Kidney Donation Money: Is Payment Legal?
The difference between illegal payment for a kidney and lawful reimbursement of a donor’s expenses.
Last updated: 2026-09-24
Payment for a kidney is illegal. Reimbursement of a donor’s actual, documented expenses is not — and the two are very different things.
It is illegal in India
THOTA permits reimbursement of documented medical costs and genuine loss of earnings during a donor’s recovery. It prohibits any payment for the organ itself, or any profit or "gain" to the donor.
How reimbursement works
Reimbursement is handled formally through the transplant hospital, never as a private cash arrangement between families.
Frequently asked questions
Can a donor be compensated for lost wages?
Genuine loss of earnings during recovery may be reimbursed through the hospital, but this is not payment for the organ.