How to Manage Funeral Costs: Getting the Help You Need
Grieving the loss of a loved one whilst worrying about the cost of funeral services can be overwhelming. Losing someone close to you is often an extremely difficult experience, throwing up strong emotions. You may feel like you can’t cope with other day to day tasks around you anyway – but then there’s also the added stress of organising a funeral and burial. In turn this costs money and can get extremely expensive very fast. This can add to an already distressing time – which no one wants.
The cost of a funeral can be substantial. On average, you can expect to pay between £4,000 and £7,000 in funeral expenses. This can include the viewing, burial, service fees, transport, casket, embalming, and other costs. Today, many families turn to crowdfunding for funerals to cover the cost of funeral services and create a new way for friends and family to support each other emotionally through this difficult time.
Factors to consider
Potential hidden costs – There may be hidden costs that you might not automatically consider – for example, transportation of the deceased which requires a special vehicle, or embalming.
Personal and cultural preferences – Depending on the religion and culture of the deceased, there may be different ceremonies to consider.
Emotional considerations – Planning a funeral or burial can be an emotive time for everyone and people may have different opinions on how money should be spent. Make sure that everyone is heard and can have their opinion considered.
Timing and urgency – The cost of a funeral or burial may vary depending on if it’s been pre-planned or if nothing has been put in place.
Cost of a funeral UK
The average cost of a funeral in the UK is £4,141 according to SunLife UK. But this cost can vary enormously depending on a number of factors, including location in the country, whether you choose a burial or cremation and also the kind of service you choose to go alongside this.
| Type of funeral | Average Cost | Includes |
| Direct Cremation | £1,511 | Collecting the deceased, a simple coffin, return of ashes |
| Cremation using funeral director | £3,673 | Fees for the cremation or burial, funeral director, doctor and minister or celebrant |
| Burial using a funeral director | £4,794 | Fees for the burial, funeral director, doctor and minister or celebrant. |
Breakdown of funeral costs
Cost of funeral services
Families often contact a funeral home to begin preparations when a loved one passes away. It’s important not to go alone and take an impartial party to help deal with sensitive decisions. The general price list covers tasks, including basic service fees, embalming, and funeral home cost.
The basic service fees for funerals typically include the necessary and not much more – so death certificates, permits and professional services. There’s then optional services which get added on like viewing and visitation fees, embalming, if the deceased needs dressing in the coffin and then the cost of the casket or urns themselves.
Cemetery and burial costs
For burials, there is usually a procession to the cemetery for the burial of the body after the service at the funeral home. The associated funeral costs of a typical burial are listed on the general price list. These costs can add up quickly, including transportation of the remains, a burial plot, and a casket.
- The cost of transporting the body from the funeral home to the cemetery in a hearse is between £200 and £300.
- Securing a plot of land for burial is another funeral expense and can vary in the UK – from £600 to £1,100.
- The casket can be an important element of the funeral in many traditions, but it can also be one of the priciest. Often, funeral homes offer a selection of basic caskets regulated under the general price list, but you can bypass these options and find a more expensive casket. The average cost of caskets can vary from £150 for a cheap one to £10,000 for the top of the range model, according to Sunlife.
Cremation and memorial service costs
A cremation or memorial service offers flexibility and is usually less expensive for families looking to avoid both the process and cost of funeral services. A memorial involves a celebration of life but may vary from a funeral according to the family’s traditions, beliefs, and wishes.
Here’s an overview of the average cost of a funeral typically associated with memorials and cremation:
- According to the Royal London report, private crematoriums account for 38% of all cremations – they tend to charge higher fees than ones owned by the local authority.
- On average, private crematoriums charge 15% more than local authority-owned ones.
- The cost of a cremation fee is on average £814.
Funeral director costs
The funeral director plays a useful and vital role in the running of a burial. They not only co-ordinate the running and timings of the actual funeral ceremony, but they also help the family or the deceased undertake any steps they need. They help to explain laws around funerals and generally help everything to run smoothly.
The fees associated with a funeral director include:
- Looking after the deceased until the funeral
- Funeral cars and staff
- Professional services like co-ordinating with a doctor
Extra (but optional) costs
There are also a lot of extra (but optional) costs associated with a funeral or burial, too. These aren’t essentials but are things that plenty of people may request or want when they pass, such as running orders at the burial ceremony.
| Item | Average Cost |
| Headstone or plaque | £1,064 |
| Catering | £467 |
| Limosine | £353 |
| Venue | £312 |
| Flowers | £210 |
| Fee to return ashes | £62 |
| Funeral notice | £80 |
| Obituary | £77 |
| Order of service sheets | £105 |
| Death certificate | £11 per copy |
Ways to manage cost of a funeral
There are a number of ways you can get financial assistance for funeral costs if you find yourself in a difficult situation.
