How Much Are Egg Donors Paid?
Egg donor compensation: how it works and what to expect
Egg donors at SIMPLIFY are paid for each donation cycle. While the exact details of compensation vary between each egg bank, agency, clinic, and donor agreement, the structure and process of payment generally looks similar. Here is an overview on egg donation payment.
Why Are Egg Donors Paid?
Egg donors receive compensation for their time, energy, and physical involvement in the donation process. Donors have medical exams, daily injectable medications for approximately two weeks, and a minor surgical procedure to retrieve the eggs. Egg donors also agree to follow certain behaviors during their donation cycle, such as abstaining from sexual intercourse with partners with sperm.
In addition to compensation, intended parents also reimburse donors for any expenses that have to do with egg donation. This can include related travel expenses, any additional testing, and lost income due to required appointments. In the end, donors should never pay in any way to donate eggs.
How Much Is Egg Donor Compensation?
The average egg donor pay in the US falls between $6,000-$10,000. This rate can depend on experience, location, each facility’s policies, and specific requests from intended parents. For instance, people who have donated successfully before often get a higher rate. Alternatively, an agency may offer additional payment as incentive for donors from underrepresented demographics in their donor pool. Some agencies or egg banks may offer other benefits to donors, such as genetic counseling or egg freezing for donors’ personal use.
SIMPLIFY donors are paid between $8,000-$10,000 per donation cycle. Previous successful donors receive higher compensation than first time donors. We also provide options for repeat donors to freeze their own eggs for potential future use.
Who Pays for Egg Donation?
Egg donors should never have to pay their own money for anything related to egg donation. If you donate through a donor bank, you will sign a contract with the bank. After your egg retrieval, the bank provides your compensation. If you donate through a donor agency, you enter into a donor agreement with intended parents, who then provide the agreed-upon compensation. The donation facility or the intended parents cover all costs, including testing, medications, the egg retrieval, and related travel expenses.
How and When Are Egg Donors Paid?
The exact payment schedule and structure depends on where you donate. Look for a facility that offers clear and transparent information about how much you will receive as compensation, and how and when you will receive it. It’s important to fully understand all the details around egg donation, including payment, before signing a contract.
In general, donors usually receive compensation after their egg retrieval. Legally, donors are compensated for their time and effort, not for the eggs themselves. For this reason, your payment should never depend on the quantity or quality of the eggs retrieved.
At SIMPLIFY, we provide donors with a check following the egg retrieval (which takes place at our partner clinic, Pacific NW Fertility). If a cycle must be canceled before the retrieval for a medical reason, our donors receive $500. If the cycle is canceled because a donor did not follow the cycle requirements, they will not receive any compensation.
If you have a donor agreement with the intended parents, that agreement should include how payment works in the event of a canceled cycle, whether for medical reasons, because of donor error, or because the intended parents change their mind.
Fair Egg Donor Compensation With Full Transparency
At SIMPLIFY, we believe donor candidates should completely understand the egg donation process before agreeing to become a donor. We aim to provide full and clear information, and are happy to answer any questions you have. To learn more about egg donor compensation, reach out to us today.