Funeral Budget

The same 2023 NFDA study put a funeral with viewing and cremation at a national median of $6,280. Direct cremation, with no embalming, viewing or ceremony, costs far less, but no national median is published and prices vary widely between providers in the same city. What direct cremation includes.

Usually, yes. The FTC notes that direct cremation usually costs less than a traditional funeral because it leaves out embalming, a viewing and a ceremony with the body present. You can still hold a memorial service later. Compare cremation and burial.

Direct cremation and immediate (direct) burial are the lowest-cost options most funeral homes offer, and every funeral home that offers them must list a price for each on its General Price List. Call two or three providers and compare those lines.

Only one thing has to happen right away: a legal pronouncement of death. In hospice, call the hospice nurse; if the death at home was unexpected, call 911. Choosing a funeral home can usually wait a few hours, long enough to compare prices by phone. The first 24 hours, step by step.

If the person was in hospice, call the hospice nurse. If the death was unexpected, call 911. After that, call close family, then a funeral home you have chosen. Who to call, and in what order.

No. You choose the funeral home. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, every funeral home must give you its prices over the phone, so you can compare before deciding.

They have to. The FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to give price information by phone, and you do not have to give your name first. In person, they must hand you a written General Price List to keep. Your rights under the Funeral Rule.

Usually not. The FTC's required wording is that except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law, and a funeral home may not charge for embalming without your permission unless state or local law requires it in that situation. Many funeral homes do require it for a public viewing.

No. You can buy a casket from another seller or online, and the funeral home must accept it without charging you a fee for using it.

In most areas, state or local law does not require one. Many cemeteries do require an outer container so the grave does not sink, and either a grave liner or a burial vault satisfies that. A liner is usually the cheaper of the two. Burial options and vault rules.

The funeral home usually files the death certificate and orders the first certified copies. More copies come from the vital records office in the state where the death happened. Find every state's vital records office.

There is no single right number. Banks, insurers, pension plans and other institutions each usually want their own certified copy, so count the accounts and policies first. Ordering too few means a second application, fee and wait. How many copies to order.

Social Security pays a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255. It goes to a surviving spouse who was living in the same household or, if there is none, to certain family members entitled to benefits on the person's record. Every benefit that helps with funeral costs.

Eligible veterans can be buried in a VA national cemetery, where the gravesite, opening and closing, perpetual care and a government headstone or marker come at no cost to the family. The VA also pays burial allowances for eligible veterans, with amounts it sets each year. Funeral home charges remain the family's expense.

Only for deaths caused by a federally declared disaster. FEMA's COVID-19 funeral assistance program has closed.

Funeral costs are normally paid from the person's estate, and family members are generally not personally responsible for a relative's debts. Some cities and counties help low-income families: New York City, for example, pays up to $1,700 toward a qualifying funeral bill.

Generally, no. The estate pays valid debts before anything goes to heirs. The main exceptions are co-signers, joint account holders, and spouses in community-property states. What debts die with you.

The beneficiary files the claim directly with the insurer, usually with the claim form, the policy number and a certified death certificate. If you do not know whether a policy exists, the NAIC's free Life Insurance Policy Locator can search for one. Step by step.

State law decides. Most states put a person the deceased named in writing first, then a surviving spouse, then adult children, then parents, but the order and the paperwork differ by state. Look up your state's law.

Most obituaries follow the same order: the announcement, a short life story, survivors, and service details. Newspapers set their own prices for paid notices, so write a full version for online and a shorter one for print. Obituary template.

They can lock in prices, but they can also lose value. What matters is where the money is held, whether the contract can move with you, and what happens if the funeral home changes owners. How prepaid plans work and the traps.

No. It is an independent guide. We do not arrange funerals, sell caskets or urns, or take payment from funeral homes.

No. It is general information. For decisions about an estate, a will or a benefit claim, speak to the agency involved or a licensed professional in your state.