Pre-planning
A way to help alleviate the financial burden on your family after you’ve gone is by pre-planning your funeral. By pre-planning, you can contribute to the costs but also lock in prices as they are at the time you book the service. There are a few different ways you can do this too.
- Funeral insurance: Funeral insurance helps to cover the cost of a funeral by paying a premium, usually month by month, which will then pay out a lump sum to help to cover the funeral when you pass.
- Funeral plans: Funeral plans differ slightly from funeral insurance. Rather than paying out a lump sum to your family when you pass, you are essentially prepaying your funeral in advance.
Funeral Trust: A funeral trust is a type of agreement which essentially helps you pre-pay your funeral in advance by placing assets in a trust in a funeral home. This is then managed by trustees who work with the funeral director.
Affordable alternatives
Plenty of people in the UK may want to avoid costly ceremonies and go for a far more pared back approach. In this case, you may want to consider a direct burial or a direct cremation. This means the burial or cremation takes place without spectators: there is no ceremony as to speak.
Many people are now also considering eco-friendly or green burials, which means there’s no embalming, the burial is directly into the ground in something biodegradable and the ceremony is simple and in a designated area of woodland or field. These options are cheaper as they don’t include costly coffins.
Shop around
When looking at different types of burial and also different funeral directors, it’s a wise idea to shop around and speak to the director before committing. Get a list of standard pricing from several in your area as well as comparing online to see if you are getting a deal which suits your loved ones wishes and financial needs.
Funeral Expenses Payment
You may be eligible for a Funeral Expense Payment if you claim certain benefits and need assistance to pay for a funeral you’re arranging. You can check your eligibility on the Government website.
Children’s Funeral Fund
The Children’s Funeral Fund can help towards paying for the funeral of a child under 18 or a baby that is stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy. It isn’t means tested, but for this the funeral must take place in England. There’s also support in:
- Wales – you can get £500 towards the cost of the funeral or other related expenses like floral tributes
- Scotland – an average contribution of £1,000 towards reasonable funeral expenses
- Northern Ireland – the same as Scotland
Charity grants
In some circumstances, you may also be able to apply for charity grants to cover the cost of a funeral. For example, you can apply for a grant to cover a funeral through Friends of the Elderly. There are certain conditions and criteria – for example, you can only apply for one grant per household per year.
Have a wake at home
One of the costs associated with a funeral or burial is the wake afterwards. Many people choose to have a wake in a community environment such as a local pub or community centre, but there’s also always the option to host the wake at home, if you or someone in the family was happy to host it.
Go for a cheaper coffin
Another large cost associated with a funeral and burial is a coffin. The average cost of a coffin is between £150-£650 and a casket comes in at an even higher price than that. One area where you could keep costs down for a funeral is choosing a cheaper or more economical coffin. Cardboard coffins for cremations for example are a more economical option, along with chipboard coffins with wood veneers.
Body donation
If you or your deceased loved one has chosen to do so, donating your body to medical science could prove valuable for a variety of reasons. Donating your body to science is an excellent thing for the cause. It could provide training or medical research and often, a real life body is invaluable compared with models as it shows surgeons and the like how to do things that can’t be emulated. Often if you donate your body to medical science it may be two or three years until you can then be buried and the funeral will be held by the medical school.
Crowdfunding
People crowdfund towards funerals and memorials every day, too. By doing this it means that anyone who wants to contribute can – and can often help in unexpected circumstances too. Many people feel it is difficult to ask for help, but the very concept of crowdfunding is that an amount of money is raised for a cause through a group donating what they can. At GoFundMe, we see dozens of fundraisers for funerals and memorials every day. Crowdfunding can help with:
- The cost of the burial or funeral: You can crowdfund directly to cover the cost of the funeral or burial and loved ones can donate as they see fit.
- Donations in lieu of flowers: A popular option in the UK now is to ask for donations in lieu of flowers. These donations may go towards a charity close to the heart of the deceased, a community cause or to help to pay for the funeral itself.
Navigating funeral home negotiations in the UK
Back in 2021, the CMA laid out guidelines for funeral homes in the UK. Concerns had been raised about a lack of transparency over pricing and the fact that there were a lot of hidden costs associated with funerals or burials which would crop up. People are often sad or distressed when they are looking at funeral services too, which may impact their decisions and mean they aren’t seeing the full scope of what is available. Therefore, the CMA produced an Order that funeral homes must display a standardised price list on their website and also physically in their shop. This must include:
- The price of an attended funeral and unattended funeral
- The price of individual items at the attended funeral
- The price of additional products and services
The aim of this is to make it more transparent and easier to compare which director might be the best for you, especially at an extremely distressing time.
It’s never easy to think about funerals, whether it be your own or your loved ones. But with a bit of preparation the process can be made far easier for those close to you. Start thinking about the options available to ease the financial burden in future.