How do I take advantage of the Adoption Tax credit for my adoption expenses in 2019 if the adoption is not finalized yet and I don't have a name or ssn for the child?

[KurtL1 · Accepted solution]

When entering the information for the Adoption Credit, before an eligible child has been identified, you should enter in the first and last name fields "Not Identified". You should leave the Social Security Number and Birth Year fields blank.

Per Form 8839 Instructions if you can't give complete information about an eligible child you tried to adopt in 2019 because the adoption was either unsuccessful or wasn't final by the end of 2019, complete the entries that you can on line 1. Leave blank any entries you are unable to complete.

An expense may be a qualified adoption expense even if the expense is paid before an eligible child has been identified. For example, prospective adoptive parents who pay for a home study at the outset of an adoption effort may treat the fees as qualified adoption expenses.Qualified Adoption Expenses