Becoming a surrogate

How much do surrogates get paid?

What US surrogacy agencies say they pay a gestational surrogate, agency by agency, each figure linked to the page that states it, with what it covers and what the agency asks.

Updated monthly · checked 12 h ago
$45k–$106k+published range
19agencies compared
$86,000 to $106,000+highest published (West Coast Surrogacy)

The agencies compared here publish $45,000 to $106,000+ for a first journey: most state the base pay, before the monthly allowance, transfer, C-section and lost-wage payments that come on top, and a few state the whole package. Experienced surrogates are paid more, and where you live moves the number too.

Do I qualify?

Check yourself against each agency's published criteria

A few answers, checked against the 6 agencies here that publish their criteria as numbers. Nothing is sent or stored.

Height
Carried a baby to term before?
Smoke or vape?
State
By agency

What each agency says it pays surrogates

Each figure is the agency's own, linked to the page that states it, with what it covers. Highest published pay first.

Agencies marked Partner pay IVFcost.co a referral fee if someone who applies through us goes on to qualify as a surrogate. It never changes what you are paid, and every list here is ordered by published pay, not by who pays us. How partners are handled

Beyond the base

What is paid on top of the base

The base is only part of the package. With a monthly allowance, milestone payments, lost wages and benefits, Circle Surrogacy estimates a first-time carrier's total at $55,000 to $75,000+, and American Surrogacy puts typical total compensation at $70,000 to $110,000+. (Circle Surrogacy, American Surrogacy)

Headline pay is not always like for like: Growing Generations counts up to $5,000 of pre-pregnancy milestone payments inside its $75,000 minimum, and ConceiveAbilities' "up to $75,000" includes a limited-time $10,000 bonus. (Growing Generations, ConceiveAbilities)

Where you live

Your state changes the pay, and whether it is allowed

California pays the most: West Coast Surrogacy starts a first-time carrier at $75,000 there against $70,000 in other states, and the Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute at $70,000 against $60,000. (West Coast Surrogacy, Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute)

Experience pays too: American Surrogacy publishes a base of $70,000 to $90,000+ for experienced carriers against $55,000 to $65,000+ for a first journey, and Extraordinary Conceptions pays repeat carriers up to $120,000. (American Surrogacy, Extraordinary Conceptions)

Paid surrogacy is restricted in a few states: Louisiana (prohibited, Louisiana R.S. 9:2720 (gestational carrier contracts)); Nebraska (unenforceable, Nebraska Rev. Stat. 25-21,200); Indiana (unenforceable, Indiana Code 31-20-1-2); Arizona (unenforceable, Arizona Rev. Stat. 25-218); Virginia (expenses only, Code of Virginia 20-162); Tennessee (unsettled, Tennessee Supreme Court, In re Baby (2014)). Paid surrogacy agreements became legal on April 2, 2025, when the state repealed its 1988 ban. Most other states permit compensated gestational surrogacy by statute or case law, some only with conditions such as marriage, residency or where the court case is filed. (ASRM, Creative Family Connections)

By state

Surrogate pay in your state

The other side

What intended parents pay

Surrogate pay is one line in a bill that usually runs $150,000 to $200,000 through an agency. See how much surrogacy costs for every agency's published program price, side by side.

Questions

Common questions

How much do surrogates get paid?
US surrogacy agencies publish first-journey pay of $45,000 to $106,000+: some state the base pay, others the whole package, and experienced surrogates are paid more. On top of the base come a monthly allowance ($300 to $400 a month), a payment for each embryo transfer ($750 to $2,000), and extra pay for a C-section ($1,500 to $5,000) or twins ($4,000 to $15,000 more), plus lost wages.
Which surrogacy agency pays the most?
Of the agencies compared here, West Coast Surrogacy publishes the highest first-time figure: $86,000 to $106,000+ (total compensation (highest for experienced California surrogates)). Headline figures are not always like for like: some include milestone payments or limited-time bonuses inside the number, so compare what each covers.
Do surrogates in California get paid more?
California pays the most: West Coast Surrogacy starts a first-time carrier at $75,000 there against $70,000 in other states, and the Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute at $70,000 against $60,000.
Is paid surrogacy legal in every state?
No. Louisiana: prohibited; Nebraska: unenforceable; Indiana: unenforceable; Arizona: unenforceable; Virginia: expenses only; Tennessee: unsettled. Paid surrogacy agreements became legal on April 2, 2025, when the state repealed its 1988 ban. Most other states permit compensated gestational surrogacy by statute or case law, some only with conditions such as marriage, residency or where the court case is filed.
What do you need to become a surrogate?
Agencies publish their own criteria, and they are similar: usually an age range in the early twenties to about forty, at least one pregnancy carried to term, a healthy BMI, no smoking, and living in a state where paid surrogacy is allowed. Each agency's own list is in the table on this page, and the agency's screening decides.