Surrogacy can feel financially out of reach when you first see the total. A full U.S. arrangement typically costs $150,000–$200,000+, with some arrangements exceeding $220,000. Exploring your surrogacy financing options starts with understanding your surrogacy costs — both the total and what you may need to pay upfront.
Savings, employer benefits, grants, and loans each play a different role in closing that gap — here’s what to check first.
Key Takeaways
- Check employer benefits before borrowing, including which surrogacy expenses qualify and when reimbursement arrives.
- Grants may help with part of the cost. Eligibility, treatment stage, and award timing matter.
- Compare a loan’s APR, fees, total repayment, and covered expenses, not just its monthly payment.
- A payment schedule tells you when bills are due, including any escrow deposits or provider fees required upfront. It does not necessarily mean the provider offers credit.
- Keep screening, independent legal advice, and appropriate fund management in your plan when comparing lower-cost options.
Start with the amount you need to fund
Before comparing lenders, request an itemized estimate from your clinic and surrogacy provider. Identify what is included, what is separate, and which expenses could change, so you know exactly what questions to bring to those conversations.
Subtract savings you can commit and assistance already confirmed. Keep pending grants and unapproved benefits separate so your plan does not depend on money you may not receive. Leave room for household emergencies as well as unexpected surrogacy expenses.
Then check timing. A reimbursement arriving after you pay a bill will not solve an earlier cash shortfall. Record each major expense, its due date, and the source you expect to use.
Check employer fertility and surrogacy benefits
Ask HR for your written family-building benefits. Look specifically for surrogacy support, because fertility treatment coverage and reimbursement for agency or legal expenses may be different benefits. Many employers route these benefits through a third-party platform, such as Carrot Fertility, Progyny, Maven Clinic, or Kindbody, so ask HR which one, if any, applies to your plan.
For example, Progyny’s member guidance directs members to confirm whether their plan includes financial support for surrogacy. A benefit provider’s name alone does not establish your coverage.
Before including benefits in your budget, ask:
- Which expenses qualify: embryo creation, donor services, agency fees, legal fees, or other costs?
- Is there an annual or lifetime limit, and have previous treatments used part of it?
- Must you obtain approval or use specific providers?
- Do you pay first and request reimbursement? What documentation is needed?
- What happens to eligibility if your employment changes?
If you and a partner both have benefits, ask how they coordinate before assuming both will reimburse the same expense.
Separately, check whether your state requires health insurers to cover fertility treatment. These mandates vary by state and change over time, and even where one applies, it typically covers medical treatment rather than surrogate compensation or agency fees. Your HR team or insurer can confirm what currently applies to your plan.
Explore surrogacy grants and financial assistance
Grants can reduce the amount you need to raise or borrow, but an application is not confirmed funding. Check current eligibility, application fees, deadlines, and the expenses an award can cover before applying.
Baby Quest Foundation
Baby Quest’s surrogacy guidance says grants generally do not exceed $20,000 and cover future expenses rather than reimburse past spending. Its surrogacy requirements include having embryos created and receiving the grant before embryo transfer. Review the full requirements against your treatment stage before applying.
Gift of Parenthood
Gift of Parenthood currently advertises grants of up to $20,000 toward family-building expenses, including surrogacy, with four grant cycles each year. Awards depend on application review. Confirm which bills are eligible and how funds are paid.
Other assistance worth checking
The Tinina Q. Cade Foundation lists Family Building Grants of up to $10,000 for infertility treatment or adoption. Ask whether the particular treatment expenses in your surrogacy plan qualify; do not assume the grant covers surrogate compensation or agency fees.
You can also check Men Having Babies’ GPAP eligibility information for its Gay Parenting Assistance Program. Applying requires an active MHB Supporting Membership, and review runs in two stages: Stage I can include discounted-service access and possible crowdfunding matching, while Stage II can include cash grants of varying amounts and provider matching, neither guaranteed. Current criteria include ages 25 through 55 and not already having children, with limited exceptions. Review current membership and application requirements directly with the organization.
Treat any possible award as additional help until you have written confirmation of the amount, conditions, and payment timing.
Compare surrogacy loans by coverage and total cost
Fertility financing may help cover eligible expenses, but a loan for treatment is not automatically a loan for every part of surrogacy. Ask specifically about surrogate compensation, legal bills, agency fees, medications, and escrow funding.
RSMC’s fertility financing options page covers the full range of lenders and payment programs available, so you can compare rates, terms, and credit requirements in one place before you apply.
Loan disclosures often limit what the money can cover, such as specific fertility services or medications from approved providers. Ask each lender exactly which expenses qualify before you commit.
Compare written offers using the same questions:
- What is the APR, and is the interest rate fixed or variable?
- What fees apply, and what is the total repayment over the full term?
- When do payments start, and is there a prepayment penalty?
- Are funds paid to you, the clinic, or another approved provider?
