Approximately 43 States have statutes that specify the type of birth parent expenses a prospective adoptive family is allowed to pay. The actual dollar amount is usually limited by the standard of "reasonable and customary."

The type of expenses most commonly allowed under the law are:

Approximately 21 States also specify expenses that the adoptive parent is not permitted to pay. These include educational expenses, vehicles, vacations, permanent housing, or any other payment for the monetary gain of the birth parent. In six other States, the statutes do not specify the types of expenses that are not allowed, but do include language indicating that any expense not expressly permitted cannot be paid by the adoptive parents.

In addition to regulating the type of expenses that can be paid, a few States have set time limits, typically four to eight weeks, on how long after the birth of the child an adoptive parent is required to continue payments for the birth mother's living expenses or psychological counseling.

This material has been reproduced from the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse.