How to get help with funeral costs

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Need help with funeral costs? There are many different ways to get support. You’ll need to look at the options to understand what’s available to you. This is because it varies depending on your age, income and location. Even your job, or the job of the person who has died, can make a difference to the help you can get. To make things easier, we’ve put together a list of resources that will point you in the right direction so you can get the support you need.

Help with funeral costs if you’re on benefits 

If you’re on benefits you may be able to get help with funeral costs. The government offers a funeral expenses payment which could cover about 41% of the average cost of a simple funeral (Quaker Social Action) but this depends on what benefits you get.

If that’s not an option you could apply for a budgeting loan or a bereavement support payment from the DWP. Click on the link below to explore all your options so you can get the financial help with funeral costs that you need.

On benefits? Get help with funeral costs>>

Charities that can help with funeral costs

There are many charities out there that provide financial help. Some will also help with funeral costs. We’ve put together a list of charities that offer grants to help with funeral costs depending on your circumstances. Click on the link below to see if one of these charities could help you.

Get help with funeral costs from a charity>>

Help with funeral costs for pensioners

If you’re an older person with a low income you may be able to get support from the government. If that doesn’t apply there are other organisations that may be able to give you the financial support you need. Click on the link below to find out more.

Of state pension age? Get help with funeral costs>>

Other ways to get help with funeral costs

Crowdfunding

If you aren’t eligible for any government or charity grants, you could raise money to pay for the funeral instead. You could set up an online page where family and friends can make donations. This is known as crowdfunding. There are many sites where you can set this up.

Well known crowdfunding sites include:

Learn more about raising money for funeral costs >>

Recover your costs from the estate

It’s possible the person who died left some money or property behind (also known as their estate). If this is the case, you might be able to recover the costs of the funeral. But this may not cover everything. And you may have to pay for the funeral before you can access the money of the person who died.

Get in touch with the person responsible for the estate (also known as the administrator of the estate) to check how much money you’ll be able to recover. Keep in mind that if the person who died had any debt such as a mortgage then this may have to be paid before funeral costs. Knowing how much money you will have access to will help you plan your budget.

Check for life insurance or funeral plans

If the person who died had a life insurance or funeral plan, you could use this to cover part or all of the funeral costs. If they didn’t tell you they had a plan or insurance policy before they died, it can still be worth checking. Here’s how to find out if someone had a life insurance policy.

Still looking for help?

Struggling to find the help you need? The Down To Earth funeral costs helpline may be able to help. If you’re on benefits or have a low income and the funeral has not taken place yet, call them for support. You’ll speak to an experienced advisor who will be able to help you reduce costs or raise the money you need to organise a funeral. Call 0208 983 5055 or email downtoearth@qsa.org.uk.

 

Photo by Strauss Western on Unsplash

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Funeral Director fees

The price quoted contains the Funeral Director fees for a simple funeral. This includes:

  • Funeral Director fees for meetings, paperwork and running the funeral
  • Collection of the deceased and care prior to funeral
  • Hearse or appropriate vehicle for transport to the funeral
  • Basic coffin

The Funeral Director fees quoted do not include third party costs (often called disbursements). The Funeral Director will guide you through your options. These costs are:

  • Cremation or burial fees
  • Medical certificate for cremation
  • Clergy or officiant fee for conducting the ceremony

In addition to the disbursements you may want to discuss optional costs with your Funeral Director - these could include:

  • Funeral flowers
  • Memorial (venue hire, catering etc)
  • Memorial headstone
  • Orders of service
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What is a Direct Cremation?

A Direct Cremation is an alternative to the traditional funeral. This involves the cremation of the deceased without a funeral service. A Direct Cremation is generally the most economic option because costs of the coffin, preparation of the body, funeral service and expensive transportation are not included. However, many people choose Direct Cremations for reasons other than expense, for example:

  • - Wanting to have a memorial at a different time to the cremation
  • - Expressed desire from the deceased to not have a ceremony
  • - Individuals with relatives who face big physical or geographical challenges in coming together for a ceremony

The prices quoted for Direct Cremations include:

  • All charges, meetings and paperwork for the cremation
  • Collection of deceased and care prior to cremation
  • A simple coffin and urn for the ashes
  • Cremation fees and delivery of ashes to the family
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Attended funeral

This is Funeral Choice’s best estimate of this Funeral Director’s fees for an Attended Funeral, which is where family and friends have a ceremony or service for the deceased person at the same time as they attend their burial or cremation.

This price includes the following:

  • Taking care of all necessary legal and administrative arrangements
  • Collecting and transporting the deceased person from the place of death (normally within 15 miles of the funeral director’s premises) into the funeral director’s care
  • Care of the deceased person before the funeral in appropriate facilities.
  • Providing a suitable coffin
  • Optional viewing of the deceased person for family and friends, by appointment with the funeral director
  • At a date and time you agree with the funeral director, taking the deceased person direct to the agreed cemetery or crematorium (normally within 20 miles of the funeral director’s premises) in a hearse or other appropriate vehicle

In addition to the Funeral Director’s fee, there will be third party costs to consider (sometimes called disbursements) to cover the other aspects of a funeral (such as the crematorium or burial fees). Your chosen Funeral Director will be able to provide these for you.

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Unattended funeral

This is Funeral Choice’s best estimate of this Funeral Director’s fees and the crematorium fee for an Unattended Funeral, which is where family and friends may choose to have a ceremony, event or service for the deceased person, but they do not attend the burial or cremation itself. This is also known as a Direct Cremation.

This price includes the following:

  • Funeral Director's fees
  • Crematorium fee (for an unattended funeral) as selected by the Funeral Director

In addition to this fee, there might be additional third party costs to consider (sometimes called disbursements). Your chosen Funeral Director will be able to explain these for you.

If you wish to attend the funeral, you should view the “Attended Funeral” price instead.

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Why is this price Estimated?

We work hard to ensure the Funeral Director Fees we display are accurate and up to date. However, unlike with our partners, we cannot guarantee this price is correct today.

Funeral Director fees

The price quoted contains the Funeral Director fees for a simple funeral. This includes:

  • Funeral Director fees for meetings, paperwork and running the funeral
  • Collection of the deceased and care prior to funeral
  • Hearse or appropriate vehicle for transport to the funeral
  • Basic coffin

The Funeral Director fees quoted do not include third party costs (often called disbursements). The Funeral Director will guide you through your options. These costs are:

  • Cremation or burial fees
  • Medical certificate for cremation
  • Clergy or officiant fee for conducting the ceremony

In addition to the disbursements you may want to discuss optional costs with your Funeral Director - these could include:

  • Funeral flowers
  • Memorial (venue hire, catering etc)
  • Memorial headstone
  • Orders of service
Close
×

Funeral Choice charity donation

To redeem the £20 charity donation all you have to do is select the charity from the dropdown list in the Make Contact form. Once you have confirmed arrangements with that funeral director send us an email to info@yourfuneralchoice.com confirming the service has been arranged. After we receive this email we will make the donation to the chosen charity and confirm back to you.

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