How Much Does It Cost For Funeral Service

Funerals are an important commemoration of life — but they can likewise be a financial burden to those in charge of arranging them. The all-time manner to protect your family from financially suffering after your death is to have a robust plan in place before you die.

Y'all can do this by working with a financial advisor to review your options. Ideally you'll have enough saved to cover a funeral out-of-pocket merely if not, a life insurance policy is i way to ensure those costs — and any other expenses — are taken intendance of fifty-fifty if your fiscal state of affairs changes. Pair that with a will and testament to lay out how you'd like your funeral to be conducted.

Key Takeaways

On average, funerals cost more than than $vii,000.
Where you live will affect the price of your funeral.
Purchasing a life insurance policy can assist your loved ones cover your funeral expenses.

What is the average toll of a funeral?

There are an average of 2.4 million funerals a year in the U.S., [ 1 ] unremarkably costing between $vii,000 to $10,000. And information technology continues to get costlier. According to The Consumer Price Index, funeral costs have risen by a whopping 227.1% in the final 30 years. [ 2 ]

The nautical chart below displays the median funeral costs in 2022 co-ordinate to the National Funeral Directors Clan (NFDA): [ 3 ]

Service	Median cost
Basic services fee	$2,300
Catafalque	$ii,500
Funeral home fees	$ane,150
Embalming and torso preparation	$1,050
Funeral ceremony	$925
Transportation	$825

This doesn't include end-of-life expenses, such as final medical bills that your family might have to encompass after you dice.

Funeral costs estimator: How much do I need to salvage?

Below is a sample adding based on the average cost of a funeral with a burying, a viewing, and memorial services.

Service	Cost
Basic services fee	$two,300
Transfer of remains to funeral home	$350
Embalming	$775
Facilities/staff for viewing	$450
Facilities/staff for funeral	$515
Hearse	$350
Memorial package	$183
Casket	$two,500
Vault	$1,572
Total	$8,995

The calculation does not include additional costs, such as gravestones, flowers, invitee transportation, or additional grooming of the torso. How much the average funeral costs volition also vary depending on where y'all live.

Average funeral costs by state

The table below can give you an idea of what costs would look similar for the land you're in. [ 4 ] Y'all'll detect that in some states where the toll of living is high, similar New York and California, a funeral tin end upward costing several thousands of dollars in a higher place the average.

Funeral expenses often come as a shock to grieving families and tin can chemical compound grief when fiscal insecurity is added into the mix. Many people don't accept funds readily accessible and may have to dip into retirement savings, 401k funds, or fifty-fifty take out a small funeral loan if they have no assets.

Planning your funeral arrangements

When your family is already coping with the loss of a loved 1, a threat to their financial security is only going to intensify their grief. Funeral arrangements can be laid out in your will and attestation or left behind as written instructions with someone who manages your affairs, like a financial planner or lawyer.

"Having an open and transparent conversation effectually stop-of-life planning, albeit difficult, is critically important," says Priya Malani, founder of Stash Wealth. "While never a fun conversation, it can save everyone a lot of stress in the long run. Having to guess or assume what a loved one might have wanted may stop upward costing you more than they would accept preferred to take spent on them.".

You can make this procedure less burdensome for your loved ones by putting your wishes into writing. Instead of a traditional funeral, you may prefer cremation or a green burial. If yous don't lay out these wishes for your loved ones, they will never know.

"It'south a really thoughtful [and] caring thing to exercise — to at least exit a plan," says Rick Paskin, founder of Funeralwise. If y'all tin can put financial arrangements in identify with insurance, that'south bully, just at a minimum, exit a program. [It] doesn't cost you anything to leave behind the program."

Cost of cremation vs. burial

Cremation costs less on average than a burial, but not by much. A study past the NFDA put median costs for a funeral with a viewing and burial at $7,848, versus $half-dozen,970 for a viewing and cremation. Some states crave you to include a burial vault to protect the casket, which will make a burying more expensive: approximately $9,420.

The cost of a viewing and/or memorial service increases the costs of both burial and cremation. If yous opt for a straight burial or straight cremation, which doesn't include whatsoever events or memorial services, y'all'll spend much less. A directly cremation, for example, costs nearly $ii,500.

Cost of visitation or wake

A visitation and a wake are similar in function — each gives family and friends a chance to gather and pay their respects. Just a wake is more likely to cost more because the body of the deceased is typically present. If the body is present and the casket is open, there are additional costs associated with preparing the body for viewing and transporting the body if the wake happens outside of the funeral dwelling.

In contrast information technology'south less mutual for the deceased'south body to be present during a visitation, or if it is, the casket is often closed. Visitation is as well ofttimes conducted at the funeral home, lowering transportation costs.

Using life insurance to pay for a funeral

The best style to brand certain that your family doesn't end upwardly dipping into their savings or going into debt to conform your funeral is to set up some fiscal protection with a life insurance policy.

"If yous haven't planned ahead and made arrangements through insurance or pre-purchasing cemetery or grave space, your family is sort of stuck with it. And the money is due at the fourth dimension of the funeral," says Paskin.

The cost of funeral expenses tin can be high, but there are other associated costs with death that are important to consider, such as terminate-of-life care or everyday bills and expenses that you covered.

"When somebody dies, that'south non the only expense that'southward left behind," says Paskin. There could be medical bills, legal bills, [and] accounting bills. Depending on where they were living, there could still be rent [and] utilities.

