• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipMost Powerful Women

Kim Kardashian’s Surrogate Is Pregnant With Her Third Child. Here’s How Much She Might Be Making

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 6, 2017, 4:49 PM ET

The next Kardashian is on still on her or his way—and already costing the family a pretty penny.

Peoplereported Wednesday morning that Kimye’s surrogate is pregnant. While that gives the couple plenty to celebrate, it also means a sizable paycheck for the woman who will carry their third child.

Here’s the breakdown of how much a surrogate such as Kardashian’s is likely to be paid, according to Teo Martinez, CEO and partner of Growing Generations, a Los Angeles-based surrogacy agency that counts multiple celebrity couples among its clients. (While Martinez declined to name names to Fortune, the agency has reportedly served Neil Patrick Harris and his partner David Burtka. Harris told ABC back in 2010: “I can tell you that Growing Generations is great … they helped me have three kids!”)

Pre-pregnancy

Before a surrogate becomes pregnant, she has to go through a series of health screenings, as well as a lengthy legal process to ensure that there will be no contest as to the parental rights to the child after he or she is born. She is paid for the time and effort.

Estimated cost: $3,000

During pregnancy

Surrogates are typically paid every four weeks, with monthly payments ranging between $2,000 and $3,000.

Estimated cost (for 40 weeks): $80,000 – $120,000

Post-pregnancy

About two weeks after the birth of the child, the surrogate receives a lump sum equal to about a third of her total compensation. In other words, if she received $120,000 during the course of the pregnancy, she would get a lump sum payment of roughly $60,000.

Estimated cost: $40,000 – 60,000

The higher end of the range is for surrogates who have been through the process before—they are in greater demand as they’ve shown both their physical ability to deliver healthy children and their emotional stability, Martinez explains.

Expenses and extras

There are, of course, plenty of potential expenses, particularly for “VIP clients,” as Martinez calls them. The most common request is that the surrogate live and the child be born in L.A. If the surrogate is not local (only 40% of Growing Generations’ surrogates are), the client is expected to pay for all relocation and living expenses. Other possible add-ons include multiple births ($5,000 per extra child) and Caesarian section ($2,500).

Just because the surrogate is carrying a celebrity child does not mean she gets a celebrity “bonus,” Martinez says. “We don’t necessarily believe in compensation to add secrecy,” he explains; all surrogates sign confidentiality agreements.

A plausible grand total—assuming the Kardashians go with an experienced surrogate based in L.A. and everything else goes smoothly—is about $180,000.

Subscribe to The Broadsheet, Fortune‘s daily newsletter about the most powerful women.

People reported back in June that Kardashian, already a mom of two, decided not to carry her third child due to her struggles with a dangerous condition called placenta accreta during her previous pregnancies.

The couple is not the first celebrity duo to hire an outsider to help complete their family; musician Elton John, actress Sarah Jessica Parker, and late night host Jimmy Fallon have openly discussed the process.

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Nicholas Thompson
C-SuiteBook Excerpt
I took over one of the most prestigious media firms while training for an ultramarathon. Here’s what I learned becoming CEO of The Atlantic
By Nicholas ThompsonDecember 13, 2025
2 hours ago
Lauren Antonoff
SuccessCareers
Once a college dropout, this CEO went back to school at 52—but she still says the Gen Zers who will succeed are those who ‘forge their own path’
By Preston ForeDecember 13, 2025
3 hours ago
Asiathe future of work
The CEO of one of Asia’s largest co-working space providers says his business has more in common with hotels
By Angelica AngDecember 12, 2025
11 hours ago
Donald Trump
HealthHealth Insurance
‘Tragedy in the making’: Top healthcare exec on why insurance will spike to subsidize a tax cut to millionaires and billionaires
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 12, 2025
18 hours ago
three men in suits, one gesturing
AIBrainstorm AI
The fastest athletes in the world can botch a baton pass if trust isn’t there—and the same is true of AI, Blackbaud exec says
By Amanda GerutDecember 12, 2025
18 hours ago
Brainstorm AI panel
AIBrainstorm AI
Creative workers won’t be replaced by AI—but their roles will change to become ‘directors’ managing AI agents, executives say
By Beatrice NolanDecember 12, 2025
19 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
For the first time since Trump’s tariff rollout, import tax revenue has fallen, threatening his lofty plans to slash the $38 trillion national debt
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 12, 2025
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
16 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
At 18, doctors gave him three hours to live. He played video games from his hospital bed—and now, he’s built a $10 million-a-year video game studio
By Preston ForeDecember 10, 2025
3 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.