Compensated surrogacy is the process where a surrogate mother will be paid to carry the soon-to-be parents' child. Some couples who are unable to have their own child will choose to have a surrogate mother so that the baby will have their DNA. The fees associated with surrogacy can be negotiated. There is no set dollar amount that the surrogate needs to be paid. The fees for surrogacy can vary depending on if you use a surrogacy and the state where you live. Some states do not have a set wage for surrogacy.
If you are using an agency, they will usually have their own set wages for the surrogate to be compensated. Depending on the agency, they may have different plans to choose from. The plans range from an All Inclusive Plan to a Mostly Inclusive plan.
All Inclusive Compensation
With an All Inclusive Surrogate plan, the surrogate mother will set a price the new parents will pay. This fee does not cover any extra things the surrogate mother may want or need. This means that if she needs extra tests, she is not compensated for the time going through the procedure. If the surrogate needs to have a C-section, she is not paid more money for that either. She is also responsible for all the costs of prenatal vitamins, maternity clothes, gas to and from doctor visits, and child care if she has other children that need to be taken are of. The fees for this plan usually begin around $18,000.
Itemized Compensation
With the Itemized Compensation, there is an amount set up for the surrogacy and then an additional fee would apply to any procedure which needed to be done. The surrogate would be compensated if there were multiple births or if a C-section was necessary. The surrogate mother would also be compensated for buying maternity clothing. In some cases where there are complications and she needs a hysterectomy, she would be paid for that also.
If she needs to go on bed rest, the parents would need to pay for lost wages and possibly child care. Itemized Compensation would also cover non-standard fees such as a mock cycle. Mock cycle are tests the surrogate may go through without actually transferring the embryos. Not all clinics require this. Agencies have a range in which the surrogate would be compensated.
Mostly Inclusive Compensation
The Mostly Inclusive Compensation contains more than the All Inclusive Compensation, but is not as costly for the new parents as the Itemized Compensation. The surrogate mother would still be compensated for carrying the child, multiple births, C-section, tests or procedures, and so on, but possibly not as much as with the Itemized Compensation. The Mostly Inclusive Compensation can be negotiated between the surrogate and the new parents to decide on the compensation for each circumstance.
If you are considering using a surrogate, talk with an agency in your area. The fees and process will vary from one state to another, but these will give you an idea as to what is out there.
