Compensation & benefits

Clear numbers.
No inflated headline.

We separate the compensation you can reasonably expect from benefits that apply only when certain events occur, so you can understand the real structure of the journey before you decide.

See If You Qualify See the Breakdown
At a Glance Base Pay Milestones Ongoing Benefits Medical Events Journey Care Protections
At a glance

What you may earn.

Your base compensation is established before your profile is presented. The amounts below show the standard compensation and allowances commonly earned during a typical first journey. Travel, childcare, lost wages, insurance bonuses, repeat cycles, and medical-event benefits are separate.

Base compensation — first journey
$45,000–$65,000
Based on your individual circumstances and journey-specific factors.
Milestone payments — initial cycle
$6,500
Paid as screening, clearance, medication, and transfer milestones are completed.
Monthly support allowance
≈ $4,400–$4,800
$400 per month from after legal clearance through one month postpartum.
Housekeeping support
≈ $1,600
$400 per month from week 24 through delivery.
Maternity clothing
$800–$1,000
Singleton or multiples.
Journey Care wellness allowance
$3,000
Paid during pregnancy and after delivery, with no receipts required.
$500

Once you’re matched, screening is a paid step — not a pass/fail moment.

After you are matched with Intended Parents, their fertility clinic runs its required medical screening. Complete it, and you receive a $500 Medical Screening Commitment Payment, even if the clinic does not ultimately clear you to proceed. It is not a bonus for passing — it is payment for going through the process.

Base compensation

Where your number comes from.

Our estimated total reflects what you can reasonably expect in a typical journey. Conditional medical-event benefits and reimbursements are shown separately.

First-time surrogate
$45,000–$65,000
Based on your individual circumstances, including location, pregnancy and delivery history, and journey-specific factors.
Experienced surrogate
$65,000+
Reflects prior successful surrogacy experience and circumstances.
How base pay is structured
10 monthly payments
Begins the 1st of the month after your 2nd fetal heartbeat. Lump-sum balance paid at delivery.
Pregnancy confirmation advance
$1,000
Paid within 5 business days of your 2nd heartbeat. Deducted from base, not an additional payment.
If pregnancy ends before threshold
Paid + 1 month
Threshold: 34 weeks (singleton) / 32 weeks (multiples). You keep what has been paid, plus one more month.
If pregnancy reaches threshold
Full balance paid
All remaining base compensation paid in full, whether there is a live birth or stillbirth.
Milestone payments

Earned as each step is completed.

The initial cycle includes $6,500 in milestone payments. Medication-start and transfer payments are paid for each qualifying new attempt, so repeat cycles can increase the total.

A surrogate having routine bloodwork drawn during required fertility-clinic screening
01

Medical screening

$500

After completing all required fertility-clinic screening. Paid regardless of outcome.

A surrogate reviewing and signing paperwork after receiving medical clearance
02

Medical clearance

$1,500

After written clearance to proceed.

A signed Gestational Carrier Agreement on a clipboard beside fresh flowers
03

Legal clearance

$2,000

After the Gestational Carrier Agreement is fully executed.

A surrogate preparing an injectable medication as a new protocol begins
04

Medication start

$500

Each time a new injectable protocol begins.

A surrogate holding an ultrasound image after her embryo transfer
05

Embryo transfer

$2,000

For each transfer, regardless of outcome.

Additional cycle-related payments are not milestone payments and are not included in the $6,500 initial total — they are paid only if the related event occurs: a $500 payment for a cycle cancelled outside your control after medication begins, and $500 when a mock cycle or ERA test is required during clearance or transfer preparation.

Ongoing support

Benefits for everyday costs and real-life disruption.

These benefits are separate from your base compensation and are designed to protect your household, income, and well-being throughout the journey.

Monthly & pregnancy support

Regular benefits paid during the journey.

$400/monthMonthly support allowance through one month postpartum.
$400/monthHousekeeping stipend from week 24 through delivery.
$800 / $1,000Maternity clothing for singleton or multiples.
$300/week + suppliesBreast-milk pumping when requested.
IRS mileage rateBeyond the first 55 miles of an approved round trip.

Income & family support

Protection when the journey affects work or childcare.

Up to $12,000Lost wages, with a higher match-specific cap possible.
$200/daySupport-person lost wages, up to 12 days.
$25/hour per childAppointment childcare, subject to daily limits.
$150/nightOvernight childcare when travel, delivery, or bed rest requires it.
$6,000 combinedQualifying childcare and housekeeping cap.
Paid on your behalfBed rest disability insurance from day 8 of doctor-ordered bed rest.

