Adoption and Child Support [You Can Avoid Child Support Costs]

How Adoption Relieves the Burden of Child Support 

It’s common for birth parents to have questions about child support after the adoption. 

• When you choose adoption, you are creating a better financial future by avoiding the responsibility of child support payments. 
• A trusted and experienced adoption specialist can explain how it’s possible to give up a child for adoption and not pay child support. 
• By connecting with an adoption agency, you can get information on adoption child support, services for placing your child for adoption and potential further financial assistance during the adoption process. 

A common question for many prospective birth parents: If you give your baby up for adoption, do you still have to pay child support? 
 

Of the many reasons parents may choose adoption for their baby, financial pressure is near the top of the list. Raising a child from birth to 18 is more expensive than ever. The ability to provide a stable living situation for a child can have a significant impact on their development.  

Adoption is a way to give the child an opportunity to grow up in a loving, stable household while also relieving the unbearable financial pressure the birth parents are facing. 

This article is not designed to be legal advice. While we aim to provide accurate and helpful adoption information, it’s always best to contact an adoption attorney for more specific information about adoption and child support as it applies to your unique situation. 

To get connected to an adoption attorney as well as a trusted and experienced adoption specialist, complete this form and get connected today. By doing so, you can get information related to not only adoption child support and how to alleviate the financial strain, but how to begin your adoption journey and create a better future for everyone involved. 

Is it Possible to Give Up a Child for Adoption and Not Pay Child Support? 

The answer is yes (but in every case, it is important to confirm that this is true for you with an adoption attorney or the office that handles child support matters in your state). Whether you are a prospective birth mother or birth father, adoption is the legal transfer of parental rights and responsibilities from the birth parent(s) to the adoptive parent(s). 

As the birth father, whether you’re involved or uninvolved in the adoption process, one of your most pressing questions is: 

If the birth mother puts a child up for adoption, does the birth father have to pay any money? 

Prospective birth fathers aren’t the only ones who ask about child support in the adoption process, however. Many prospective birth mothers ask us about this topic, too, with questions such as: 

• If the birth mother puts a child up for adoption, does the birth father have to pay any money to support her? 
• Does a mother who puts her child up for adoption still have to pay child support? 
• If you put a child up for adoption, does the dad still have to pay child support? 

The answer to these questions, generally, is no. Because you are completing adoption paperwork that completes your transfer of parental rights, you are removing your financial responsibly towards your baby. Again, it’s always important to work with an experienced and ethical adoption attorney that can navigate your state’s adoption laws.  

This means that, whether you are making an adoption plan for your child with a new adoptive family or your child is being adopted by a stepparent, you will not be responsible for future child support after the adoption.  

If you are behind on past child support payments for the child in question, you will be responsible for making those outstanding payments — so it’s best to confirm with the department that handles child support issues in your state. 
 

Once the birth parents sign their adoption paperwork, they no longer have rights or responsibilities for the child, including the legal obligation to make future child support payments.  

You can get more information on completing adoption paperwork and how giving up your parental rights means you are no longer financially responsible for your child by filling out this form to get connected with an adoption specialist today. 
 

Stepparent Adoption and Child Support 

You will not be required to make child support payments after adoption in the case of a stepparent adoption, in which you are separated from your child’s other biological parent and that parent’s new partner is adopting the child.

However, if you are behind on past child support payments, you will be responsible to pay that outstanding obligation.  

Before you stop making existing child support payments, it is important to contact the office that handles child support matters in your state. They can answer your questions about your past and future child support obligations in your circumstances.  

So, if you’re asking, “If someone else adopts my child, do I still have to pay child support?” know that the answer is no.  

Your obligation for child support will likely end once the adoption is finalized. However, if you owe child support at the time of adoption, you’ll want to work with an adoption professional or child support attorney to ensure you are not held liable for any additional child support payments after the adoption is finalized. 
 

Open Adoption and How You Can Stay Connected to Your Child 

The vast majority of private adoptions are “open” or “semi-open”, which means there is some sort of ongoing communication between the birth parents, adoptive family and child.  

This communication can take the form of photos, letters and other occasional updates, or it can look like phone calls, video chats and in-person visits. It all depends on the adoption plan created by the birth parents.  

Even though you chose adoption and transferred your parental rights and avoided child support after adoption, you can still maintain a connection to your child. 

Open adoption is the most common type of adoption completed today and continues to bring birth parents and adoptive families closer through the shared bond of adoption. When you find the perfect adoptive family for your child, you immediately begin building the foundation to a lifelong connection. 

Caitlin is one of the thousands of examples of how an open adoption creates lifelong relationships. 

“Knowing that I can be around and be there — I don’t even know how to put it into words… I’m like a cheerleader on the sideline, and that’s more than I could have asked for,” Caitlin said. “He gets this family who can take care of him and do everything I couldn’t, but he can also know that I didn’t just give him away. I had a purpose for him, and it was meant to be.” 

Open adoption presents many great opportunities to remain a fixture in your child’s life. Fill out our form online and get more information on how you can have an open adoption.  

Adoption Financial Assistance [You can be Eligible for Support When You Choose Adoption] 

The source of your questions about adoption and child support may be motivated by financial anxiety. This is something that thousands of expectant parents experience, and we frequently receive questions such as, “Is it possible to give up a child and not pay child support?” 
 

You should know that if you are considering adoption, it is always free to prospective birth parents. There will be no costs from an adoption agency for prospective birth parents.  

In addition to this, you may have access to helpful resources and potentially be able to receive adoption financial assistance during the process. 

Are You Ready to Get More Information on Adoption and Child Support? 

The adoption process can seem complex, as can the legal elements associated with it. While this article provides some general information that we hope you find helpful, it is not intended to and should not be taken as financial or legal advice.  

Nothing you read on the internet can tell you for certain whether you still have to pay child support in your situation, so it’s best to contact a local attorney or your state’s child welfare department to get your specific questions answered. 
 

If you have more questions about child support after adoption, or if you are considering adoption for your baby, contact us to get free adoption information online. An adoption specialist can answer any questions you have about the rights and responsibilities of birth fathers in adoption, as well as the financial resources available to expectant parents considering an adoption plan.