoption process as easy as possible for you.

Adoption financial assistance laws vary by state. For example, some states...

...have restrictions on the total amount allowed.
...only allow assistance with medical, legal, and counseling fees.
...have qualifications that must be met before receiving assistance.
...have time restrictions.