How to Become a Surrogate in Nevada

What makes Nevada different

Nevada rewrote its parentage law in 2013 to spell out gestational surrogacy. For a surrogate, three things stand out:

• Clear statute, all family types. NRS 126.500–126.810 authorizes gestational agreements and the pre-birth parentage orders that go with them, for married, unmarried, same-sex, and single intended parents. No court approval is needed before transfer.
• No state income tax. Nevada doesn't tax personal income, so none of your compensation goes to the state.
• An agency you can meet in person. NewGen Families is headquartered in Las Vegas. If you live in Southern Nevada, you can sit across a table from your coordinator — the only state in our network where that's true.

Nevada surrogate requirements

Nevada agencies use the same core screen as agencies everywhere; the full surrogate requirements guide explains the reasoning behind each item. For Nevada:

• Age 21–39 for a first journeyAgency policy. Some agencies extend to 42 for experienced surrogates.
• BMI under 32Clinic decision; a few accept up to 34.
• At least one healthy, full-term pregnancy and delivery
• Raising at least one child of your own
• Non-smoker, no drug use, no alcohol misuse
• Financially stable — not currently receiving cash public assistance (TANF)
• A partner, family member, or friend who backs your decision
• Nevada residency isn't required by the statuteBoth partner agencies accept Nevada surrogates and surrogates from neighboring states. Ask a Nevada attorney which state's law will govern if you or the intended parents live elsewhere.

Nevada surrogacy law at a glance

The Nevada surrogacy legal process

1. Agency application and approval. Background check and initial health screen.
2. Medical screening. At a Nevada clinic or the intended parents' clinic elsewhere.
3. Independent attorneys. You and the intended parents each have your own lawyer. The intended parents pay for yours.
4. Gestational agreement. In writing and signed by everyone before medications start. Your attorney handles whatever formalities Nevada requires for your agreement, which often includes notarization.
5. Embryo transfer. IVF at the intended parents' clinic.
6. Pre-birth order. Filed during pregnancy; Nevada courts issue these routinely for all family types.
7. Delivery. The intended parents are on the birth certificate from birth.

You may have read that Nevada was "one of the first" states with a surrogacy statute. It wasn't — Florida's dates to 1993 and Illinois' to 2005 — but the 2013 law is modern, inclusive, and works smoothly, which matters more.

Your two Nevada partner agencies

Two agencies in our network work with Nevada surrogates. Both publish their rates, both run independent escrow, and both pay for your attorney. One is local; one comes in from San Diego.

A rough fit: NewGen if you want a local agency with senior-level attention and the highest experienced base; Family Tree if you want a higher first-time total and a more hands-on support style. Both are small enough that you'll know your coordinator by name.

Meeting your agency in person

Most surrogacy is coordinated by phone, text, and video. That works, and thousands of journeys run that way. But if you're in the Las Vegas area, NewGen's office means you can meet your coordinator face to face before you commit, bring your partner, and ask the awkward questions in a room instead of on a call. For women who are nervous about being a name in a spreadsheet, that's a real difference. If you're in Reno, both agencies work remotely with you the way they do everywhere else.

Nevada surrogate compensation

Two numbers, and they're different. Base pay is guaranteed and paid in installments once a heartbeat is confirmed. Typical total adds allowances and contingent fees that only pay if something happens — a transfer attempt, a C-section, twins, bed rest. Here's Nevada against the national partner range:

See how Nevada compares to every state, and how a package is built for what each line means.

Take-home in a no-tax state

Living in Las Vegas vs. Reno as a surrogate

Nevada's two metro areas are 450 miles apart, and a surrogacy journey feels different in each.

Las Vegas and Henderson

• NewGen's headquarters is here, so in-person meetings are an option.
• Several established IVF clinics operate in the valley, so screening, transfer, and early monitoring are usually local.
• More intended-parent activity, which tends to mean a quicker match.
• Summer monitoring means 6 a.m. appointments to beat the heat — plan childcare accordingly.

Reno, Sparks, and Northern Nevada

• Both agencies work with Reno surrogates remotely, the same way they do in most states.
• Fewer fertility clinics locally. Some Reno surrogates have screening and transfer at a Northern California clinic (Sacramento or the Bay Area) at the intended parents' choice; the agency pays travel and mileage.
• Once you're pregnant, monitoring and OB care are local. Winter driving over the passes is the main thing to plan around if your clinic is in California.

Fertility clinics in Nevada

The intended parents' clinic is where your screening and transfer happen; you don't choose it. Las Vegas has established IVF clinics — the Fertility Center of Las Vegas and Red Rock Fertility, for example — and Reno has IVF care locally. Ask the agency which clinics they work with most and how far you'd travel for monitoring.

Typical Nevada timeline

1. Months 0–3

   Application and screening

   Application, records, background check, medical and psychological screening. Two to three months.

2. Months 3–5

   Matching

   One to three months. Las Vegas surrogates often match a little faster.

3. Months 5–6

   Legal contract

   Four to six weeks with your own attorney. No court step before transfer.

4. Months 6–8

   Medications and transfer

   One to two months. Often more than one attempt; each pays a transfer fee.

5. Months 8–17

   Pregnancy

   Base pay in installments after heartbeat. Pre-birth order filed during pregnancy.

6. +1–2 months

   Delivery and postpartum

   Final payment, recovery. The intended parents are on the birth certificate from birth.

Total: roughly 14–18 months for a first journey. Nevada's statute keeps the contract phase short.

What Nevada surrogates wish they'd known

• Meet the agency if you can. If you're in Las Vegas, take the in-person meeting. It's the easiest way to tell whether you'll like working with these people for a year and a half.
• Federal tax is still real. No state tax feels like a raise until April. Set money aside from every payment.
• Ask where your clinic is before you match. Especially in Reno. A Sacramento clinic is manageable; a Los Angeles one is a flight every time.
• Base pay starts after heartbeat, not after signing. Between contract and heartbeat you receive allowances and transfer fees, not base. Budget for the gap.
• You should never be out of pocket. Both partner agencies report $0 out-of-pocket for approved expenses. If a bill lands on you, call your coordinator the same day.

Frequently asked questions