- What happens to the loan and any refund if treatment is delayed or canceled?
Compare unsecured personal loans where appropriate, too. A fertility-specific label does not by itself make an offer less expensive. A longer repayment term may reduce the monthly bill while increasing the total interest paid.
Consider savings and support from family or friends
Savings can cover part of the plan without creating another repayment obligation. Decide how much you can commit while retaining money for essential household costs and emergencies.
If relatives offer help, clarify whether it is a gift or a loan. For a loan, put repayment expectations in writing before accepting the money. Clear terms can prevent financial support from becoming a source of conflict.
Crowdfunding is another possible source of contributions. Consider what you are comfortable sharing publicly, any platform or payment-processing fees, and when funds become available. Set your budget using money received rather than the campaign’s fundraising target. Ask a tax professional about reporting questions relevant to your situation.
Understand home equity and retirement fund risks
These options can affect assets you rely on beyond surrogacy. Compare their longer-term consequences with a qualified financial professional before committing.
Home equity loans and HELOCs
A home equity loan or home equity line of credit uses your home as collateral. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that falling behind on a HELOC can put your home at risk. HELOCs also commonly have variable rates, which can change your payment.
Review closing costs, interest, and repayment terms. Do not assume borrowing against your home is the cheapest option simply because the quoted initial payment is lower.
Retirement plan loans and withdrawals
A retirement plan loan and a withdrawal are different. Under IRS guidance, a plan loan must be repaid under the plan’s rules, and not every plan offers loans. Withdrawals may create income tax and additional early-distribution tax obligations.
Ask your plan administrator what is permitted and how a job change or missed repayment would affect you. Do not assume surrogacy expenses automatically qualify for a hardship withdrawal. Consider the effect on retirement savings as well as the immediate funds available.
Ask about payment schedules before using credit
Request written payment schedules from your clinic, agency, attorney, and escrow provider. Ask which amounts must be available before each stage and whether any installment arrangement is actually offered. For escrow specifically, separate the deposit date, when you must fund the account, from the disbursement dates, when the escrow company actually pays your surrogate or providers out of it; a funded account does not mean every bill inside it has been paid yet.
Separate provider billing milestones from lender repayments. You might owe a substantial provider payment before treatment even when a loan allows repayment over several years. A monthly loan payment does not change the provider’s deadline.
Credit cards and personal lines of credit also need careful comparison. Check the APR, fees, and what happens when a promotional rate expires. Avoid treating unused credit as guaranteed emergency funding.
Weigh lower-cost surrogacy options carefully
If you are searching for inexpensive surrogacy, compare the services behind each quote. A lower starting price can exclude work you still need to arrange and pay for separately.
Independent and agency arrangements
Independent surrogacy may avoid an agency’s matching or management fees, but someone must still coordinate the process. Request separate estimates for screening, legal representation, insurance review, and fund management before comparing totals.
With an agency, ask what its fee includes and what happens if a match ends. Do not assume rematching, refunds, or protection against additional costs is included unless the agreement says so.
Bringing your own surrogate
An identified surrogate is someone you have already found, such as a friend or relative. Ask whether this reduces matching fees and which support services remain available. An identified arrangement can still involve an agency.
ASRM guidance on family members as gestational carriers emphasizes screening, counseling, informed consent, and independent legal advice. Knowing the person does not replace these steps.
Comparing international options
Include travel, time away from work, legal advice, and arrangements for returning home with your child when comparing overseas quotes. Obtain advice specific to your circumstances before treating a lower advertised price as a lower total commitment.
Check tax questions before counting on savings
Don’t assume the full surrogacy bill is tax-deductible. Only itemized, unreimbursed medical expenses above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income qualify, and surrogacy adds complexity since some costs cover someone else’s care — see IRS rules on deductible medical expenses for the underlying rules. A CPA familiar with assisted reproduction can review your actual expenses before you count on a tax benefit; keep itemized invoices and reimbursement records along the way.
HSA and FSA funds typically cover medical costs only for you, your spouse, and your tax dependents, per IRS guidance on HSA and FSA eligible expenses. A surrogate usually falls outside that group, so her care, compensation, and agency fees typically aren’t eligible regardless of the procedure — confirm current eligibility with your plan administrator, since terms vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan your next step with RSMC
Bring your treatment estimate, employer benefit summary, and financing questions to RSMC’s financial team. Ask which expenses can be financed and when funds would need to be available, so you can assess the options against your own budget.
Table of Contents
- Start with the amount you need to fund
- Check employer fertility and surrogacy benefits
- Explore surrogacy grants and financial assistance
- Compare surrogacy loans by coverage and total cost
- Consider savings and support from family or friends
- Understand home equity and retirement fund risks
- Ask about payment schedules before using credit
- Weigh lower-cost surrogacy options carefully
- Check tax questions before counting on savings
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Plan your next step with RSMC