Travel & insurance

Approved costs are coordinated so you do not carry them personally.

Booked and paidApproved flights and hotel arranged by Vias, generally up to $150/night.
$75/day per personMeals during approved travel.
$100/day combinedGround transportation during approved out-of-town travel.
No cost to youInsurance specialist reviews your policy before matching begins.
$5,000 totalOwn-policy insurance bonus when your policy qualifies.
Approx. $750,000Life and accidental-death coverage paid on your behalf.
A surrogate and her coordinator reviewing her compensation and protections together
A surrogate at a calm prenatal telehealth conversation with her doctor
Medical-event benefits

Listed separately, not used to inflate the headline.

Most journeys do not trigger every event below. These benefits are shown clearly so you know what applies before anything happens.

Additional fetus

$10,000 each

Paid monthly after ultrasound confirmation of a multiple pregnancy.

C-section

$5,000

Paid regardless of prior C-section history.

Ectopic pregnancy

$500–$1,000

Medication-only or surgical treatment.

Surgical procedure

$1,000 each

For qualifying procedures involving anesthesia, such as cerclage.

Clinic invasive procedure

$500 each

Examples include hysteroscopy, ERA biopsy, or endometrial biopsy.

Amniocentesis

$1,000 per sac

When medically recommended or required.

Pregnancy loss / D&C

$1,000

Paid within five business days of the procedure.

Loss of reproductive organs

$5,000–$10,000

Partial loss or complete hysterectomy.

Reduction or termination

$2,000

When physician-recommended and authorized under the agreement.

IUD removal, if required

Actual cost

When a fertility clinic requires removal before medical screening.

Journey Care

Before, during & after — $6,000 built in.

Journey Care provides $6,000 in coordinated wellness and mental-health support throughout your Vias journey, and you choose the support that feels most helpful — massage, acupuncture, prenatal yoga, nutritional counseling, lactation support, postpartum recovery support, or other approved wellness services.

Wellness & counseling

Support you can use during pregnancy or postpartum.

$3,000 totalWellness allowance, paid at weeks 14, 24, and 32 (or 28 for multiples), plus after delivery. No receipts needed.
Up to $750Your individual mental-health support with a therapist specializing in third-party reproduction.
Up to $1,800Up to four joint counseling sessions with the Intended Parents.
Separate benefitTwo additional sessions offered automatically after a confirmed pregnancy loss.
Handled by ViasWe schedule sessions and pay the approved provider directly — no reimbursement requests.
A pregnant woman resting comfortably on a park bench with tea, a soft, restorative Journey Care moment
Why surrogates choose Vias

What you can expect from us.

Three things we hear back from surrogates most often.

Experienced guidance

Vias is a new agency, but our surrogacy experience is not. You work with people who understand the process, stay closely involved, and take the time to know you as a person.

Clearer numbers

The estimated total does not include medical events or reimbursements that may never apply. Those payments are shown separately so you understand what is typical and what is conditional.

Support through every outcome

Wellness, mental-health care, pregnancy-loss support, and postpartum care are built into the program from the beginning, and continue after delivery.

Your protections

Your terms are settled before you meet a family.

Compensation, legal representation, escrow, and insurance safeguards are addressed before medication begins.

Independent escrow

Vias never holds your compensation. Every payment goes directly to an independent escrow account, with no withdrawal authority for Vias.

Compensation confirmed first

Your financial terms are locked in writing and agreed before Intended Parents review your profile.

Independent legal counsel

You have your own attorney, paid by the Intended Parents, and your signed Gestational Carrier Agreement controls.

Insurance confirmed before medication

Approved maternity coverage or gap protection, plus term life / accidental-death insurance (≈$750,000), are arranged before medication begins.

If Intended Parents request a pause

Your $400/month allowance continues through day 60 at no added cost; from day 61–90 it becomes $900/month total. An optional 30-day extension is a one-time $1,500 payment, only with your written consent — you may choose release instead.

Communication safeguard

Any payment pause requires documented missed contact and a seven-day response opportunity. Documented emergencies are excluded.

Support after delivery or pregnancy loss

Journey Care and counseling continue when support still matters, not only while a problem is active.

Important: Every journey is different. Final compensation depends on your individual circumstances and the terms of your Gestational Carrier Agreement. Insurance benefits remain subject to provider approval, eligibility, policy limits, and policy terms.

You don’t need to be certain yet.

Matching happens before screening, and screening itself is paid regardless of the outcome. The first step is simply finding out whether surrogacy may be a fit for you.

See If You Qualify