Breaking Down the Myth of the “Highest-Paying” Surrogacy Agency

Talk to any surrogates about their journey with intended parents, and they’ll tell you the same thing: They did it to help someone else become a parent and experience the lifelong joy every person deserves to have. They’re not in the surrogacy business for the money.

That said, many of them will also admit that they searched for the best surrogate compensation for their situation when they first started their journeys.

There’s no shame in wondering how to be the highest-paid surrogate mother you can be, as long as it’s not your primary motivation. Being a surrogate is hard work, so it makes sense that you want to be financially compensated for your sacrifices. Compensation doesn’t just help you; it helps your family during the year or so you are pursuing this path.

But, before you go searching for the highest-paying surrogacy agency, we have a word of caution for you:

Not all of these agencies are totally honest in promising you an accurate surrogate compensation rate.

To aid you in the search for a fair-paying surrogacy professional, we’ve broken down the myth of absurdly high surrogate compensation. The more knowledge you have, the better you can choose the right surrogacy professional for you — without the added pressure of surrogate compensation unduly influencing your choice.

The Truth About Surrogacy Agencies that Pay “the Most”

When you start your search for surrogacy professionals, you will likely be overwhelmed by the options available to you. There are local and national agencies aplenty that are willing to hire gestational carriers, and you’ll be at no loss for possible partners in the surrogacy journey.

With so many options to choose from, however, you may decide to narrow your search based on one aspect — which agency can offer the highest-paid surrogacy journey.

While compensation should be an important part of your personal surrogacy plan, starting your search with this characteristic can be dangerous. That’s because many surrogacy agencies are purposely misleading in their ads about surrogate compensation — trying to get you to sign up with their program based on an often-exaggerated-and-inaccurate figure.

You may be surprised to find that the $60,000-, $70,000- and $80,000-figures that some surrogacy companies claim in their Google search results and in their advertisements don’t quite tell the whole story. We’ve broken down just one example to help you learn more:

Growing Generations’ Compensation Technique

Growing Generations is one of the country’s most successful surrogacy agencies. It’s the common choice of international intended parents and high-profile celebrities because of its size and experience.

When you search “highest paying surrogacy agency” on Google, the agency pops up at the top. They promise up to $63,000 for surrogates, as well as additional benefits up to $40,000. This would lead any prospective surrogate to reasonably think they would get paid $100,000 to carry someone else’s baby — but that’s not the case.

Like many surrogacy agencies that pay “the most,” Growing Generations promotes a surrogacy compensation rate that combines many payments. Its “flat-rate” compensation rate includes more than just the money in your pocket. It actually includes pregnancy- and surrogacy-related payments in that monthly compensation rate. The money you receive as “compensation” is partly money that you must use to cover your surrogacy expenses.

In addition, these kinds of surrogacy agencies advertise their “best-case-scenario” compensation rates — that is, for example, what an experienced California surrogate carrying for international intended parents can be paid. However, not all surrogates will have this kind of journey or be paid this high of a compensation rate.

Other agencies will pay those expenses separately, meaning that any compensation payments you receive are yours to do with as you please. These agencies may not advertise themselves as a “highest-paying” surrogate agency; because of their honesty and transparency in regards to compensation rates, they cannot compete with those agencies that “promise” inflated compensation payments.

Tips for Choosing the Best Surrogate Compensation for Your Situation

So, with so much misinformation out there about surrogate compensation, how do you make sure that you are receiving the compensation rates that you deserve?

Before choosing a surrogacy professional, every surrogate should make sure to speak with a prospective agency or attorney in person or on the phone. Your surrogacy professional will be there through every step of your surrogacy journey, so it’s important that you choose someone that you are 100 percent comfortable with.

As you put together a list of questions to ask a surrogacy professional, make sure you address these topics when it comes to compensation payments:

1. Does the compensation rate include surrogacy expenses, or are they separate?

When you are interviewing surrogacy agencies that pay the “most,” it’s important that you understand exactly how their surrogacy compensation rates are calculated. You can only compare professionals if their compensation rates include (or don’t include) the same expenses and payments.

To be the highest-paid surrogate mother you can be, we recommend you evaluate and compare surrogacy professionals based on a compensation rate that only includes the money you will be directly paid — money you can do with as you please, not money that will be used to cover surrogacy- and pregnancy-expenses. It may take a little bit of digging and research to determine what this number is, but the best surrogacy professionals will offer it to you in the spirit of transparency and honesty.

2. Is the professional transparent about their surrogacy compensation payment outline?

Unfortunately, not all surrogacy professionals will freely offer up a base compensation rate. They may try to explain why a flat rate isn’t possible or try to convince you that their method of calculation is what is best for a woman in your situation. If a professional will not freely discuss the details of their compensation rate, that is a huge red flag.

Just because a professional promotes itself as a “highest-paying” surrogate agency doesn’t mean it will provide the support you need during your journey. If they can’t be bothered to explain their compensation payment outline, it’s a good sign they’re just interested in getting you to sign up with their program — not concerned with what is really best for you.

3. Does the professional offer other benefits than simply the “best” surrogate compensation?

Surrogacy compensation can play a role in choosing a surrogacy professional, but it shouldn’t be your only deciding factor. Being a surrogate is hard work; you’ll need a professional who is committed to supporting your physical, emotional and mental health every step of the way, too.

In addition to looking for the “best” surrogate compensation, look for a professional who wants to get to know you personally, including your personal preferences and goals for the surrogacy process. Look for someone who will be there for you before, during and after your pregnancy, and will take steps to ensure your rights and interests are protected from the moment you begin. A positive surrogacy journey isn’t all about payment; it’s about feeling supported and appreciated by all parties involved.

Knowing the answers to these questions will play a huge role in determining whether a certain professional can offer the best surrogate compensation for your situation, preferences and needs. That’s why speaking with a surrogacy professional is so important as you prepare to start this journey. That way, you’ll have the information you need to proceed.

Want to learn more about surrogate compensation rates? Contact a surrogacy professional today.