Invoicing Events for Parents

Almost as important as knowing what amount of money you’ll need to save up for your surrogacy journey is knowing when you’ll need that money.  The good news is that you’re not going to be out $150,000 at the outset and there are a number of strategies for deferring certain payments while you save up a bit more.  But there are some key milestones at which large sums of money will be due, and we want you to be prepared.  Please note that all numbers (except for our agency fee) are estimates only.  Here’s what you can expect, when, and why:

1. Agency Retention and Embryo Creation:  $20,000 – $60,000 (estimated)

These are not surrogacy-related expenses, but, of course, embryo creation is a necessary component of your journey.  Many of our clients will create their embryos, freeze them, and then wait a bit of time to start the surrogacy piece, which helps defer certain expenses.  The range of costs is wide because the costs of this stage depend highly on your particular circumstances.  The expenses of embryo creation vary based on whether you need a sperm and/or egg donor, whether that donor is compensated, how many IVF cycles are required to create your embryos, and what specific medications and tests are required or chosen.  If you retain Brownstone prior to creating your embryos, we will help you through this process, and you would owe only our retainer fee at this stage.

2. Surrogate Matching and Contracts:  $90,000 (estimated)

The bulk of your expenses come due in the period between matching and transfer.  The pre-transfer costs you’re likely to incur include medical and psychological screening for your surrogate, including any travel expenses, legal fees for your attorney and the surrogate’s attorney related to the drafting and negotiation of the GSA contract, medications and pre-transfer medical monitoring, clinic procedure fees, insurance expenses, and part of our agency fee.  These costs may add up to around $20,000.  Then, before your surrogate starts pre-transfer medications, you’ll need to deposit in your independent escrow account the surrogate’s compensation and additional money to cover travel expenses, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and potential compensation, fees, and lost wages.  This is required upfront to protect the surrogate and usually totals around $70,000.  Of course, any unused funds at the end of the process would be returned to you. 

3. During the Pregnancy:  $30,000 (estimated)   

While the bulk of your expenses are due before transfer, there are some additional costs that arise during the nine months of gestation, including the final installment of our agency fee, the costs of legal counsel for the parentage process, and additional anticipated compensation, reimbursements, and out-of-pocket medical expenses.

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The timing and final dollar figure for these stages can differ from intended parent to intended parent, but hopefully this breakdown gives you a sense of what money you will need at your disposal and when.

Trust us–we understand the financial burden of this whole process.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us to discuss financing and grant options and check out our collected Resources.  We are with you every step of the way.