When you die, life insurance pays out a death benefit to your designated beneficiaries, which tin can be used however they please. Extenuating circumstances all the same, the turnaround fourth dimension to get the expiry benefit tends to be pretty brusk, sometimes even within a week of filing a claim.

With the correct coverage in identify, your family will exist able to use the payout to finance your funeral and additional expenses, which will allow them to focus on honoring your legacy.

Other ways to pay for a funeral

Life insurance is an like shooting fish in a barrel and affordable way to comprehend your funeral expenses, only it's not the only ane. Even providing a pocket-sized corporeality of assistance can ease the burden for your family at a difficult time.

"Information technology'south a gift. We e'er describe it as a gift," says Lisa Kirchenbauer, founder and president of Omega Wealth Direction. "Whether you just put your wishes in writing, whether y'all have a contract with a funeral home [or] yous've picked out your casket. Those kinds of details are all really of import and somebody'due south got to decide them and I can tell y'all, it'southward not a lot of fun, having to decide information technology correct after having lost your loved 1. So it'due south a real gift."

Burial insurance

Burial insurance, as well chosen terminal expense insurance, is a type of life insurance typically used to cover funeral costs. Benefits are just enough to comprehend terminate-of-life expenses — from $25,000 to $fifty,000. Burying insurance as well requires little medical information to qualify, then approval is fast.

Payable-on-death (POD) account

A payable-on-death (POD) business relationship is a bank business relationship that pays out to a named beneficiary once the business relationship owner passes away. You can set coin bated for your funeral in that account and your casher will get it tax-gratuitous when y'all die.

Avant-garde arrangements

It's possible to make some or all of your funeral arrangements in advance with a specific funeral dwelling house or manager and even pre-pay for the services. Some funeral homes treat this similar a life insurance policy, in which your premiums go toward paying off your called services. Exist prepared for the hazard that your plans could change if the funeral home closes or changes ownership.

Low cost or low income funerals

Many states offering fiscal assistance programs for people below a certain income threshold. [ 5 ] Depending on your state and your fiscal situation, y'all could qualify for a small amount of state support. While the amount provided is unlikely to embrace a full funeral, it could cover a low-cost straight burial or cremation.

FEMA help

Families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19 may exist eligible to get assistance from FEMA of up to $ix,000. Co-ordinate to FEMA, [ 6 ] this subsidy can cover:

Catafalque
Mortuary services
Transportation of the deceased
Two expiry certificates
Burying plot
Interment or cremation

Why life insurance is ameliorate financial support than your estate

Leaving avails behind to support your family unit and cover the costs of your funeral isn't a foolproof strategy. When you die, your estate goes through probate and goes to creditors for any of your unpaid debts commencement. So, any remaining amount is dissever as designated in your will.

A life insurance policy can't be taken by creditors and isn't subject to probate every bit long as your beneficiaries tin can have the payout. It's a surefire style to offering your loved ones financial support and usually provides support faster than coin that has to go through probate.

"Once you get the death certificate, the process of getting insurance proceeds — unless there'due south something odd well-nigh the expiry — can come pretty apace. So it tin actually make a departure. It may be a little harder for that executor to get access to resources," says Kirchenbauer.

The best manner to set up your family for your expiry is to have a solid plan in place. Work with an insurance agent to find a life insurance policy to encompass your funeral costs and an attorney to draft a will and testament that designates your estate and final wishes.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a funeral toll?

In the United States, the boilerplate funeral costs anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000.

What is the cheapest funeral price?

The cheapest funeral selection is a direct cremation (approximately $two,500) or a directly burial (approximately $half-dozen,600). This removes the added costs of a memorial or viewing.

What is the well-nigh expensive state for a funeral?

Hawaii is the near expensive state for funeral costs, costing in a higher place the national average at $xiv,975.

Is $10,000 enough for a funeral?

$10,000 can encompass funeral and burial services in most states, but it's best to relieve slightly more. Prices vary by country and your plans, and estimates don't include boosted expenses, like flowers.

References

Policygenius uses external sources, including government data, industry studies, and reputable news organizations to supplement proprietary market place data and internal expertise. Learn more about how we use and vet external sources as function of our

editorial standards.

PBS

. "
Economics of the Funeral Industry
." Accessed April 08, 2022 .
U.Due south. Bureau of Labor Statistics

( BLS ). "
The rising cost of dying, 1986–2017
." Accessed April 08, 2022 .
National Funeral Directors Clan

( NFDA ). "
2021 NFDA Full general Cost List Study Shows Funeral Costs Not Rise as Fast as Rate of Aggrandizement
." Accessed April 08, 2022 .
GOBankingRates

. "
Can You Afford To Dice in Your Land?
." Accessed April 08, 2022 .
CNBC

. "
Some states offer assistance to families unable to afford funeral costs
." Accessed April 08, 2022 .
FEMA

. "
Disaster Funeral Assistance
." Accessed April 08, 2022 .

Authors

Nupur Gambhir is a licensed life, health, and disability insurance skilful and a sometime senior editor at Policygenius. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Uncomplicated, Lifehacker, The Fiscal Gym, and the end-of-life planning service Block.

Amanda Shih is an editor and a licensed life, disability, and health insurance expert at Policygenius, where she writes most life insurance and inability insurance. Her expertise has appeared in Slate, Lifehacker, Little Spoon, and J.D. Power.

Expert reviewer

Kristi Sullivan, CFP®, is a certified financial planner and a member of the Financial Review Quango at Policygenius. Previously, she was a regional consultant at Fidelity Investments for ix years.

Questions virtually this page? Email u.s. at editorial@policygenius.com.