Adoption financing on your family’s timeline.
Agency fees, legal costs, and travel — financed up front, so the pace of an adoption depends on your family and the process, not on your bank balance in any given month.
Fixed rates from
8.49%APR with AutoPay*
Assumes excellent credit. Your rate is determined by your credit profile, amount, and term.
Checking your rate does not affect your credit score.
What it covers.
- Agency application, home study, and program fees
- Attorney and court costs in an independent adoption
- Travel, lodging, and documentation for the placement
- Post-placement and finalization expenses
Why a Lightstream loan.
Ready when the fees come due
Adoption costs arrive on their own schedule and often faster than expected. Funds in your account mean a home-study fee or a travel deposit is covered the day it is required.
A fixed payment during a busy year
An adoption year has enough moving parts. A fixed-rate loan turns the financial side into one steady payment you set before anything is due.
One loan across every provider
Agencies, attorneys, and travel are separate bills. Because funds go to your account, a single loan pays each of them directly, on their own timelines.
No penalty if a grant or refund lands
Adoption tax credits, employer benefits, or grants may arrive later. You can pay the loan down with them at any time — there is no prepayment penalty.
Loan amounts and terms.
- Loan amounts
- $3,000 – $50,000
- Repayment terms
- 2–12 years
| Loan term | APR range with AutoPay* | Example payment per $10,0002 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 8.49%–19.49% | $315.63/mo |
| 4 years | 9.29%–20.29% | $250.23/mo |
| 5 years | 10.19%–21.19% | $213.41/mo |
| 6 years | 10.19%–21.19% | $186.22/mo |
| 7 years | 11.29%–22.29% | $172.75/mo |
| 10 years | 11.29%–22.29% | $139.40/mo |
Funds can be received as soon as the same business day for applications approved before 2:30 p.m. Eastern time.¹
Frequently asked questions.
Yes. An agency adoption bundles the home study, program, and placement fees through one organization, while an independent adoption pays an attorney, the court, and sometimes a facilitator separately. Because funds are deposited to your account, the same loan covers either path — you pay whichever providers your route involves, directly and on their schedule.
Yes. International adoptions add travel, lodging, translation, and documentation costs that are often paid on short notice. Sizing the loan to include the travel phase means those expenses are ready in your account when the placement timeline moves.
Many families are later reimbursed through the federal adoption tax credit, employer adoption benefits, or grants. You can apply any of those toward the loan balance when they arrive, with no prepayment penalty, so the financing simply bridges the gap in timing.
No. It is an unsecured personal loan funded to your account. Nothing about the adoption is pledged or contingent on the loan, and the loan does not require documentation of the adoption to proceed — it is priced on your credit and income.
Related loan purposes.
Disclosures
*Loan terms vary by loan purpose, amount, term, and credit profile. The lowest advertised rates require excellent credit. 29.46% of approved applicants who applied for the lowest rate qualified for it, based on data from 01/01/2026 to 03/31/2026. The rate quoted includes the AutoPay discount; the AutoPay discount is only available prior to loan funding, and rates without AutoPay are 0.50% points higher. All loans are subject to credit approval; additional conditions and limitations apply. Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
¹Same-day funding is available if your loan is approved on a banking business day and, by 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, you complete these steps: (1) review and electronically sign your loan agreement; (2) provide us with your funding preferences and relevant banking information; (3) complete the final verification process.
²Example payments are per $10,000 borrowed at the lowest APR shown for that term, include the AutoPay discount, and assume excellent credit. Your payment is determined by your amount, term, and credit profile.
Payment example: Monthly payments for a $10,000 loan at 7.24% APR with a term of 3 years would result in 36 monthly payments of $309.87.
Maximum APR for a Lightstream loan is 25.39%. Loan terms range from 24 – 240 months depending on the loan purpose.