What does an Illinois surrogacy journey cost, itemized?
An Illinois surrogacy journey typically costs $150,000 to $200,000 all in. Private Label Surrogacy is based in Northbrook, Illinois, and publishes its costs line by line. Itemized, a PLS journey runs about $112,000 to $127,000 before clinic fees and any new surrogate insurance.
| Line item | Range | Paid to | Illinois-specific note |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLS program fee | $35,000 current; $42,000 proposed on new agreements. Confirm current schedule. | PLS, in three installments | PLS is headquartered in Northbrook |
| Surrogate compensation package | Typically roughly $68,000 to $78,000 for a first-time surrogate, singleton | Surrogate, from independent escrow | Same compensation across Illinois and every state PLS recruits in |
| Third-party costs | $15,300 to $29,000 | Attorneys, escrow agent, evaluator, insurance reviewer, travel, local monitoring | Pre-birth parentage without a court hearing keeps legal costs at the lower end |
| Surrogate health insurance, if her plan excludes surrogacy | $5,000 to $40,000 | Insurance carrier | Depends on the surrogate's own policy, wherever she lives |
| IVF and clinic fees | Set by your clinic | Your fertility clinic and pharmacy | Illinois mandate may cover the intended parents' own IVF on many fully insured plans (scope reviewed by counsel) |
| Escrow deposits | $10,000 at match; balance before medications | Independent licensed escrow agent | Holds compensation and third-party funds; PLS never holds client money |
| Typical total | $150,000 to $200,000 | All of the above | In line with the national range |
Two items on that list are where Illinois families most often save: legal costs, and IVF costs for the intended parents if their employer plan falls under the state's insurance mandate. The rest of this page explains both.
How does Illinois law reduce legal costs?
The Illinois Gestational Surrogacy Act (2005) makes compensated gestational surrogacy agreements enforceable and allows pre-birth parentage without a court hearing. When the agreement complies with the Act, the attorneys for both sides file certifications before the birth, and the intended parents are named on the original birth certificate, with no adoption.
An administrative process takes less attorney time than a court proceeding, which keeps legal costs at the low end of the third-party range. There is no hearing to prepare for or attend, and no adoption after birth.
Since the Equality for Every Family Act was signed in December 2025, independent counsel for both sides is required, and intended parents no longer need a genetic link to the child. PLS always required separate attorneys, so for PLS families the counsel rule does not add cost. See how the Illinois pre-birth parentage process works.
Does Illinois insurance law cover any surrogacy costs?
Illinois has an insurance mandate that requires many fully insured employer plans to cover IVF for the intended parents' own treatment. Mandate scope (750 ILCS 47 and 215 ILCS 5/356m): reviewed by counsel.
The key words are "own treatment." A mandate of this kind can help with retrieval and embryo creation for the intended parents. Surrogate maternity care depends on her own policy, and transfers into a surrogate are usually excluded from the intended parents' coverage.
Two practical checks:
- Is your plan fully insured or self-funded? Ask HR. Self-funded employer plans are generally governed by federal rules rather than state mandates, so the answer decides whether the mandate applies to you.
- What does the surrogate's plan say? PLS orders an independent review of every surrogate's policy before match. If her plan excludes surrogacy, you buy a dedicated policy, $5,000 to $40,000.
See surrogate health insurance.
Which Chicago-area clinics does PLS work with, and what do they charge?
PLS works with 14 partner fertility centers, including Kindbody, Shady Grove Fertility, Fertility Centers of Illinois and Oregon Reproductive Medicine. In the Chicago area, Fertility Centers of Illinois and Kindbody are the partners families most often use. You may use any licensed clinic.
Having partner clinics close to where many Illinois surrogates live reduces surrogate travel costs. Monitoring can happen near the surrogate's home, and a drive to a Chicago-area clinic for screening and transfer costs less than a flight and a hotel.
Clinic fees are paid directly to the clinic and depend on whether you already have embryos. Ask each clinic for a written estimate for a gestational carrier cycle. For typical ranges, see IVF costs with a surrogate.
What do Illinois surrogates receive?
A first-time PLS surrogate in Illinois receives $60,000 base compensation (proposed, up from $55,000), or $65,000 to $70,000 if experienced, within a typical total package of roughly $68,000 to $78,000. The package adds a monthly allowance, milestone payments at medication start and transfer, maternity clothing, housekeeping late in pregnancy, pumping support, lost wages for her and her partner, and extended life insurance.
Compensation is paid from an independent licensed escrow account that the intended parents fund before medications start. PLS pays the same compensation across Illinois, and in every other state where it recruits.
How can an Illinois family keep costs down?
Five steps make the biggest difference, and none of them involves cutting the protections that make a journey safe:
- Create and freeze embryos before you match. The surrogate's cycle can start as soon as the agreement is signed, and fewer months pass on the allowance and the calendar.
- Check whether the Illinois mandate applies to your plan before paying for retrieval out of pocket.
- Know the insurance answer before you accept a match. PLS's policy review tells you whether a dedicated policy is needed, so you are not surprised by a $5,000 to $40,000 line after signing.
- Use a clinic within driving distance of your surrogate where your medical situation allows, to keep travel costs down.
- Plan for siblings early. Sibling journeys at PLS are charged 50% of the program fee. Confirm current schedule. Extra embryos created now can make a second journey simpler later.
What not to cut: independent counsel for both sides, independent escrow, and a thorough screening with physician record review. Those are the parts of the budget that protect everything else.
How does Illinois compare with California, Texas and New York?
Illinois is usually somewhat less expensive than California, mainly because legal and parentage costs are lower under the Gestational Surrogacy Act and surrogate living costs are lower. Surrogate compensation is similar.
For Texas and New York, the comparison depends on the specifics of each journey: the surrogate's insurance, the parentage process and travel. New York licenses surrogacy agencies; PLS is applying for its license. Use the itemized table above as your Illinois baseline, and ask any agency in another state for the same line items so you compare like with like. See the average cost of surrogacy in the US.
Where do out-of-state parents using an Illinois surrogate save or spend more?
You do not need to live in Illinois to work with PLS. Families across the US and abroad do. Parentage follows the state where the surrogate delivers, so an Illinois surrogate delivering in Illinois brings the Illinois process with her.
Where out-of-state parents can save:
- Legal costs, when the surrogate delivers in Illinois under the pre-birth process.
- Predictability, because the legal outcome is settled before birth.
Where they can spend more:
- Travel. If your clinic is in another state, the surrogate flies to it for screening and transfer, and you travel for the birth.
- Out-of-state legal work. If you live in a state with different rules, your attorney may need to coordinate with Illinois counsel.
- Insurance. Your own plan's IVF coverage follows your state and your employer, not Illinois.
PLS covers the surrogate's travel through the third-party budget and coordinates the attorneys, the hospital and the birth plan wherever you live. To build your own estimate, book a consultation or see the full cost of surrogacy.
Sources
- Illinois Gestational Surrogacy Act (2005), Illinois General Assembly. Pending review by counsel.
- Equality for Every Family Act, signed December 2025, Illinois General Assembly. Pending review by counsel.
- Illinois insurance mandate for infertility coverage. [Citation to be confirmed by counsel.]