Surrogacy is so many things. It is exciting. It is emotional. It is beautiful. At the same time, there are also costs associated with surrogacy. There are agency fees, surrogate fees, medical bills, legal fees and more. While the costs can add up, parents should not give up on surrogacy or feel like the cost is a barrier to pursuing surrogacy as a means of creating a family. There are many different financing options available to allow intended parents to take part in the surrogacy process!
Loans
One of the most common types of financing for intended parents pursuing surrogacy is a loan. If intended parents own their own home and have strong credit, then a home equity loan can be used as a source of funds. Other intended parents take money from retirement accounts like 401(k)s, but it is important to note that this money often has to be repaid by a deadline.
Of course, parents can also borrow money from friends and family. Others may choose to use credit cards, when possible, to charge surrogacy-related expenses. The potential downside to this is that many credit cards carry high interest rates if balances are not paid monthly.
There are also companies that have specific loans and payment plans available to intended parents for IVF and surrogacy. Some people refer to this as “fertility financing.” If you are working with a surrogacy agency, be sure to ask about fertility financing companies that they have experience with and can recommend.
Grants
One way to pay for surrogacy that many intended parents do not know exists is through grants. It does take some legwork to research and apply for grants, but the great thing is that this is a way to get funding for surrogacy that does not need to be repaid. For example, the Pay It Forward Fertility Foundation awards grants three to four times each year. The BabyQuest Foundation also awards grants twice each year, and the funds can be used for IVF gestational surrogacy.
Fundraising
Some intended parents create and host fundraising opportunities to gather money to offset surrogacy costs. These can be as simple as creating a GoFundMe (or similar) page or more involved like a Beef & Beer, silent auction or other party. Other parents find ways to sell items at garage sales or crafts on Etsy and save their profits for surrogacy.
Gay Parenting Assistance Program
Men Having Babies created the Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP) when they discovered that gay men can spend over 110k on their parenting journey. They then made Gay Parenting Assistance Program as part of their mission to make building a family more affordable for gay prospective parents that need financial assistance.
Financing Through Simple Surrogacy
At Simple Surrogacy, we pride ourselves in providing outstanding personal service at competitive pricing. Our Texas location allows us to provide lower agency fees for intended parents. We have also partnered with Prosper Healthcare Lending and Earnest to provide financing and loans for intended parents. You can learn more about these surrogacy financing options that we offer here.
No matter how you choose to go about pursuing surrogacy, know that there are financing options available. It is important to take the time to research the costs involved and to plan and budget accordingly. But the moment you finally have your baby in your arms, you’ll know that all the time and effort to get there will have been well worth it.
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