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How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in California?
Surrogacy cost California: A surrogate mother using our California surrogacy agency will cost anywhere from $140,000-$150,000.
If you’re a couple who struggles with infertility, whether it be tubal factor infertility or other causes, you may be wondering if it’s still possible to have a baby of your own.
The answer is yes. With a California surrogacy agency like ours at Made in the USA Surrogacy, you can utilize the services of a surrogate mother to carry your own biological child.
Being located in California, the costs are usually higher for most things, but is it the same way for surrogacy costs in California?
Made in the USA Surrogacy is a boutique California surrogacy agency devoted to bringing surrogate mothers and intended parents together.
For those who are new to surrogacy, you likely have a lot of questions. How do I find a surrogate mother? How much does a surrogate cost in California?
This article will discuss those questions in detail as well as provide a breakdown of the cost of surrogacy, so you understand just what kind of financial investment you’re making.
Surrogacy In California
Surrogate mothers help intended parents who are suffering from infertility have a child of their very own.
Infertility is something that affects many men and women in America today. In fact, one in eight of every couple will have trouble with infertility.
These fertility problems can stem from something like tubal factor infertility. This complication arises when the fallopian tube is blocked. The ovum is unable to pass through the fallopian tube and become fertilized.
There are also many other causes and reasons for problems with fertility even “unexplained” infertility. The solution rests with surrogate mothers.
Our agency introduces intended parents to surrogates who will carry their baby. If you need to find a surrogate, then you can find plenty of mothers eager to help on our site.
All of these mothers have passed many qualifications that we ask of our surrogates to ensure that they are healthy and able to carry children.
Surrogacy in California can be expensive. There are many costs from different parts of the surrogacy process that can add up.
In total, the entire process can cost around $140,000-150,000 depending on many factors.
Clearly, this is a large investment, but the end result is a biological child that you likely would not have been able to have otherwise. What makes up the surrogacy cost?
How surrogacy costs breakdown: Surrogate Compensation and the Surrogate benefit package
We break surrogate compensation into two different sections—base compensation and the surrogate benefit package.
Made in the USA’s base compensation for surrogate mothers is $60,000.
Surrogate base compensation is dependent upon the agency that you go through, and each surrogacy agency’s base compensation rate will vary based on many different factors.
The area that the surrogate lives, for example, plays a part. Some surrogacy agencies pay surrogates more if they live in California.
Or the area in which they live may be more expensive in terms of cost of living than in other areas.
You’ll see in the later paragraphs how your surrogate’s compensation is not the only driving factor of the total cost of surrogacy in California.
Base Compensation
Our surrogacy cost utilizes one base compensation rate for all surrogates. No matter where they live, whether they’re employed, or any other factor, it is the same price for every surrogate.
We do this to make intended parents have an easier time of affording a surrogate mother and to make the surrogacy cost a lot easier to understand. It also benefits the surrogate mothers.
They know exactly how much they’re going to be paid for their services from the start.
Made in the USA Surrogacy’s base compensation rate is $60,000.
We do offer a bit of a bonus to experienced surrogate mothers. That amount is $5,000 for surrogates who have had a successful surrogate journey in the past, this much is normal across many surrogacy agencies. So, your choices are either a $40,000 new surrogate or a $45,000 experienced surrogate mother.
At our agency, this amount will be be paid through 10 monthly installments out of your surrogacy escrow account. Those payments begin after a heartbeat has been confirmed in the surrogate’s womb.
In addition, other payments that stem from the surrogate benefit package will also be paid at that time.
Surrogate Compensation: Surrogate Benefit Package
A surrogate benefit package is an agreement that the surrogate has made with the agency before they are matched with a couple. It’s a surrogate cost sheet.
They are also not typically negotiable because it stems from the surrogate mother and the agency they’re using. It’s an agreement that the surrogate is willing to be used as a surrogate in return for that specific package. Each package is different based on the surrogate and the agency.
Each surrogacy agency pays differently for many of these factors, so it’s important to compare the differences.
These benefit packages are used to encourage surrogates to utilize an experienced surrogacy agency to go through their surrogacy journey.
They do have the option to market themselves as an “independent surrogate” but typically surrogates will incur more headache than higher compensation.
Your surrogate mother can think of her benefits package as an addition to her base compensation alongside it.
Because we set our compensation rate as the same for each surrogate—with an added bonus for experienced surrogates—it allows our surrogates to know exactly how much they’re going to receive when matched with a couple. It also allows intended parents to know how much they’re going to need to pay for their surrogate.
Surrogate Benefit Package
The package that we offer includes the following benefits:
- Lost Wages Compensation: This can range anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000.
- Spousal lost wages: 10 days of their daily rate
- Maternity clothes allowance: This is set at $1,000 for all of their clothing needs during the process of pregnancy.
- Monthly allowance: This is split into 10 months of $250, that is $2,500 in total.
- Experienced Surrogate: $5,000 bonus
- Multiples fee: If you are expecting twins or desire twins, then that is an additional cost of $5,000. Many other California Surrogacy Agencies go up to $10,000 for multiples, and even higher for triplets.
