Receipts are a huge part of your Surrogacy journey. Making sure to keep tidy and clean records of spending can ensure safety with the reimbursement process for both you and your Intended Parents. In Canada, surrogacy is completely altruistic, which means Surrogates are not compensated anyway for their participation. They are simply reimbursed for pregnancy related expenses, as defined in a legal contract. CFC has a full department committed to our clients safety and receipt management, and I got to sit down with them to talk about what the big deal was!
“Start collecting receipts as soon as you have been matched with your Intended Parents until you have a signed contract. These receipts can include the following: a portion of your phone bills, land-line and cell, gym membership, a portion of your internet bill, gas receipts for to and from appointments and vitamins. Once you have a signed contract you will continue to collect all the above receipts, plus all other allowable receipts as per your contract. You will (if included in your contract) change to a per kilometre rate instead of gas. You will start tracking your mileage for pregnancy related travel and calculate the amount at the end of the month using your contract as a guide. This could be for things like going to Staples to print, to the drug store for medication, to the post office to mail receipts to CFC , and massage or acupuncture appointments. ” -CFC Guide to Receipt Management
Sometimes Intended Parents must provide proof of no compensation, and giving copies of their surrogates receipts shows that they were abiding by an altruistic model. This acts as proof if needed when receiving their declaration of parentage, an important step in the surrogacy legal process in some countries. Sometimes some employers or life insurance benefits will cover specific medical or other expenses related to the surrogacy journey. Some Intended Parents can write off some of their Surrogates reimbursements in their taxes as medical expenses.
“As much as receipts is a behind the scenes job its rewarding to see the end result. Being able to have a close relationship with the Surrogates and watching them providing a family in need with a child, its amazing.” – CFC Reimbursement and Receipt Specialist for English speaking clients Kerri Dobbs
Surrogate’s primarily use the SmartReceipt Application on their phones to keep easy to access records of their receipts. But some will use a third party company for receipt management, which is only a small fee. Once Surrogates are pregnant they submit their receipts monthly, but prior to their pregnancy they are reimbursed shortly after the expense is submitted. Surrogates have until 6 weeks post birth to submit any final receipts for reimbursement. Everyone’s contract is different, and so CFC ‘s Finance team takes great care in taking an individual, hands on approach to each journey. They are always available to answer any questions and talk through any issues.
Receipts are so important because they protect you, and your Intended Parents, by always being in line with the current Canadian legislature in the Assisted Human Reproductive Act. Have questions about receipts? Contact us today!