When comparing surrogacy agencies, all the different type of surrogate compensation packages and bonuses offered to you is enough to make anyone’s head spin. So, what makes GSHC Surrogacy Agency’s compensation package stand out from other agencies? After speaking with many other agencies, we have been able to accurately compare our surrogate compensation package to many of the other compensation packages out in the market right now. We have since come to the final surrogate compensation package you will see offered from us today, with competitive pricing.
For more information on surrogate pay with GSHC Surrogacy Agency, please visit our Surrogate Compensation page.
What is Base Compensation?
One of the most talked about aspects of any surrogacy compensation package is, of course, the base compensation. Base compensation means the amount that a surrogate is being reimbursed for the surrogacy pregnancy, it is the main compensation of any surrogate compensation package.
What makes GSHC’s base compensation stand out from other surrogacy agencies’ base compensations, is simply the competitive pricing. At GSHC Surrogacy Agency, we believe that base compensation is just that – the base amount of what you can earn as a gestational surrogate. As you will see below, we offer our surrogates additional compensation on top of base compensation, and not being taken out of the base compensation. Our staff has done thorough research on the compensation offered at some of the bigger surrogacy agencies in the market and found that we are offering higher compensation than most of the other agencies in the market.
Another aspect that makes our base compensation stand out is the fact that we can still offer our surrogates with unique situations the higher compensations, whereas other agencies would simply disqualify them or offer them much lower compensations.
Do Surrogates Receive Bonuses at GSHC?
When applying with many other surrogacy agencies, you will notice they offer you a very high number right off the bat. This is because many of their compensation packages are all-inclusive, meaning they will not have any bonuses for you along your surrogacy journey. Or, they offer a standard compensation package that does include bonuses (like ours), but the bonuses themselves are small amounts.
We recognize that our surrogates are pregnant for approximately 9 months. Of course, along with pregnancy comes nausea, heartburn, body changes, time spent in appointments, etc. Our surrogates are investing their time and emotions to help another family make their dreams come true and we believe that you deserve to be reimbursed accordingly. Therefore, we have implemented generous bonuses for milestones along the way. All of the bonuses offered to our surrogates are in addition to your base compensation – the minimum monthly amount you will receive once pregnant. Other agencies will have “bonuses” in their compensation packages, but rather they are included in the amount of the base compensation they are offering you instead of on top of your base compensation.
Some examples of the surrogacy milestone bonuses are; an embryo transfer compensation, a start of medication compensation, and a first ultrasound compensation, all equaling $1,000 USD each.
Will I Get Reimbursed During My Surrogacy Journey?
Another aspect of the all-inclusive compensation package commonly offered by other surrogacy agencies is the lack of lost wages. Many other agencies either include the lost wages reimbursement into the base compensation they offer, or they do not include them at all. This was alarming to us.
Like with any pregnancy, there is the chance that a surrogate could be put on bed rest for an unforeseen amount of time, at any point in the pregnancy. This means the surrogate is losing pay from when she would be working if she wasn’t on bed rest as a cause of the pregnancy. As a ripple effect, her and her child(ren) would need to be cared for, therefore her partner would lose wages from the time taken off work as well. We also considered the fact that the surrogate may qualify for disability insurance, but it would only make up for a part of her lost wages from being on bed rest during pregnancy. This is not something any of our current or future surrogates must worry about, as we implemented lost wages in our surrogate compensation package, whether a surrogate qualifies for disability insurance or not. We even implemented a childcare and housekeeping allowance in the event of physician-ordered bedrest (on top of the housekeeping allowance every GSHC surrogate receives during the third trimester) so as to lighten the burden put upon our surrogates and their families in this circumstance.
Another scenario we considered, is that of our surrogates missing out on work hours due to traveling long-distance for the IVF medical screening. At GSHC we know that you have work and family obligations and we do not want you to be stressed by the commitment. Therefore, we included lost wages for this travel time. Included also, is reimbursement for food and gas prices for you and a support person. While other agencies do offer food and gas reimbursement, they usually do not offer childcare. We included childcare as a basic travel cost that will be paid back to you so long as you provide a receipt for your childcare costs. Any potential surrogate pursuing surrogacy is a gift, and we believe you should be treated as such.
And finally, the process of giving birth and recovering can be very grueling and sensitive, therefore we want our surrogates to take the proper amount of time to heal from the delivery, both physically and emotionally. Most other surrogacy agencies do offer lost wages for the delivery of a baby, however, they usually only offer 4 weeks to 6 weeks, depending on the method of birth. We do not believe this is enough time for our surrogates to fully heal, dry up their milk (or get on a regulated milk schedule), and go back to feeling like their normal selves after giving birth. It is for this reason that we offer lost wages for the length of 6 weeks for a vaginal delivery and up to 8 weeks for a Caesarian section.
Will Invasive Procedures Be Covered During My Surrogate Journey?
Every surrogate compensation package from any agency includes invasive procedure fees. However, at GSHC Surrogacy Agency we were displeased with the common amounts offered for invasive procedures by other agencies. Therefore, we decided to set our invasive procedure fees at a higher price point to accurately account for what the surrogate undergoes when she experiences an invasive procedure, as well as for her recovery time – keep in mind too that many of these invasive procedures can qualify for lost wages to be paid out as well.
An invasive procedure is any procedure required due to the pregnancy or attempt at pregnancy. A few examples of what is qualified as an invasive procedure are c-sections, D&C procedure, and total or partial hysterectomy.
It is worth mentioning that at GSHC we recognize certain procedures for being an invasive procedure, while many other agencies do not. Some examples of this are a hysteroscopy/biopsy, a cervical cerclage, an ERA & mock cycle, and an amniocentesis.
In conclusion, we at GSHC Surrogacy Agency believe in fairly compensating our surrogates for what they – and their support system – are dedicating to the process of their surrogacy journey. We do not believe a surrogate should ever have to pay anything out of pocket, without reimbursement, for giving the gift of family to those in need, and they should always feel as though they are comfortable with the reimbursement they are receiving for the many months they are dedicating to this beautiful experience. This is what you can experience when trusting GSHC Surrogacy Agency with your journey.
Once you are ready to begin your surrogacy journey with GSHC Surrogacy Agency, get started by contacting us or filling out a surrogate application.
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