Being Compensated as a Surrogate

Surrogates provide a life-changing service. Without them, many intended parents would never be able to fulfill their dream of becoming a family. If you are considering becoming a surrogate, you deserve to receive fair surrogate compensation.

As a surrogate you will be devoting a lot of your time and physical and emotional energy to your surrogacy journey. While compensation should never be the main motivating factor, it’s reasonable to have questions about surrogate compensation. You’ve earned it, after all!

To get answers to your compensation related questions,  reach out to a surrogacy professional today to get the guidance you need.

How much surrogates make depends on many factors — most importantly the intended parents that a woman is working with. These parents will usually have a set budget for their surrogacy process, so how much they are willing to pay a surrogate will be unique to their own situation.

To give you a better idea of what you may expect to be paid during your surrogate pregnancy, here are the different categories that make up surrogate compensation.

Base Compensation

If you are completing a commercial surrogacy, you will receive a base compensation of surrogate pregnancy pay. The amount of this base compensation will depend on several factors:

• The policies of the surrogacy agency you’re working with (if applicable)
• The intended parents’ budget
• Your own experience with surrogacy

Surrogates can make between $50,000 and $110,000 in total compensation. There are a couple factors that will determine where you fall within that range, like being a second-time surrogate. Your location and income level will also be factors in how much you make as a surrogate.

For many surrogates, this base compensation allows them to move toward a financial goal or help better their family’s situation. For example, many women use this surrogate pay to put a down payment on a house, pay off their student loans or continue their education, start saving for their children’s educations and more.

Surrogacy-Related Expenses

In choosing to become a surrogate, you are giving your time and effort to help another family come into existence. You shouldn’t be required to give financially, too, which is why your chosen intended parents will cover your expenses throughout the process.

As a surrogate, all of your expenses will be covered by the intended parents — everything from your screening costs to your medical procedures to your legal expenses. In addition, you’ll likely receive a monthly payment that covers your pregnancy-related costs.

Like your base compensation, this pay for being a surrogate will be decided upon early in the surrogacy process and outlined in your surrogacy legal contract. Even if you choose to complete an altruistic surrogacy, these expenses will still be covered by the intended parents.

The monthly allowance that you’ll receive will usually cover:

• Maternity clothes
• Local travel for doctor’s appointments
• Childcare
• Meals
• Housekeeping
• Telephone calls
• Prenatal vitamins and other health supplies
• Insurance co-pays
• And other miscellaneous pregnancy expenses

In addition to these pregnancy-related expenses, you’ll also receive surrogate compensation that covers any lost wages you and your spouse (if applicable) incur from missing work for surrogacy appointments. Any medical costs not covered by your insurance will be paid for by the intended parents and, depending on your contract, certain elements of the surrogacy medical process may allow for additional surrogate pay.

Your Own Experience

While the intended parents’ budget will play a large role in how much you get paid for being a surrogate, your own experience with surrogacy will also impact your surrogate compensation. Women who have more experience with surrogacy and have proven they can carry a healthy surrogate pregnancy frequently get paid more than women who are going through their first surrogate pregnancy.

When you work with a surrogacy professional, they can give you a more accurate estimate of how your experience will impact how much you will get paid to be a surrogate. In addition, they will help you determine your desired base compensation and help you move forward with finding the perfect intended parents for your surrogacy process.

Discover Your Surrogate Pay

Because how much surrogates are paid varies so much from situation to situation, it’s critical that you speak with a surrogacy lawyer or surrogacy professional to better understand exactly how much your surrogate compensation may be.

To get a better idea of some of the compensation opportunities available to you can contact a surrogacy agency today.

Although there should be s a certain degree of altruism involved in becoming a surrogate, you deserve to be compensated for the amazing service you’re providing for the intended parents.

To get more information about compensation you would be eligible for as a surrogate, or to start your own surrogacy process, contact a surrogacy professional now.