Intended Parents

How Do People Afford Surrogacy?

If you are wondering how people afford surrogacy, you’re not alone. Cost is a common concern for those looking to grow their family.

Understanding the cost of surrogacy and the factors that impact it allows you to determine if it’s a viable option and help you budget for the journey ahead.

Contact us online to learn more about affording surrogacy or to get more information about this path to parenthood.

This article breaks down how to afford surrogacy, from the strategies and resources you can utilize to how you can reduce costs through the decisions you make.

How Do People Afford Surrogacy?

With the average cost of surrogacy being anywhere from $150,000-$179,000+, you may have asked yourself how people afford surrogacy.

Surrogacy Cost Breakdown

When it comes to your surrogacy costs, there are a number of factors that will determine what yours looks like.

Here’s an example to help you visualize what your surrogacy cost breakdown could look like:

Service	Cost
Agency Fees	21%
Surrogate Compensation	35%
Screening and Matching	21%
Legal Costs	11%
Medical Costs	12%

How to Afford Surrogacy

Affording surrogacy may look different for other intended parents than it does for you. No two journeys look exactly the same because the choices you make determine your total cost. Here’s a breakdown of choices you can make to help afford surrogacy:

Take the real life example of Mark and Cody, who became parents through surrogacy.

Their surrogacy cost breakdown gives you insight not only into where your money goes but the number of different services an agency provides to make parenthood a reality for you.

Learn more about Mark and Cody’s story

Here’s a breakdown of choices you can make to help afford surrogacy:

How to Save Money for Surrogacy

You can reduce expenses by prioritizing essential needs. This could come in the form of selling non-essential items or moving to a smaller living space to help contribute toward your surrogacy costs.

Determine where your non-essential spending is going and reduce some of those expenses to put that money toward your surrogacy journey. This could mean smaller things like dining out or shopping trips to even bigger expenses like annual vacations.

Digital budgeting apps like Rocket Money or You Need a Budget or using spreadsheet trackers can help you track each and every dollar. Having a clear outline of your income and how it’s spent can help you identify areas where cost-cutting is possible to put more money toward surrogacy-related expenses.

Surrogacy Financing Options

Credit Cards: Depending on the expense, some surrogacy costs can be paid for with credit cards
Equity: A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) is a common way intended parents have helped pay for their surrogacy. It’s only paid back when you start using it. The limits for a HELOC are typically much higher than credit cards.
Loans: Traditional businesses like banks have begun to offer loans for fertility treatments and surrogacy.
Grants: There are family-building professionals that offer grants for those looking to grow their family but are dealing with infertility issues.
401K: Some families choose to borrow from their retirement accounts. Some 401(K) loans allow up to 50% to be borrowed from the account balance with stipulations on when it has to be repaid.

Can I Use HSA for Surrogacy?

Yes, you can use your HSA for surrogacy for IVF expenses that are not reimbursed by your insurance plan.

Grants for Surrogacy

Journey to Parenthood
- U.S. citizen/resident
- For fertility treatment by a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist (REI) in the United States
- Must demonstrate you can provide a stable home environment for the child while demonstrating that you are facing significant financial obstacles and need financial assistance.
Fertility Lifelines
- For those using a surrogate or sperm donor
- For preserving eggs, embryos or sperm for future use
- Undergoing IVF, OI or IUI
The Hope for Fertility National Grant
- Citizen or legal, permanent residents of the United States
- Diagnosed with infertility by a physician
- Legally married
- Working with United States based clinic/agency
Tinina Q. Cade Foundation Family Building Grant
- For costs associated with infertility treatment
Baby Quest Foundation
- Funds a range of procedures including (but not limited to) egg and sperm donation, egg freezing, in vitro fertilization, embryo donation, and gestational surrogacy
- Must demonstrate overall good physical and mental health and have no medical conditions that would pose a serious risk to themselves or the child they would carry
- Must be permanent residents of the United States

Loans for Surrogacy

For a more in-depth look at how to prepare for your surrogacy costs

Surrogacy Payment Plans

If you don’t know how to save money for surrogacy, talk to your professionals. Depending on the professional you work with, there may be an opportunity to reduce your costs.

There are a number of fertility clinics that offer payment plans for surrogacy-related procedures.

ARC Fertility’s ARC Affordable Payment Plan helps with fertility financing and the cost of IVF or IUI, working with multiple lenders to help ensure approval of the cost of treatment, allowing you to make monthly payments.
Illume Fertility has a number of service and payment options for those without insurance coverage, with customized plans for a number of services like surrogacy and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).
Aspire Fertility works with LendingClub. They offer budget-friendly payment plans that find rates you prequalify for with no impact to your credit.

Is Surrogacy Covered By Insurance?

The cost of surrogacy with insurance depends on your state’s laws as well as your employer and insurance provider.

RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, has this regularly updated map that looks at infertility insurance coverage by state.

If your or your surrogates insurance doesn’t cover surrogacy-related expenses, there are gap insurance plans to cover these costs.

Make sure to talk to your surrogacy professional as they can connect you with gap insurance providers. Some agencies will even include health insurance costs in their surrogacy costs.

Will Insurance Cover a Surrogate?

Because your surrogate is the one who is pregnant and not you, insurance providers will not typically cover their surrogacy-related expenses. If your surrogate’s insurance does not cover surrogacy-related expenses, her out-of-pocket costs fall on you.

What Value Do You Get for the Costs of Surrogacy?

When it comes to affording surrogacy, and you’re seeing all the different fees involved, agency fees, matching fees, screening fees, you’re probably wondering what these mean for your ultimate goal of experiencing parenthood.

In terms of the value of your investment, here are three ways these fees impact your journey:

How quickly an agency can help you find a surrogate could be the difference between starting life with your new family or waiting longer to experience what that feels like. Your cost of surrogacy when working with a reputable agency helps you find a surrogate quickly.

Surrogacy is a life-changing opportunity for you and your surrogate. That’s why surrogates are thoroughly screened before becoming surrogates to lessen the chance of problems down the road you’re your surrogate is unable to carry for any reason that’s discovered later in the process, that can mean more time and money before you’ll be able to experience parenthood.

Financial protection is a key benefit that reputable professionals will offer. Your investment for this life-changing journey may be significant which is why reputable agencies will offer financial protection for parents. Not having this protection can result in intended parents being responsible for additional costs if unexpected challenges arise.

Whether it’s walking you through your choices that impact your surrogacy costs or connecting you with financial resources, we’re here for you.