Adoption Tax Credit 2019 Guide

This content was originally published by Creating a Family, the national infertility education and support nonprofit.

As we put the old year to rest and begin the new, our thoughts turn to taxes. And if you have adopted recently your thoughts should be turning to how to maximize the Adoption Tax Credit 2019. The Adoption Tax Credit for 2019 is $14,080, which can be used to reduce your federal tax liability for the next five years.

We asked Becky Wilmoth, Enrolled Agent and Adoption Tax Credit Specialist at Bills Tax Service, to provide an introductory guide to the Adoption Tax Credit 2019. If you need more detailed information, check out our one-hour online course*, which provides specific information on all aspects of the Adoption Tax Credit 2019.

It is very important that families understand that the Adoption Tax Credit can be an important part of helping them adopt whether they are adopting through the foster care system, domestically, or internationally. Adoption is changing—international adoptions have declined and the number of children in foster care has increased, but the one thing that has remained constant is the need for families who are adopting or thinking about adopting to understand the financial resources available, especially the federal Adoption Tax Credit.

An adoptive family can apply the Adoption Tax Credit toward their federal tax liability when they file their tax return. Meaning, it can reduce what they owe in federal income taxes for the year. It is not a refundable tax credit at this time; however, it is still alive, permanent, and a great credit at $14,080 for 2019. It will not, however, cover self-employment tax, early pension distribution penalty, or first-time homebuyer payback.

who qualifies for the adoption tax credit 2019?

You qualify for the Adoption Tax Credit if you adopted a child (except your spouse’s child) and paid out-of-pocket expenses relating to the adoption. The amount of the tax credit you qualify for is directly related to how much you spent on adoption-related expenses. Income can also be excluded as taxable through an employer-provided adoption benefits program. Both a credit and an exclusion may be claimed for the same adoption; however, both cannot be claimed for the same expenses.

what expenses are covered under the adoption tax credit?

Qualified Adoption Expenses are allowed under the Adoption Tax Credit and include any expenses necessary for the adoption. Examples of qualified expenses are court fees, home study, lawyer fees, medical examinations/physicals, travel expenses (meals, lodging, airline, gas), agency fees, dossier fees, and any other fees that are directly related to the adoption.

The question I receive the most is whether the living expenses of the expectant mom that are paid by the prospective adoptive parents in domestic infant adoptions are a qualified adoption expense under the Adoption Tax Credit. They are not.

A good rule of thumb when determining what adoption expenses to include for the Adoption Tax Credit: when in doubt, use expenses that you know are covered. Most adoptions, other than from foster care, will exceed the amount of the credit, so simply choose the expenses that are clearly considered “qualified adoption expenses.”

when to apply for the adoption tax credit?

International and foster care adoptions must be final before you can apply for the Adoption Tax Credit. Expenses for domestic adoptions that are not yet final can be taken the year after the expenses are paid or you can wait until the adoption is final.

How does the adoption tax credit 2019 work?

Line 47 of your Federal 1040 shows your tax liability. The difference between your tax liability and your federal withholding is either what you get as a refund or what you owe the federal government when you do your tax return.

The Adoption Tax Credit comes in on Line 55 (Other Credits) from Form 8839 and takes care of your tax liability up to $14,080 for 2019. You will get your withholding back (if the tax liability is less than maximum credit amount) and child tax credit drops down to an additional child tax credit (if you qualify).

If you do not use all of the credit in the first year you can carry it forward for up to 5 years.

how does the adoption tax credit work with special needs adoptions?

If you adopt a child with special needs through foster care, you may be entitled to claim the full amount of the adoption credit even if you did not have expenses. Each state has different criteria that qualify a child as “special needs”. The special needs declaration must come from the state in which the adoption was final. In order to qualify as a special needs adoption, you must have a signed adoption “Subsidy Agreement” with the state. (Some states call it the “Adoption Eligibility Assistance Determination.”)

No international adoption is considered special needs for IRS purposes, so the Adoption Tax Credit will be for the amount of your qualified adoption expenses only.

what documentation do i need to keep for the irs for the adoption tax credit?

Final Judgment of Adoption (all adoptions)
Adoption Assistance Eligibility Determination (Subsidy Agreement) that declares the child special needs, if claiming credit for a child declared special needs by your state through foster care (foster adoptions)
A home study/placement agreement completed by an authorized placement agency (all adoptions except foster)
All documentation of paid qualified expenses. (all adoptions except foster)
All documents must be signed and dated. (all adoptions) The IRS will not accept any Home study/Placement agreement, Judgment of Adoption, or Subsidy agreement/Eligibility agreement without it being signed and dated by the proper authorities.

need more detailed information on the adoption tax credit?

If this introductory guide has not answered all your questions, check out our 2019 Adoption Tax Credit one-hour online course*. The experts for this course are Becky Wilmoth (author of this guest blog post) and Josh Kroll, the Adoption Tax Credit specialist at the North American Council on Adoptable Children. They are the two most knowledgeable people we know on the Adoption Tax Credit.

This course covers:

The tax code provides an adoption credit of up to $14,080 of qualified adoption expenses (in 2019) for each child adopted, whether via public foster care, domestic private adoption, or international adoption.

The amount for 2019 is $14,080. It is a non-refundable tax credit. What is a “credit” and how does it differ from a deduction or some other form of tax savings?
If you get a tax refund every year, how would you use the Adoption Tax Credit?
What type of adoptions are included or excluded? Stepparent adoption? Embryo adoption? Same-sex partner second-parent adoption? Unmarried heterosexual second-parent adoption?
Can you get credit for each adoption you complete even if completed in the same year? What about adopting siblings at the same time?
What is a Qualified Adoption Expense for purposes of the Adoption Tax Credit?
- Are birth mother expenses (or expectant mother expenses) allowed as a qualified adoption expense?
- Are failed domestic adoption attempt expenses allowed under the Adoption Tax Credit?
- Are failed international adoption expenses allowed under the Adoption Tax Credit
When can you claim the Adoption Tax Credit?
- Domestic infant: If we have adoption expenses during 2018, but do not finalize an adoption in that year can I claim those expenses for my 2018 return or do I have to wait until my 2019 return?
- International
- Foster Care
Special Needs Adoption: How does the Adoption Tax Credit differ for adoptions from foster care?
What income level is excluded from claiming the Adoption Tax Credit in 2019?
What if you can’t use all the credit in one year because you don’t have $14,080 in federal tax liability? How long can the credit be carried over?
Will the Adoption Tax Credit offset self-employment tax or will it only offset income tax liability? How are employer benefits for adoption handled for tax purposes under the Adoption Tax Credit?
How does the Adoption Tax Credit work in conjunction with employer benefits?
What type of documentation should you submit with your taxes? What type of documentation should you keep in your records?
What should you do if you do not have your child’s social security number when you get ready to file your taxes? When should you consider using an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN #) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN #)?
How does the Adoption Tax Credit work with kinship adoptions? What if the child never was involved with foster care?
And much more.