Who actually pays a surrogate?
The intended parents fund your compensation, and an independent licensed escrow agent pays it. Private Label Surrogacy never holds the money and never writes the checks.
Here is how the three parties fit together:
- The intended parents deposit the money. They put $10,000 into escrow at match and fund the balance before you start medications.
- The escrow agent holds the money in an account that neither PLS nor the parents control, and releases each payment when the milestone in your contract is reached.
- PLS coordinates the journey, tells the escrow agent when milestones happen, and helps you submit reimbursements. It does not touch the funds.
This structure is the reason you are not paid "upfront" and are not paid by an agency. You are paid as each part of the work happens, from money that was set aside before it started. The intended parents may choose their own escrow company, as long as it is independent and licensed. See escrow protection for why that matters.
For context, a first-time PLS surrogate carrying one baby receives a typical total package of roughly $68,000 to $78,000, built on $60,000 base compensation (proposed). The rest of this page explains when each piece of that arrives.
What is the milestone payment schedule?
Payments follow the medical calendar. Some are one-time milestone payments, some are monthly or weekly, and some are reimbursements you claim with receipts.
| Event | Amount | Timing | Paid from escrow by | What you must submit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract signing | $300 monthly allowance begins | Monthly from signing through delivery | Independent escrow agent | Nothing; no receipts needed |
| Starting injectable medications | $500 medication start fee | When you begin injections | Independent escrow agent | Clinic confirmation of your start date |
| Embryo transfer | $1,000 transfer fee | On transfer day, for each transfer | Independent escrow agent | Clinic confirmation of the transfer |
| Confirmed fetal heartbeat | Base compensation begins: $60,000 first-time (proposed), $65,000 to $70,000 experienced | Equal monthly installments, usually from around week 6 to 7, through delivery | Independent escrow agent | Clinic or OB confirmation of heartbeat |
| Second trimester | $750 maternity clothing allowance; $1,000 for multiples | Once, in the second trimester | Independent escrow agent | Nothing beyond confirmed pregnancy |
| Multiple pregnancy confirmed | $5,000 for twins; $10,000 for triplets | With base installments | Independent escrow agent | Ultrasound confirmation |
| Week 32 | $90 per week housekeeping | Weekly from week 32 to delivery | Independent escrow agent | Nothing; starts on the date |
| Journey-related expenses | Actual cost | Typically within about two weeks of submission | Independent escrow agent | Receipts, mileage logs, pay records |
| Delivery | Remaining base balance | Within a set number of days after birth | Independent escrow agent | Confirmation of delivery |
| After delivery, if you pump | $200 per week | Weekly while you pump | Independent escrow agent | Confirmation you are pumping |
The start date of the monthly allowance, the timing of the maternity clothing payment, reimbursement turnaround and the number of days after delivery for the final payment are being confirmed with Nancy Block, RN.
Two things on this schedule are paid before you are pregnant: the monthly allowance and the medication and transfer fees. That answers the most common question we hear. Yes, you are paid partly before pregnancy. No, base compensation is not paid upfront.
When does base compensation start and end?
Base compensation starts when a fetal heartbeat is confirmed, usually around week 6 to 7 of pregnancy. The pregnancy test comes 9 to 11 days after transfer; the heartbeat ultrasound follows a few weeks later. From that point base is paid in equal monthly installments through delivery, and the remaining balance is released within a set number of days after birth.
Why start at heartbeat rather than at transfer? Because base compensation pays you for carrying a pregnancy. Before heartbeat, the allowance and the medication and transfer fees pay you for the medical work that comes first. Each part of the package is tied to the part of the journey it pays for. See base compensation for how the figure is set.
If you carry twins, base stays the same and the multiples fee is added to your installments.
How are reimbursements submitted and paid?
Reimbursements repay what the journey costs you. They are separate from base compensation and from the monthly allowance. They include travel to the intended parents' clinic, mileage, childcare during appointments, copays, and lost wages for you and your partner.
The process is the same each time:
- Keep the record. A receipt, a mileage log, a pay stub, or a note of the dates you missed work.
- Submit it. Send it to the escrow agent, with your case manager's help if you want it. Natalie Gaudio-Fricano and Jenni Symons, both former surrogates, carry the active PLS matches.
- Get paid. The escrow agent reviews the claim against your agreement and pays it, typically within about two weeks.
Submit as you go rather than saving a stack for the end. A small claim filed this month is easier to check than ten claims filed after delivery. The monthly allowance needs no receipts. It covers small recurring costs such as vitamins, parking and local mileage.
What is in escrow before you start medications?
The intended parents deposit $10,000 at match. Before your first injection, they fund the balance: your base compensation, allowances and fees, the expected reimbursements, and the third-party costs paid from the same account, such as both attorneys and your local monitoring.
Nothing medical starts until the agreement is signed and the escrow account is funded. That rule protects you. You never begin medications on a promise. Before you sign, ask your attorney to confirm in writing that the full balance is funded. Your attorney can ask for it on your behalf.
What happens to payments if the journey ends early?
Payments already made are yours. What you have earned to the date a journey ends is not taken back.
- After a failed transfer, you keep the monthly allowance paid so far, the $500 medication start fee and the $1,000 transfer fee. Base compensation has not started, because there was no heartbeat. If you and the intended parents agree to another transfer, the medication and transfer milestones are paid again.
- After a miscarriage, the base installments paid to that point are yours. The contract also provides a loss fee, a fee for a D&C if one is needed, lost wages for recovery and continued insurance.
- If the intended parents end the journey, the funded escrow account and your signed agreement still govern what you are owed.
Loss fee and D&C fee amounts are being confirmed with Nancy. The details, including emotional support after a loss, are on what happens after a miscarriage or failed transfer.
How is the final payment handled after delivery?
After you deliver, the escrow agent releases the remaining base balance. The final balance is paid within a set number of days after birth, under the terms of your agreement. If you pump breast milk for the baby, the weekly pumping payment begins.
The last weeks also bring the last reimbursements. Submit postpartum lost wages, final travel and any remaining copays as soon as you have them. Your health coverage continues after delivery under your agreement.
Once final reimbursements are paid, the escrow agent closes the account and returns any unused balance to the intended parents. You receive a final statement showing every payment made to you from the account. Keep it with your records, and give a copy to your tax professional. PLS does not give tax advice.
This page is written by Jan Telman Berman, PLS Global Surrogacy Coordinator, who has more than 18 years of experience managing national and international cycles.
Sources
- Private Label Surrogacy compensation schedule, pending confirmation by Nancy Block, RN.
- Private Label Surrogacy escrow policy: independent licensed escrow agent, $10,000 at match, balance before medications.