Surrogate Compensation — You Set Your Rate
Most agencies tell surrogates what they will be paid. On Fertility Ground lets you set your own base compensation rate, because you know your worth. On top of base compensation, surrogates receive benefits, allowances, and full coverage of medical and legal costs.
Check if you qualify → · Read the full California pay breakdown
How much do surrogates make in California?
At On Fertility Ground you set your own base rate instead of being handed ours, and most carriers in our program receive a total between $60,000 and $100,000 across the journey. That total is your base rate plus monthly allowances, maternity clothing, travel, childcare and lost wages, together with bonuses and extras as they apply — an experienced-carrier bonus, twins, or a C-section. Every medical and legal cost is covered on top of it. Where you land inside that range depends on your experience, the base rate you set, and what your journey involves.
When do surrogate payments actually start?
Your base compensation is paid in monthly instalments beginning after a confirmed fetal heartbeat, not at the end. Before that point you are still paid for your time: screening, travel, medications and the transfer cycle itself carry their own fees, so you are never out of pocket while you wait.
Do surrogates pay taxes on compensation?
It depends how the payments are characterised, and we will not pretend otherwise — this is a question for your own tax professional, and the intended parents cover the cost of your independent attorney who can explain how your contract is structured. What we can tell you plainly is that reimbursements for actual expenses are treated differently from base compensation, and you should plan for the possibility of tax on the latter rather than be surprised by it.
Will surrogate compensation affect my Medicaid, SNAP or WIC?
It can, and this matters more than most agencies admit. Compensation counts as income for means-tested programs, which means a surrogacy journey can push a household over an eligibility threshold. Talk to us about it before you apply rather than after — we would rather help you plan the timing than watch you lose a benefit you rely on.
What happens to my pay if the transfer fails or I miscarry?
Everything you have already been paid stays paid. Failed transfers are common, roughly three or four in ten first attempts, and are almost never anyone’s fault. Most contracts include a fee for each transfer attempt, and a loss after a confirmed pregnancy carries its own compensation. None of it is clawed back.
Does On Fertility Ground take a cut of my compensation?
No. Your rate is your rate. Our fee is paid by the intended parents, separately, and we never negotiate a surrogate’s number down to make a match easier. If an agency ever asks you to lower your rate to secure a match, that tells you who they are working for.