Compensation Concerns – Pink and Red Flags when searching for a surrogacy agency
Whether you’re a gestational carrier or a parent-to-be in search of a surrogacy agency, there are a few things you can look for to help you find an agency that will be there for you when you need them and provide the services you will want and you deserve!
Because the Parents-to-be and the Gestational Carrier, ideally, will be a unified team in pursuit of a common outcome (successful embryo transfer, healthy pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum recovery), Parents-to-be and Gestational Carriers can look for the same Red (or sometimes pink) Flags as they search for a surrogacy agency to help them navigate the process.
Welcome to Part 1 of our Series on…… Red Flags to Look For when selecting a Surrogacy Agency.
In this article, we suggest some questions for you to ask the surrogacy agency as you’re doing your research about which agency to select, either as a gestational carrier or the parents-to-be.
Pink Flags: If an agency has one or two of these – you can choose to look past them and still decide to work with the agency. With more than two or three, look elsewhere!
Red Flags: If you see a red flag, don’t pursue this agency. You deserve better and other options exist! (www.forwardfertility.com)
The Forward Fertility Way: We share how we handle the questions, so you know if we might be a good fit for you!
Question to Ask: How does the agency fee compare to the gestational carrier’s base compensation?
Why this is important: This is a very simple piece of data that gives you a sense of what (or who!) the agency values. If they believe their own services (emailing, faxing, making phone calls, having conversations, screening applicants and parents, posting on social media etc.) are more valuable than the gestational carrier’s role (literally growing and pushing a human out of her body!), that is a big red flag!
Call three agencies and find out what the agency fee. Ask what their first-time surrogate base compensation is. You’d be surprised how many surrogacy agencies have their agency fee EQUAL TO OR GREATER than the compensation of the gestational carrier.
Pink Flag: If the agency fee is MORE than 60% of a first-time surrogate’s compensation (money she gets for the pregnancy + monthly stipend + event-based compensation, such as cycle start compensation, etc.)
Red Flag: If the agency fee is GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO the total base compensation – run away. They value their own bottom line more than the woman who is carrying a baby for a family.
At the time of this blog post, agency fees in the Midwest at other agencies are $49,500 (wtw !!), $25,000, and $35,000 (for a ‘basic’ surrogate) and $45,000 (for a ‘preferred’ surrogate). By the way, at Forward Fertility, we do not classify our surrogates into categories.
The Forward Fertility Way: We have kept our agency fee at the lower end and routinely increased the surrogate base compensation instead! Currently, our agency fee is $25,000 and our first time surrogate base compensation is $47,000. With monthly stipend/cycle start, the first time surrogate total compensation is usually around $51,000, putting our agency fee at 49% of the surrogate compensation.
Historical Story about our Surrogacy Agency Fee.
Several years ago, when our agency fee for surrogacy had not increased since 2013, a client asked ‘why are you so inexpensive compared to other agencies?’. They shared they planned to go with another agency because they were worried that ‘you get what you pay for’ and they wouldn’t get the service they wanted with Forward Fertility due to the low agency fee.
It had just never occurred to me to keep raising the agency fee each year, as I was happy doing my work and felt well compensated. However, their comment was good feedback (maybe why nurses don’t own a lot of businesses?). I promptly raised the surrogacy agency fee to be comparable with other Midwestern agencies. Ironically, this same couple came back to me a few months later — dismayed by the poor care and communication they were getting at the big/flashy/expensive agency. We ended up working together, but they paid the higher agency fee upon their return!
Learn more about Forward Fertility’s Surrogacy Agency Fee here: https://forwardfertility.com/costs/
Additionally, the agency fee for our egg donor program has not increased since 2013! It will remain low as a way to assist families having access to this service at a lower financial burden.
Question to Ask: What is my Compensation VS. What is my Reimbursement?
Why this is important: Many agencies will advertise “$90,000” in compensation “package”. However, when you get into the details, your actual compensation is a small fraction of that. Sometimes, a large portion of the ‘compensation package’ includes reimbursements for: IVF and prenatal medical bills, travel you endure for the embryo transfer, and lost wages for you and your partner.
Pink Flag: When one of the first things you see on an agency webpage is about the COMPENSATION!!! They desire to distract you by this; do not fall prey! Another pink flag is when the agency advertises a larger than expected amount for the compensation (to get your attention) and uses fine print, difficult to find, to explain the compensation breakdown.
Red Flag: You see a larger than average compensation number, such as “$70,000 compensation!!!” and no additional information available on the website. You only receive more detailed information after you apply.
The Forward Fertility Way: We routinely compare our base compensation with other agencies to make sure you’re receiving competitive payment for your invaluable work! We offer flexibility in our compensation. You decide your monthly stipend, cycle start fee, and compensation for C-section and other possible complications.
Surrogates receive reimbursement for lost wages, mileage, travel expenses, legal fees, and medical expenses. These are reimbursements and not compensation.
What Pink or Red Flags Have you Seen? We’d love to hear from you! Were there flags you did not see until you’d already selected an agency? Please email your input to christie@forwardfertility.com or amy@forwardfertility.com or share in the comments on our social media posts!