You can’t put a price on having the family of your dreams, but it is important to be prepared for the different costs involved in the surrogacy process. The different surrogacy costs all go toward ensuring you have everything you need to have a successful and enjoyable surrogacy experience.
Contact a surrogacy professional today to learn more about how much does surrogacy cost and what these fees cover.
Intended parents can expect to spend anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000 on their surrogacy journey. Although surrogacy may seem expensive, these fees pay for:
- A surrogate mother’s base compensation
- A surrogate mother’s pregnancy-related expenses
- Assistance from a surrogacy agency and surrogacy professional who supports you on your journey
Below, we’ve broken down the expenses involved in surrogacy.
How Much Does Surrogacy Cost?
While the cost varies depending on the professional you work with, here are costs from several of the largest surrogacy agencies:
- American Surrogacy: $129,900
- Growing Generations: $175,000-$300,000
- Circle Surrogacy: $148,750
The surrogacy experience is expensive, but this valuable service will help you grow your family. Surrogacy fees also ensure that you and the surrogate are supported throughout the surrogacy journey.
Surrogate Mother Base Compensation
Most surrogate mothers take compensation for their surrogacy services. Compensated surrogacy, also known as commercial surrogacy, ensures a woman receives fair pay for her:
- Time
- Energy
- Physical experience
One part of the “how much does surrogacy cost” question depends on the base compensation a woman receives. Typically, surrogates get $45,000 to $75,000 for their service.
Why Base Compensation Varies
A surrogate’s base compensation varies from person to person and is based on a lot of things. These variables include:
- The surrogate’s state of residence
- The surrogate’s experience with the surrogacy process (if they have been a successful surrogate before)
- The surrogate’s income
- And more
The base compensation is paid in monthly installments after a pregnancy is confirmed. The surrogate will get her final surrogacy payment after she delivers your child.
Surrogate Mother’s Pregnancy-Related Expenses
No surrogate mother ever has to pay for the costs of surrogacy. All surrogate mothers never have to pay for the following surrogacy-related expenses either.
- Maternity clothing: Because a surrogate is pregnant with your child, she doesn’t have to pay for her maternity clothing.
- Pregnancy expenses: All pregnancy expenses, including prenatal vitamins, maternity products, and more, are covered by surrogacy fees.
- Medical expenses: Although many surrogates have health insurance that covers many pregnancy-related medical fees, your surrogacy fees will pick up any extra out-of-pocket costs.
- Surrogacy legal expenses: Your and your surrogate’s legal costs are also covered by your surrogacy fees.
- All other surrogacy-related surrogacy expenses
Surrogacy Agency and Surrogacy Professional Help
Although you could pursue independent surrogacy to cut back on gestational surrogacy cost, intended parents and surrogates greatly benefit from working with a surrogacy agency.
Surrogacy agencies provide intended parents with invaluable services, including:
- A surrogacy professional: A surrogacy professional offers emotional and practical support to you and your partner through the entire surrogacy process.
- Background checks and screening service: All intended parents will need to fill out a questionnaire and undergo background and screening checks before they are cleared for surrogacy.
- Surrogacy education and support: All surrogacy agencies have resources that intended parents can use during their surrogacy journey. This is especially helpful because no two surrogacy experiences are the same.
- Intended family profile creation and advertising: Surrogacy agencies often have staff that is dedicated to helping you create your intended family profile. Your fees also will go to promoting your profile to available surrogates.
- Surrogate matching services: Although intended parents can find surrogates on their own (independent surrogacy), surrogacy agencies work with surrogates who are already screened and ready to start the surrogacy process.
- All other additional agency services
Considering Gestational Surrogacy Cost
There are a lot of factors that go into determining your surrogacy journey’s total cost. Because surrogacy fees add up quickly, it’s essential to ask the surrogacy agencies you’re considering working with how they handle surrogacy costs to determine what your family can afford.
Consider asking surrogacy professionals the following questions before starting your journey:
1. What’s the average cost of surrogacy with your agency? Although all surrogacy journeys are different, a surrogacy agency should have data on average surrogacy costs.
2. Are all of my surrogacy costs included in your agency’s quote? It’s important to determine what services are covered in the quote an agency gives you so you can prepare for any additional expenses.
3. Can fees change during the journey? Are expenses variable? Some fees may change during your journey. But, agency fees should be one-time, flat fees that are fixed.
4. Can I set a maximum budget? Although some fees can change during the surrogacy journey, it’s helpful to ask a surrogacy professional if they can guarantee a surrogacy within your budget.
5. Will you protect my finances if a surrogate match does not work out? Sometimes surrogacy opportunities don’t work. Ask surrogacy professionals if the agency can protect your finances if you have to find another match.
The Cost of Surrogacy Can Help You Build Your Family
Although surrogacy is expensive, the cost of surrogacy is worth it when you consider how it can help you build your family. Contact a surrogacy professional today to start your journey to parenthood.
