Yes, you can adopt a child if you are single. Every state allows single adults to adopt, and no federal or state law bars adoption based on marital status. The process looks much like what married couples navigate, with one meaningful difference: agencies and courts will look harder at your childcare backup plan and support network, since you won’t have a partner sharing the daily load.
Who Qualifies to Adopt
There is no federal minimum age. States vary more than most people realize. A handful set the bar at 18, a few require 21, and a couple set it at 25. Some states skip a fixed number and simply require the adoptive parent to be at least 10 years older than the child. Check your state’s rule with a local adoption agency or family court before you begin.
Past age, the question agencies and courts are really asking is whether you can provide a stable home. That means steady income, manageable debt, and housing suitable for a child. You’ll typically submit tax returns, pay stubs, and bank statements during the process. A medical evaluation confirming you’re physically and mentally able to raise a child long-term is standard.
Background Checks and Automatic Disqualifiers
Every prospective adoptive parent goes through a criminal records check. For foster care and many domestic adoptions, federal law names the convictions that end the conversation. A felony conviction at any time for child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, any crime against children (including child pornography), or a violent crime like sexual assault or homicide permanently bars approval. A felony within the past five years for physical assault, battery, or a drug offense also disqualifies you.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 671 – State Plan for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance
For intercountry adoptions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services runs its own check on you, your spouse if applicable, and every adult in your household. That includes fingerprinting and a review of child abuse registries.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Background Checks – Security and Child Abuse Registry
A record outside those categories doesn’t automatically end your chances. Evaluators weigh the offense, how long ago it happened, and what’s changed. But the disqualifiers above leave no room for discretion.
Your Adoption Options and What Each Costs
Foster Care Adoption
Adopting from foster care is the most affordable path and the one where single parents have the strongest track record. Most foster care adoptions cost nothing, because the state covers the expenses. Bringing in a private attorney can push costs to around $3,000. Children waiting in foster care range widely in age and background, and many have waited years for a permanent family. From initial training to finalization, the process typically runs 6 to 18 months.3AdoptUSKids. What Does It Cost
Children adopted from foster care often qualify for ongoing support through the federal adoption assistance program, which provides monthly subsidy payments and Medicaid coverage. Many of these children have special needs or circumstances that make placement harder, and the subsidies help families provide for them over the long term.4Administration for Children and Families. Title IV-E Adoption Assistance
Private Domestic Adoption
Private domestic adoption means working with an agency or attorney to adopt a child, usually a newborn, born in the United States. Birth parents often have a say in choosing the adoptive family, which is where some single applicants worry about bias. The concern is legitimate but overblown. Plenty of birth parents choose single adoptive parents they connect with.
Agency-facilitated adoptions generally run between $5,000 and $40,000. Attorney-only arrangements range from $8,000 to $40,000. Newborn adoptions that include birth parent living expenses and medical costs can push the total higher. Expect the full process to take anywhere from one to several years, largely depending on how quickly you’re matched.3AdoptUSKids. What Does It Cost
International Adoption
Adopting from another country is the most expensive and time-consuming route, with total costs generally between $25,000 and $60,000. That covers U.S. agency fees, foreign program fees, USCIS processing, document translation, and at least one trip abroad.5Justia. Cost of Adoption
The bigger hurdle for single applicants is that some countries restrict or flatly prohibit adoption by unmarried individuals. Country programs open and close frequently, and those that accept single parents may impose additional age, income, or health requirements beyond U.S. rules. If international adoption interests you, start by checking which countries currently accept single applicants through the U.S. State Department’s intercountry adoption page.
The Home Study Is Where It’s Decided
No adoption moves forward without a home study, and this is the step that makes or breaks your application. A licensed social worker conducts the evaluation, which includes multiple in-person interviews, home visits, and a review of your finances, medical reports, and background check results.6AdoptUSKids. Home Study
For single applicants, the social worker digs into a few specific areas. Who watches your child if you get sick or have a work emergency? What does your daily schedule look like, and how will a child fit into it? Do you have family or friends nearby who can provide regular support? These aren’t trick questions. The evaluator wants to see that you’ve thought through the realities of raising a child alone and have people you can lean on. Honesty about your plan matters more than a polished answer.
With a private agency, the home study itself typically costs between $1,000 and $3,000. For foster care adoptions, the state usually covers it.6AdoptUSKids. Home Study
Making It Affordable on One Income
The federal adoption tax credit offsets a significant chunk of the cost. For the 2025 tax year, you can claim up to $17,280 per eligible child for qualified adoption expenses, which include agency fees, attorney fees, court costs, and travel. The credit begins phasing out once your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $259,190 and disappears entirely at $299,190. The amount adjusts for inflation each year.7Internal Revenue Service. Adoption Credit
If your employer offers an adoption assistance program, reimbursements for qualified expenses may be excluded from your taxable income on top of the credit. You can claim both the credit and the exclusion for the same adoption, but not for the same individual expense. If your employer reimburses $10,000 and your total qualified expenses were $20,000, you could exclude the $10,000 reimbursement from income and claim the remaining $10,000 as a credit.8Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 8839
For foster care adoptions, the picture is even better. Beyond near-zero upfront costs, children adopted from foster care with special needs qualify for monthly adoption assistance payments through the federal Title IV-E program. States set the payment amounts based on the child’s needs, and many adopted children also keep Medicaid eligibility. Those ongoing subsidies can make a real difference in a single-income household.4Administration for Children and Families. Title IV-E Adoption Assistance
Leave From Work After Placement
The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles eligible employees to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave when a child is placed with them for adoption. Your health insurance continues during the leave on the same terms, and your employer must restore you to the same or an equivalent position when you return.9U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 28B – FMLA Leave for Birth, Placement, Bonding, or to Care for a Child With a Serious Health Condition
To qualify, you need at least 12 months with your employer, at least 1,250 hours worked in the past year, and a location where the employer has 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Smaller employers aren’t covered by FMLA, though some states have their own family leave laws with broader reach. A growing number of employers also offer paid adoption leave as a benefit, so check your company’s policy before assuming the leave is entirely unpaid.
Build a Specific Support Network Before You Apply
The most practical thing you can do before starting is build a support network, and be specific about it. Agencies want names, not vague assurances. Identify the people who will help with school pickups, sick days, and the overwhelm of early parenthood. Friends, family, faith communities, and local single-parent groups all count. The social worker will ask about these relationships during your home study, and the more concrete your answers, the stronger your application looks.
Financial planning deserves the same attention. Map out not just the adoption costs but the first year afterward: childcare, health insurance changes, lost income during leave, and the everyday costs of raising a child. The tax credit, employer benefits, and adoption subsidies help, but only if you build them into your budget from the start.