How Much Are Surrogates Paid?
Surrogate Compensation Breakdown
Becoming a gestational surrogate is a great thing to do! You’re helping someone build a family and bringing a new life into the world, and that can feel very rewarding. But alongside the warm-fuzzies that come with doing good, surrogacy is a serious undertaking that involves medical procedures and personal sacrifice—not to mention a good chance of new stretch marks. If you’re considering becoming a surrogate, it’s natural to wonder about surrogate pay, the total compensation and what pregnancy expenses are included.
Well, you’re in luck. We’ve broken down everything you need to know about surrogate pay and surrogate benefits you can expect along your surrogacy journey. Let’s take a look at a complete surrogate compensation breakdown; here you will learn which surrogate benefits are guaranteed and which are circumstance-based and covered for you additionally.
Please keep in mind that surrogate compensation will vary from agency to agency and even from state to state, and that not all surrogacy programs will offer all of the benefits listed here. We’re discussing the surrogate pay and benefits specific to Pinnacle Surrogacy; make sure to check your individual surrogacy contract for additional terms.
Surrogate Pay and Benefits Breakdown
Surrogate compensation include more than receiving lump sum payment for giving birth to a surrogate baby. Before and during your pregnancy, there are many expenses associated with being a surrogate. Here are the benefits you can expect to be included as part of your surrogate compensation.
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Surrogate Pay and Benefits Breakdown
Surrogate Monthly Allowance
Yes that’s right! This surrogate benefit begins first of the month after you sign the Gestational Surrogacy Agreement, and will end one month after the agreement ends for any reason—including the birth of the baby.
Surrogate Maternity Clothing Allowance
We know that as the baby grows, your current wardrobe won’t work anymore. So we offer our surrogates a generous one-time payment for maternity clothing after the 12th week of pregnancy.
Housekeeping and Childcare During Bed Rest
Being put on bed rest presents a variety of challenges in your personal life. If a doctor puts you on bed rest at any point in your surrogate journey, we will pay you a generous monthly allowance for housekeeping and an additional childcare allowance for children in your care under the age of 14. Payments will be prorated based on the number of days missed in one month.
Travel and Childcare Reimbursement
We compensate our surrogates for travel and child care expenses when attending medical appointments related to their pregnancy, visits to the Pinnacle Surrogacy office, etc. This reimbursement is paid as a non-accountable monthly allowance starting on the first day of the month after you sign the Gestational Surrogacy Agreement and ending one month after it is terminated for any reason.
If you are required to travel long distances — a drive of more than 40 miles at a time — in order to meet your obligations as a surrogate, we will reimburse you a set amount per mile.
Lost Wages Reimbursement
Morning sickness, fatigue, and postpartum recovery may lead to missed work. As a surrogate, you will be reimbursed for your net wages loss. We just ask you to provide a doctor’s note, as well as proof of your wages earned before you signed the Surrogacy Contract and at the time of the wage loss claim.
Maximum time allotted for lost wages are:
- Up to 4 weeks after a vaginal delivery
- Up to 6 weeks after a C-section delivery
- For the duration of any bed rest order (per the terms of the Gestational Surrogacy Agreement)
If your spouse ends up missing work because of obligations outlined in the surrogacy agreement, we will also reimburse those lost wages. There is a cap on the maximum amount, and we’ll ask your spouse to explain why he or she is missing work. Reasons might include you being ordered on bed rest, appointments that require your spouse to attend, or any required spouse testing. We will ask your spouse to provide proof of lost wages in order to process the reimbursement.
Base Surrogate Pay
This is a set, basic, guaranteed pay that all surrogates will receive and it is currently $50,000 in California and $40,000 in all other states that we work in. If you have been a surrogate before, the compensation for a 2nd time surrogate and compensation for a 3rd time surrogate increases significantly. Paid monthly, typically the base surrogate compensation payments will begin on the first of the month following confirmation of pregnancy by fetal heartbeat via ultrasound. Payments will continue every month as long as you are pregnant, with the remaining balance paid within 14 business days after birth.
Surrogate Multiple Pregnancy Compensation
If you happen to get pregnant with twins (or higher), you’ll receive an additional payment for each baby. This is a one-time multiple pregnancy surrogate fee that is paid within 14 business days after the successful birth of the babies.
Increased Compensation for Previous Surrogates
For first-time surrogates, we offer a base pay of $50,000 for those in California and 40,000 for those in all other states. For surrogates returning for subsequent surrogacy journeys, we offer an increased base pay listed below. Previous surrogacy journeys do not need to have been done with Pinnacle Surrogacy so long as the journey resulted in a healthy birth.
- 1st time $50,000 in CA and $40,000 all other states
- 2ND time $55,000 in CA and $50,000 all other states
- 3rd time CA $60,000 in CA and $55,000 all other states
Additional Surrogate Pay for Invasive Procedures
With any pregnancy, surrogate pregnancy carries a certain amount of risk and uncertainty. Depending on what happens in your surrogate pregnancy circumstances, you may need to undergo a non-routine invasive procedure. If this is the case, you can expect additional surrogate pay beyond the benefits listed above. These potential invasive procedures include:
- Mock cycle (paid if Surrogate is required to undergo a trial cycle)
- Canceled cycle (if the cycle is canceled due to no fault of the Surrogate after she has started injections)
- Cesarean section (only if physician recommended)
- CVS or amniocentesis
- Cerclage
- D&C or termination of pregnancy
- Fetal reduction
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Loss of tube or ovary
- Hysterectomy
- Breast milk pumping
Additional Surrogate Resources
Along with the monetary surrogate compensation, here at Pinnacle Surrogacy we offer the following surrogate benefits and resources:
- Surrogate support groups and counseling
- Nutritional counseling
- Attorney fees
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Lactation consultant (if needed)
- Weekly deliveries of organic fruits and vegetables
Surrogacy Medical Screening and Procedures Payments
We want to show our gratitude and reward you along your surrogacy journey. This includes offering additional surrogate pay connected to medical screenings and procedures including:
Surrogate Screening
We will offer you a one-time surrogate screening compensation, paid at your first medical screening at our Pinnacle Fertility Clinic. This benefit is guaranteed—you’ll be paid regardless of the outcome of the initial medical screening.
Surrogate Medical Clearance Finalization:
Once you have passed all of the screening procedures and are cleared to become a surrogate with us, we’ll pay you a one-time medical clearance finalization fee. Surrogate Injection Start: Once you are matched, the legal clearance has been issued and you start the injections, you will receive another one-time fee. This fee will be paid to you every time you start a unique cycle.
Embryo Transfer:
Each time you have a unique embryo transfer as a surrogate with us, you will receive a one-time embryo transfer fee; the amount is set regardless of how many embryos are being transferred in each procedure.
Confirmation of Baby Heartbeat:
This is another one-time guaranteed fee that we pay to our surrogates at the time when a baby’s heartbeat is detected.
How Much Do Surrogates Make?
First time surrogates based in California can expect a package of at least $60,000, and in all other states, $50,000.
How much are surrogates paid depends on individual journeys and circumstances, but as a starting point, first time Surrogates based in California can expect a package of at least $60,000, and in all other states, $50,000. Repeat surrogates’ pay is considerably higher.
At Pinnacle Surrogacy we care about our surrogates. We understand the sacrifices you make to give another family the chance to grow. Our surrogate pay and benefits packages are designed to show our gratitude and to make the experience of surrogacy as comfortable and healthy for both you and the baby as possible.