Adoption Law
45 articles
Adoption in Illinois: DCFS, private and agency placement, stepparent and contested cases, the parental-rights timeline, and the financial side, including tax credits, subsidies, and costs.
Building Your Family Through Adoption?
Peoria Adoption Attorney →DCFS Adoption & Subsidies
Subsidy mechanics, guardianship-to-adoption, permanency
6 articlesWhat “Disability” (Major Life Activity Delay) Means in an Illinois Adoption Subsidy
In an Illinois adoption subsidy, the agreement uses “disability” (older forms said “major life activity delay”). The ADA, 42 U.S.C. 12102, and…
When Does an Illinois Adoption Subsidy End, and When Can It Extend to Age 21?
Illinois adoption assistance follows 89 Ill. Adm. Code 302.310(h). For an adoption finalized before July 1, 2017, or for a child under…
Does the Medical Card From an Illinois Adoption Subsidy Work If I Move Out of State?
For a child with a Title IV-E adoption assistance agreement in effect, 42 U.S.C. 673(b) deems the child a dependent child for…
How Does the Monthly Payment Work in an Illinois Adoption Subsidy?
The monthly payment in an Illinois adoption subsidy is the amount in the adoption assistance agreement. 89 Ill. Adm. Code 302.310 negotiates…
What Does “Needs Not Payable” Cover in an Illinois Adoption Subsidy?
Under 89 Ill. Adm. Code 302.310, payment may be made for physical, emotional, and mental health needs that are not payable through…
What Is the Illinois DCFS Adoption Subsidy, and What Does It Actually Pay For?
An Illinois DCFS adoption subsidy is the adoption assistance agreement under 89 Ill. Adm. Code 302.310. The assistance a family may apply…
Adoption Types & Placement
Private, agency, foster, stepparent, relative, interstate
3 articlesInterstate Adoption from Illinois: How the ICPC Process Works
When an interstate placement is preliminary to an adoption, 45 ILCS 15/1, Article III, provides that the child is not sent into…
New U.S. Regulations Will Suffocate International Adoptions
New U.S. regulations regarding international adoption compliance, documentation, and agency oversight can significantly delay or prevent adoptions. Stricter requirements for parental fitness,…
The Difficulties in International Adoption
International adoption faces obstacles including inconsistent legal systems, slow government processes, language barriers, and compliance costs. Many countries have restricted or eliminated…
Parental Rights & Court Process
Consent, fitness/unfitness, 12-month rule, appeals
20 articlesHow Does Termination of Parental Rights Work in Illinois?
By Robert Parker, Illinois adoption attorney. Robert Parker has authored continuing-legal-education materials on Illinois adoption law and handles contested and uncontested adoptions…
How Does Stepparent Adoption Work in Illinois?
By Robert Parker, Illinois adoption attorney. Robert Parker has authored continuing-legal-education materials on Illinois adoption law and handles stepparent adoptions in the…
What Is the Illinois Putative Father Registry, and Who Must Register?
By Robert Parker, Illinois adoption attorney practicing in central Illinois. He wrote two chapters of the IICLE Illinois Adoption Law handbook. Last…
Trial Court vs. Appellate Court: How the Two Levels Actually Differ in Illinois
Trial courts decide what happened; appellate courts decide whether the trial court got the law right. In Illinois, the circuit court hears…
Going from Guardianship to Adoption in Illinois, Private Guardianship or DCFS Guardianship
In Illinois, moving from guardianship to adoption means filing a new adoption case under the Adoption Act, not modifying the guardianship. Both…
How a Parent’s Rights Are Terminated in an Illinois Adoption, Consent, Default, or Trial
In an Illinois adoption, a parent’s rights end in one of three ways: the parent signs a final, irrevocable consent, the parent…
Why Adoption Appeals Matter: Appellate Review in Illinois Adoption Cases
In an Illinois adoption appeal, an unfitness finding is reviewed for the manifest weight of the evidence. A finding is against that…
Adoption Consent Requirements in Illinois: When Is Parental Consent Not Required?
Under 750 ILCS 50/1, abandonment of the child is subsection (D)(a). Subsection (D)(b) is failure to maintain a reasonable degree of interest,…
DCFS, Permanency, and Adoption: When the System Falls Short
When DCFS fails to provide services or pursue permanency goals, you may challenge the agency’s conduct in adoption proceedings. Illinois courts can…
The Two-Step Adoption Process in Illinois: Fitness First, Then Best Interest
When an adoption petition alleges that a parent is unfit, the court first decides whether the parent is unfit. If the parent…
Intent to Forgo Parental Rights in Illinois: How Courts Evaluate the Evidence
Under 750 ILCS 50/1(D)(n)(1), a 12-month failure to visit, to communicate when able and not prevented by an agency or court order,…
Objective Impediments in Illinois Adoption: What Counts as a Real Barrier?
