What counts as a third-party cost?
A third-party cost is any service in your surrogacy journey that is performed and billed by an independent professional, not by the agency and not by the surrogate. At Private Label Surrogacy, third-party costs total $15,300 to $29,000 and cover:
- Attorneys for both sides. Your attorney and the surrogate's attorney draft and negotiate the gestational carrier agreement and handle the parentage order. You pay for both.
- Escrow administration. The independent licensed escrow agent's fee for holding and disbursing funds.
- The independent psychological evaluation of the surrogate, by a licensed mental-health professional.
- Criminal background checks.
- The surrogate insurance policy review, which checks her health plan for surrogacy exclusions before match.
- Surrogate travel to your clinic for medical screening and for the embryo transfer.
- Local monitoring, the bloodwork and ultrasounds at a clinic near the surrogate's home, billed separately from your IVF clinic.
Three things are not third-party costs, even though they are paid to someone other than PLS: surrogate compensation (paid from escrow under the agreement), IVF and clinic fees (paid directly to your clinic), and a dedicated surrogate health policy if one is needed ($5,000 to $40,000). Those are budgeted separately.
Why itemize at all? Because when third-party costs are folded into one agency number, you lose sight of who is being paid, how much, and whether the agency is keeping a margin. Itemized costs paid through independent escrow give you a statement you can check line by line, and a direct relationship with each professional. If you have a question about your attorney's bill, you ask your attorney, not the agency.
How much is each item, and what drives the range?
The total runs $15,300 to $29,000. Line-item ranges are being itemized with Jan Telman Berman; until then, PLS publishes the total only.
| Service | Range | Provider type | When paid | Through escrow or direct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intended parents' attorney | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Independent reproductive-law attorney | From match through the parentage order | Escrow |
| Surrogate's attorney | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Independent reproductive-law attorney chosen for the surrogate | From match through signing | Escrow |
| Escrow administration | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Independent licensed escrow agent | When the account is opened and as it is administered | Escrow |
| Psychological evaluation | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Independent licensed mental-health professional | During screening | [confirm] |
| Background checks | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Background-check provider | During screening | [confirm] |
| Insurance policy review | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Independent insurance reviewer | Before match | [confirm] |
| Surrogate travel to your clinic | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Airlines, hotels, ground transport | Screening and transfer visits | Escrow |
| Local monitoring | Part of the total [low and high to itemize] | Fertility clinic near the surrogate's home | Before transfer and in early pregnancy | Escrow |
| Total third-party costs | $15,300 to $29,000 | All of the above | Funded through escrow before medications begin | Escrow |
Three factors move a journey from the low end to the high end:
- Legal complexity. A straightforward agreement with an Illinois surrogate delivering in Illinois sits at the low end. International intended parents, a surrogate near a state line, or a surrogate in a state with a court-based parentage process add attorney time.
- Travel distance. A surrogate who drives to your clinic costs less than one who flies and stays overnight.
- Monitoring fees. Local clinics price bloodwork and ultrasounds differently, and a longer medication calendar means more visits.
Who chooses the attorney, escrow agent and psychologist?
You do, with referrals from PLS if you want them.
- Your attorney. You may use any attorney who practices reproductive law in the relevant state. PLS refers but does not require.
- The surrogate's attorney. The surrogate is represented by her own independent attorney, whom you pay for. Her attorney answers only to her.
- The escrow company. You may choose your own escrow company, as long as it is an independent licensed escrow agent.
- The psychologist. The surrogate's evaluation is done by an independent licensed professional, not by an agency employee.
PLS refers you to independent professionals it has worked with, if you want referrals, and it does not take a share of their fees.
When choosing your own attorney, look for three things: a practice focused on reproductive law, a license in the state where the surrogate lives and will deliver, and experience with the parentage process in that state. Ask for a written fee estimate that separates the agreement, the parentage filing and any out-of-state or international work. Ask the same of the surrogate's attorney, since you are paying that bill too.
When choosing an escrow company, confirm it is licensed, independent of the agency, and will send you statements showing every disbursement. Ask how quickly it pays the surrogate after a milestone and what its own fee covers.
Which third-party costs are paid before match and which after?
Most third-party costs are paid after match, from escrow. You fund the escrow account with $10,000 at match and the balance before the surrogate starts medications. The attorneys, escrow administration, surrogate travel and local monitoring are paid from that account as the work happens.
Screening-stage costs, such as the psychological evaluation, background checks and insurance review, may be incurred before match; confirm with Jan how and when they are billed.
Nothing medical starts until the agreement is signed and escrow is funded. That rule protects you as much as the surrogate: you never pay for a cycle that does not have a signed agreement behind it.
What are the most common surprise costs?
Most "surprise" costs are predictable once you know to look for them:
- A dedicated surrogate health policy. If the surrogate's plan excludes surrogacy, the policy costs $5,000 to $40,000. PLS's insurance review before match tells you whether you are in this case, so it is a known number before you commit. See surrogate health insurance.
- A second transfer. It adds travel, monitoring and clinic fees, as well as surrogate milestone payments.
- Extra legal work. Amendments to the agreement, out-of-state delivery planning, or international documents.
- Longer monitoring. A medication protocol that runs longer than planned means more local visits.
- Travel changes. Rebooked flights and hotels when a transfer date moves.
Building your budget at the top of the $15,300 to $29,000 range covers most of these. For the full picture, add third-party costs to the program fee, the surrogate's compensation package and your clinic's quote; intended parents typically budget $150,000 to $200,000 for the whole journey.
Why does PLS keep these services independent?
Because each of these professionals protects someone, and they can only do that if they answer to that person rather than to the agency.
An attorney paid by the agency has a conflict when the agency's interests and yours differ. A psychologist employed by the agency is evaluating candidates the agency needs to place. An escrow account controlled by the agency puts your money at risk if the agency fails. In late 2025 the Surro Connections agency collapsed, leading to a federal indictment in August 2026, and the SEAM escrow failure involved more than $16 million. PLS has always used independent licensed escrow, and has never employed in-house psychologists or attorneys.
The cost of getting this wrong falls on families and surrogates. In 2025 and 2026, PLS took on three surrogates, pro bono, who were stranded when their agencies failed. When an agency fails, the professionals who answer to their own clients, not to the agency, are the ones still standing. Independence keeps each attorney, evaluator and escrow agent working for the person they were hired to protect, whatever happens to anyone else.
Independence is a stated PLS policy, not a marketing line: PLS does not take referral fees from attorneys, psychologists or escrow companies. See legal contracts, surrogate medical screening, escrow and the full cost of surrogacy.