California Surrogate Compensation

Surrogate Compensation: How much does it pay to be a surrogate?

As a California surrogate, compensation will be the highest among all states. If you are not a California surrogate, the number will be a combination of factors.

Overall, surrogate mothers are paid anywhere from $60,000-$65,000 before benefits.

Breakdown of Surrogate Pay

• Base Surrogate Pay: $60,000-$65,000. This pay varies from state to state depending on which surrogacy agency you choose. When working with surrogacy agencies in California, there can be a large range of surrogate base compensation. For Made in the USA Surrogacy, our base compensation does not vary due to the home state of the surrogate. This base compensation is usually paid out in monthly installments. $5,000 extra is paid for experienced surrogates.
• Monthly allowance: $250/month to cover all surrogacy-related expenses including travel expenses, telephone calls, miscellaneous expenses like pregnancy test kits, prenatal vitamins and other expenses incurred and related to, pregnancy and the surrogacy process as a whole.
• Maternity Clothes Allowance: $1,000-1,200 Beginning around the 3rd month of pregnancy, the surrogate is given an allowance for maternity clothes.
• Mock Cycle Fee: $500- As a surrogate you may need to take medication to simulate a mock cycle and test the thickening of your uterine lining. If this occurs, the surrogate will be compensated. Also, a surrogate is compensated for any dropped cycle if she’s not responsible for the dropped cycle.
• Completion of Medical/Psych Screening: $500
• Invasive Procedures: $1,500– This covers procedures such as CVS, cerclage, fetal reduction, and amniocentesis 
• Embryo transfer: $1,000 per embryo transfer procedure. After an embryo transfer procedure has been done, the surrogate receives an embryo transfer compensation.

Other Compensation:

• Multiple pregnancies: Additional compensation is paid if the surrogate is carrying multiples $5,000
• Cesarean section: If a cesarean section is ordered for the surrogate, she is compensated for the additional risks and pain associated with a c-section.
• Compensation for lost wages: For working surrogates, compensation is made for any lost wages directly caused by any activity relating to the surrogacy process, including trips for medical evaluations and procedures; bed-rest ordered by a doctor; and post-partum rest and recovery.
• Housekeeping services: It is important that the surrogate’s environment is clean at all times and she is not burdened with the day to day management of her home. Surrogates are given weekly housekeeping allowance, usually during the later stages of the pregnancy.

Optional expenses for which the surrogate mother receives compensation include:

• Breast Milk Pumping
• Doula/Birthing Coach
• Nutritional Counseling and Support
• Massages

California Surrogate Pay

What is different about being a surrogate in California vs being a surrogate in a different state? The compensation for California surrogates is the highest in the industry, depending on what surrogacy agency you choose. Other variables of compensation can be whether you work and receive lost wages, or whether you will be a first or repeat surrogate.

Surrogate compensation in California is some of the most competitive in the industry. There are so many more benefits for California surrogates than are typically available. Surrogates who reside in California enjoy a higher base compensation for their surrogacy on average than any other state. This is while they may also be paid for lost wages. Our agency also allows their spouse to have the ability to earn lost wages as well. Base compensation numbers range from $60,000-$65,000 with Made in the USA Surrogacy. We make a practice of having surrogate pay as competitive as other agencies, but we also make sure not to confuse the structure of compensation.

Our surrogate pay does not discriminate on where you live or whether you work or do not work or whether you are single. We have designed our compensation package to be fair and simple!

How Much are Surrogates in California Paid?

Surrogate compensation varies from one surrogacy case to another, and from state to state. In California, surrogates are in high demand and as a result, they are usually paid more than surrogates in other states.

Typically, the average base compensation for surrogates in California ranges from $50,000 to $65,000. The overall compensation package depends on a number of factors including the experience of the surrogate, and single vs multiple pregnancies (twins, etc).  The policies of the surrogacy agency you are working with and the budget intended parents have set for the entire surrogacy process.

Surrogates who have successfully undergone gestational surrogacy are usually paid more than first-time surrogates. Surrogates and intended parents, via their separate lawyers, agree to the terms set by their surrogacy agency. They agree on monetary compensation at the start of the surrogacy process and the terms are explicitly stated in the surrogacy agreement.

Why California Surrogacy is Important

Surrogacy in California is different for a number of different reasons, but overall, it is the most popular state to become a surrogate in since the surrogacy laws in California are most favorable. Surrogate mothers are supported with gestational surrogacy agreements. Parents who find a surrogate are also supported by the surrogacy laws that allow parentage to most couples who seek a child through surrogacy. Surrogacy laws are important to the overall journey being smooth so that no one needs to worry about whether about who the parents will be once the child is born.

California Fertility Clinics

Another reason why surrogate compensation is higher in California, is that it attracts the best fertility clinics to service intended families for their surrogacies. It’s important to become a surrogate in California because the state is the epicenter of the best fertility clinics available to intended parents. Parents who want to find a surrogate come from all walks of life and from international countries.

Made in the USA Surrogacy works with so many of the best fertility clinics in California, you’ll always receive the best treatment as a surrogate or a parent. We work with clinics such as RSC, Spring Fertility, California IVF, Zouves Fertility Center, LARC, and SCRC.

For more information about surrogate compensation with Made in the USA Surrogacy, contact us.