An objective impediment is an obstacle, external to the parent, during the 12-month period. Paragraph 100 of the D.J.E. order states that…
The 12-Month Rule in Illinois Adoption: When the Clock Starts on Intent to Forgo
Subsection (D)(n)(1) is a failure for a period of 12 months: to visit the child; to communicate with the child or the…
Illinois Adoption Unfitness Determination: What Appellate Courts Look For
Subsection (D)(b) is failure to maintain a reasonable degree of interest, concern, or responsibility as to the child’s welfare. Paragraph 91 says…
A New Social Security Number After an Adoption | Peoria
Social Security publishes a procedure for a new (different) Social Security number for an adopted child, RM R10225.060, and a procedure for…
Dangerous New Legislation for Single Moms and Legal System Introduced by IL Legislators
Legislation affecting single mothers in adoption may include restrictions on eligibility, reduced tax benefits, or stricter parental fitness standards. Any adverse changes…
Child Litigation Can Happen More Easily in 2016
Changes in 2016 child litigation procedures may have made it easier for courts to intervene in custody, adoption, and parental rights cases.…
After Adoption, Can I Change the Child’s Social Security Number?
Once adoption is final, you cannot change the child’s Social Security number unless there’s identity theft, fraud, or administrative error, being adopted…
Adoption for a Grandmother
Grandmothers seeking to adopt must demonstrate parental unfitness or that adoption serves the child’s best interest, like any adoptive parent. Biological parents’…
Faking Births in California
Faking births in California or any state is illegal fraud involving falsified vital records, identity fraud, and potentially human trafficking. Such conduct…
Tax Credits & Costs
Annual tax credit updates, cost of adoption
8 articlesLiving Expenses in an Illinois Private Adoption, What Adoptive Parents Can Pay For
In an Illinois private adoption, 720 ILCS 5/12C-70 allows gifts to a birth parent totaling no more than $200, and an advance…
Adoption Tax Credit 2026: $17,670 + $5,120 Refundable
The 2026 federal adoption tax credit allows up to $17,670 per child in income tax credits, plus a separate $5,120 refundable credit.…
Adoption Tax Credit for 2024
Historical tax-year article. This page discusses the 2024 adoption tax credit. For the 2026 tax year, see our 2026 adoption tax credit…
Adoption Tax Credit for 2023
Historical tax-year article. This page discusses the 2023 adoption tax credit. For the 2026 tax year, see our 2026 adoption tax credit…
The IRS issued Internal Revenue Bulletin: 2016-45 announcing rates for the 2017 Adoption Tax Credit. There are changes, although the credit will work in a similar way to recent years such as 2015 and 2016. When you’re filling out Form 8839 (click here for
Historical tax-year article. This page discusses the 2017 adoption tax credit. For the 2026 tax year, see our 2026 adoption tax credit…
What Is the Cost of Adoption?
Adoption costs typically range from $15,000 to $40,000, depending on whether it’s agency, private, or foster care adoption. Attorney fees, court costs,…
Adoption Tax Credit Announced for 2016
Historical tax-year article. This page discusses the 2016 adoption tax credit. For the 2026 tax year, see our 2026 adoption tax credit…
Adoption Tax Credit in 2015
Historical tax-year article. This page discusses the 2015 adoption tax credit. For the 2026 tax year, see our 2026 adoption tax credit…
Getting Started
How to adopt, timeline, choosing a lawyer, post-adoption
3 articlesHow Long Does Adoption Take in Illinois?
Judgment timing follows 750 ILCS 50/14. For a child other than a related child, the petitioners may apply six months after the…
Illinois Adoption Attorney
Illinois adoption attorneys guide families through parental rights termination, best interest determinations, and finalization. They handle complex paperwork, court procedures, and ensure…
How Do You Pick a Lawyer for Your Adoption?
Select an adoption attorney with board certification, adoption law experience, and references from past clients. Ask about their fee structure, timeline estimates,…
More articles
Adult Adoption in Illinois: Can You Adopt Your Grown Stepson?
Adult adoption in Illinois lets a person 18 or older be adopted in two situations. Either the adult lived in your home…
What Happens in an Illinois Adoption Home Study?
By Robert Parker, Illinois adoption attorney practicing in central Illinois. He wrote two chapters of the IICLE Illinois Adoption Law handbook. Last…
Adopting a Relative in Illinois: The Faster Path Without a Home Study
Relative adoption in Illinois is faster when the child is a related child under 750 ILCS 50/1(B). The Section 6 investigation is…
How to Adopt a Child in Illinois: The Process from Start to Finish
Adopting a child in Illinois follows the Illinois Adoption Act. 750 ILCS 50/2 states who may file. A consent or surrender follows…
What should families know about foster parent adoptions?
Foster parent adoptions in Illinois benefit from simplified procedures since the child is already in state care. Foster parents have priority for…