- Embryo transfer: $1,000 to your surrogate
- Invasive procedures: If needed- $1,500.
- Miscarriage: There is a fee of $500. This can be just as devastating for the surrogate as it is for the intended parents.
- Travel expenses: Travel is also part of the benefits package and is relative to each surrogate. Depending on the distance between the surrogate and the fertility clinic of choice, this expense may be large or small. Typically travel costs do not exceed $3500.
- Housekeeping: $2,000
- C-Section: Finally, if the intended parents desire a C-section or if a C-section is the preferred method of birth for the surrogate, there is a fee of $2,500. This is compared with other surrogacy agencies that many compensate at $300. Do your research, going with our surrogacy agency in Sacramento could save you lots of money in the long run compared to many in our industry.
These costs alone will add an additional $11,000-$13,000 to the base compensation rate. You may not be faced with all of these additional costs, so plan to budget accordingly.
Other Costs of Surrogacy in California
There are a few other factors that can add to the amount that you pay during the entire process.
The first is a surrogate attorney and your attorney. Attorney costs can range from $7500 for your attorney plus $2,000 for your surrogate.
You may not think that you need a surrogacy attorney, but it’s actually a vital part of the journey. Attorneys work between intended parents and their surrogates to ensure that everyone is on board with the approved plan.
Should something occur, the attorney can be there to mediate and ensure that your rights as intended parents are protected. It’s especially important that you utilize a surrogate attorney and not an attorney with experience in a different field.
Surrogate attorneys understand surrogate laws and as well as how they play out with parental rights to the letter. Another attorney might not have the same keen understanding or experience of those laws.
Lost Wages
Some California surrogacy agencies lump this sum into the surrogate’s base compensation. We do not use this practice. The surrogate will be compensated for whatever her actual lost wages are during the process.
This could mean for physician ordered bed-rest, or after birth, or for both. Typically our agency budgets for 6 weeks of payment of lost wages.
Surrogate Health Insurance
Surrogate Health insurance usually costs Intended parents $12,000-$30,000.
Depending on if their own policy can be used, a surrogate-friendly policy will most likely include a lien.
Premiums range from $500/month-$1200/month.
A full surrogate-friendly policy from an outside insurance company will probably range in the $20,000-$30,000.
On the extremely rare occasion that you find a surrogate with a surrogate-friendly policy, that amount is something that you can save instead. However, it should be noted that a surrogate with such a policy is extremely rare. It isn’t worth waiting to find a surrogate with surrogate-friendly insurance.
Your agency will also have a surrogate agency fee that you will need to pay.
An agency performs a lot of work behind the scenes to make a surrogate journey successful. Marketing for surrogate candidates is an expensive endeavor, and the competition for these surrogates is costly.
Our agency, Made in the USA Surrogacy spends thousands of dollars per month recruiting quality surrogate candidates. Most of your surrogate agency fee funds the marketing costs for the recruitment of your candidates.
Agency Fee
Agency fees for a California surrogacy agency range anywhere from $35,000-$100,000.
Made in the USA Surrogacy’s fee is not on the top range of this, but it gives you an idea as to how much you can spend on this journey depending on the surrogate agency you deal with.
Each surrogacy agency will have varying costs associated with the management of your journey, and each agency runs things a different way. It’s important to remember that the agency fee is not the only expense you will incur in regards to what a surrogacy costs in California. Many parents come to our agency asking how much our fee is- but the real question they should be asking is, “what is our budget” and “what does a surrogacy cost” overall.
The agency fee is only one part of the cost, and the agency fee should directly reflect how much work is going into the surrogacy on your part and how many services they will provide you. It’s better to compare an agency’s surrogate compensation plan- that will be the part that varies the greatest among surrogacy agencies in California.
Our fee has been designed to help ensure we can keep running our business while still offering intended parents an affordable option.
In fact, we’ve found that our fee is among the lowest of other surrogate agencies in California.
Think about how much you are able to afford in this process. Your surrogacy cost will directly depend on the surrogate you choose, and who is currently available.
In-Vitro Fertilization and Your California Fertility Clinic
There are costs outside of the agency and surrogate that you need to consider, too.
That cost comes from the in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, procedure. Genetic testing can also be an option which carries a cost. IVF is mandatory for all intended parents.
It’s performed at a fertility clinic. In-vitro fertilization allows the egg and sperm to unite and form an embryo.
After IVF is over at the fertility clinic, the embryo is then placed in the surrogate via transfer.
IVF can cost around $25,000-$30,000 depending on where your fertility clinic is located. This will usually include the cost for one round of treatments with your surrogate.
In total, parents should budget for $175,000-$200,000 including IVF treatment.
Again, the costs can vary greatly either up or down depending on your chosen surrogate. This is a healthy estimate that will give you enough room to be successful with your surrogate and set your expectations correctly regarding your surrogacy cost.
We hope this article regarding surrogacy cost was informative and helpful! Please contact our agency today for a free consultation to answer all of your surrogacy related questions and find a surrogate!
