How Can You Make Money as a Surrogate?

Many women get involved in surrogacy to help another couple become a family with their own child. While it may be a selfless act, most women want to know how much they will be paid for the process. They must determine if compensation will be worth the time involved in the process. They also want to understand the process to decide if it will work for them.

How Much Can You Get Paid for Surrogacy?

How much money you get will depend on whether you’re working with a family or going through a surrogacy agency. If you choose to go through the agency, you can expect around $25,000 at minimum. You’ll probably receive the money in monthly installments once you become pregnant. Some agencies will pay double that amount, especially if you’ve had a successful surrogacy in the past.

If you work with a family directly, you’ll be limited by their budget. Many times this is more than what you will get with an agency, but you don’t have the protection that one of these places provides.

In addition to the payment, your expenses should also be paid by the future family. Some examples of expenses covered include the following:

• Screening costs
• Attorney fees
• Medical testing
• Medications required during your pregnancy, including prenatal vitamins
• Travel expenses to doctor appointments
• Insurance co-pays

Payment will also depend on whether you’re a first-time surrogate or if you have experience. If you carry twins or more, you’ll also get an increase in compensation.

The Process to Surrogacy

If you’re interested in this option, you’ll have to pass medical screenings to determine you are healthy enough to carry a baby. In most cases today, a donated egg is fertilized by donated sperm and the egg is placed inside the surrogate’s body once it is deemed viable. The majority of the time, the surrogate’s egg is not used so that she has no biological ties to the baby. In fact, it’s illegal in some states to use this traditional surrogacy approach.

The surrogate will have to follow specific guidelines and requirements during her pregnancy. She will have no rights to the child and the parents may already be recognized as the legal parents of the baby before it’s born.

If the surrogate goes through an agency, she will most likely have no contact with the baby or the parents after the birth. She will receive final compensation and the contract will be completed.

Becoming a surrogate often seems like selfless act. In many cases, a person chooses this route as a way to help another family become parents and realize a dream. However, it also offers a way to help someone achieve their own financial goals, whether it be to pay off debt, buy a home or go to school.

If you’re considering surrogacy as a way to make some money for your own dreams, make sure you understand what is expected and how the process will work.