When people hear about surrogacy, the first thing that usually comes to mind is compensation. The Intended Parents (IPs) provide financial compensation to the surrogate for her time, commitment, and the incredible work of carrying a pregnancy. But what often gets overlooked is that compensation is just one piece of a much larger financial puzzle.
For IPs, surrogacy involves a whole range of other responsibilities—expenses that ensure the process is safe, ethical, and fair for everyone involved. If you’re considering surrogacy, it’s important to understand these obligations up front so you can plan realistically, and so your surrogate feels supported every step of the way.
Why Covering Expenses Matters
Surrogacy is built on trust and partnership. Intended parents aren’t just asking someone to carry a pregnancy; they’re asking her to rearrange her life, her body, and her family’s routines for nearly 1-2 years on average. Covering related expenses isn’t just about money—it’s about making sure your surrogate doesn’t take on financial burdens while helping you grow your family.
A thoughtful, well-structured financial plan helps protect both parties and removes unnecessary stress, but it’s hard to plan for what you don’t know to expect which is why it’s important to have a full understanding of the costs that will definitely occur as well as the ones that might.
Screening Expenses
Typically one of the first steps you’ll undergo in a surrogacy journey after matching with your surrogate is having her evaluated by your clinic. Every clinic has a different protocol for their screenings but some common procedures and tests are saline sonograms, hysterosalpingograms, or hysteroscopies to evaluate her uterine cavity and lining; a physical exam; labs for both she and her partner (if applicable), endometrial biopsies, and trial transfers. Insurance cannot be applied for this and most clinics will bill the IPs directly. If your clinic or agency requires a joint psychosocial consult as part of their medical screening, this will be an additional cost.
Medications and Medical Costs
From the very beginning, a surrogate’s body undergoes medical preparation to carry the pregnancy. This means medications—sometimes for weeks or months—such as hormones, injections, and supplements.
Intended Parents are responsible for:
All medications prescribed for the cycle, including birth control if your surrogate isn’t currently taking it or your clinic requires a specific brand.
Monitoring appointments leading up to transfer, which will not accept your surrogate’s insurance, but rather asks for self-pay prices.
The embryo transfer procedure itself.
Any related labs, ultrasounds, or medical testing.
And it doesn’t stop there. Once pregnant, the surrogate’s prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum medical needs are also covered by IPs, whether through insurance (if applicable) or direct payment.
Insurance and Medical Bills
One of the most important financial protections in surrogacy is insurance. Not all health insurance plans cover surrogate pregnancies, and some specifically exclude them. In those cases, Intended Parents may need to:
Purchase a new insurance policy for the surrogate.
Cover out-of-pocket expenses like co-pays, deductibles, and uncovered services. Pay for secondary insurance policies for complications or the newborn.
This ensures that if unexpected medical costs arise, the surrogate isn’t left footing the bill.
Travel Expenses
Surrogacy often requires travel—for medical screenings, embryo transfers, or specialized appointments. If the surrogate doesn’t live near the Intended Parents’ clinic, these trips can include flights, hotel stays, rental cars, and meals.
It’s standard practice for Intended Parents to cover:
Mileage reimbursement for local travel, typically over a certain mileage point and at the current IRS rate.
Airfare or long-distance travel if needed.
Hotel accommodations for overnight stays.
Meal stipends while traveling.
Rental car fees or ride service fees.
This allows the surrogate to focus on what she needs to do and where she needs to be without potentially adding a financial strain.
Lost Wages
For many surrogates, time away from work is inevitable. Monitoring appointments, embryo transfer recovery, and especially bed rest (if prescribed) can mean lost income.
Intended Parents are typically responsible for reimbursing the surrogate’s lost wages. This may also extend to her spouse or partner if their presence is required at appointments or the delivery.
Covering lost wages ensures that the surrogate’s family isn’t negatively impacted financially while she’s helping another family grow.
Childcare Expenses
A surrogate is often balancing her own children’s schedules while attending medical appointments, undergoing procedures, or spending time on doctor-ordered rest.
Because of this, Intended Parents are also expected to cover reasonable childcare costs when the surrogate is away for surrogacy-related appointments or recovery.
This small but important category of expenses helps make sure her children are cared for while she’s fulfilling her surrogacy commitments.
Legal Fees
Contracts are the backbone of an ethical surrogacy journey. Both the surrogate and the Intended Parents need separate attorneys to review and negotiate their agreement.
Intended Parents are responsible for:
Paying for the surrogate’s independent legal counsel.
Covering their own legal representation.
Paying for legal processes like pre-birth orders, parentage orders, or adoptions (depending on state requirements).
This ensures that everyone’s rights are fully protected and that no one feels pressured to sign documents without proper legal support.
Other Incidental Expenses
Often surrogacy will come with smaller, day-to-day costs that can add up over time. These may include:
Maternity clothing allowance to accommodate pregnancy changes.
Housekeeping assistance if the surrogate is on bed rest.
Wellness support such as prenatal yoga or counseling, if outlined in the contract.
These aren’t “extras” so much as practical ways to make sure the surrogate’s journey is manageable, healthy, and positive.
One of the best ways to set your surrogacy journey up for success is to be transparent about financial responsibilities from the start. A benefits package should be very detailed, and be presented before officially matching so that all parties are aware of the expectations before
agreeing with them. The surrogacy contract—drafted and reviewed by experienced attorneys—should outline exactly what expenses are covered, under what circumstances, and how reimbursement works.
This prevents misunderstandings later and ensures the surrogate never feels like she’s asking for favors. Instead, everything is agreed upon upfront, leaving room for trust and goodwill to grow.
For Intended Parents, the financial responsibility of surrogacy goes well beyond the base compensation. It’s about creating a system where the surrogate feels supported, respected, and valued. Every doctor’s appointment, medication, or childcare arrangement is part of a larger story—one where she’s making sacrifices so another family can have their dream fulfilled.
When those expenses are handled fairly and responsibly, surrogacy becomes not just a medical process, but a partnership rooted in care and mutual respect.
Compensation is only one part of the surrogacy journey. The real measure of responsibility comes in the countless ways Intended Parents step up to ensure their surrogate is protected and cared for. From medications and insurance to lost wages, travel, and legal protections, these financial responsibilities are what make surrogacy sustainable, ethical, and safe.
If you’re considering surrogacy, don’t think of these obligations as “extras.” Think of them as the foundation of a healthy relationship with your surrogate—a way of saying, “We value you, and we want this to be a positive experience for you and your family too.”
The end goal of surrogacy is always to bring a child into the world in a safe and healthy manner, but when that goal is built on a foundation of trust, respect, and transparency, it’s a much smoother and happier process for everyone involved. There will always be stress points and anxiety in any surrogacy journey, but with clear understanding and expectations at the beginning, finances don’t have to be one of them.
