NCFA Endorses Bill That Would Lower Financial Hurdles to Adoption

Alexandria, VA — The team at National Council For Adoption (NCFA) endorses legislation (S. 1458/H.R. 2833) introduced this week that, if enacted, would support more families who adopt children in need of permanent homes by reducing the financial hurdles everyday Americans face when completing an adoption.

“The Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act, if enacted, would ensure lower-income families receive the same support as other adoptive families who receive the adoption tax credit. Many families worry about the financial barrier to adoption and this sends a strong message that a bipartisan coalition of policymakers is supportive of their families,” says Ryan Hanlon, president and CEO of National Council For Adoption.

“This, in turn, decreases the risk of an adoption unraveling down the road and provides the resources prospective adoptive families need for critical post-adoption support services, which also help increase the likelihood that a child who is adopted will thrive for the long haul.”

Introduced in the House by Reps. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Blake Moore (R-Utah), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) and Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) and in the Senate by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N. Dak.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N. Mex.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), the companion bill would make the adoption tax credit refundable thereby making adoption more affordable for everyday families.

In other words, Americans would receive a refund check for the difference, if any, between the maximum allowable adoption tax credit—which is $16,810 per eligible child for qualified adoption expenses in 2024—and a person’s federal tax liability for the 2024 tax year.

There are about 108,000 children in foster care alone who are awaiting adoption and many more institutionalized oversees or born in the United States to expectant mothers who are contemplating adoption. Many of these children require  care to treat complex medical conditions and would benefit from legislation that lowers financial hurdles to adoption.

“A refundable adoption tax credit would be life-changing for so many institutionalized children who deserve the chance to thrive in a safe, loving, permanent home, and is particularly critical for would-be foster and kinship families constrained by lower or fixed incomes,” says Hanlon.

The team at NCFA believes all children everywhere should have the chance to thrive in a permanent, safe, loving home. That requires tearing down barriers that prevent qualified families from welcoming children into their forever family. The Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act helps do exactly that.

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About National Council For Adoption

Founded in 1980, NCFA is a leading authoritative voice for adoption and is passionately committed to the belief that every child deserves to thrive in a nurturing permanent family. NCFA’s nonprofit work promotes a culture of adoption through education, research, advocacy and collaboration that aims to serve children, expectant parents, birth parents, adoptees, adoptive families, adoption professionals, policymakers, and all others impacted by adoption. adoptioncouncil.org

MEDIA CONTACT: Carolyn Bolton, 703-299-6633, cbolton@adoptioncouncil.org