Funeral costs

How much does a funeral cost?

The price of a funeral can vary enormously, depending on the options you choose. 

According to SunLife's 2024 Cost of Dying report, a basic funeral costs around £4,141 on average, but this can vary between different parts of the UK.

The most expensive type of funeral is a burial at £5,077, which costs £1,282 more than a cremation. But if you choose to have a direct funeral - one without a service - it can be considerably cheaper.

Funeral director's fees usually consist of:

• fees for the services and items they provide, such as the coffin and vehicles
• fees paid to third parties, such as a minister, doctors and the cemetery or crematorium - known as disbursements
• VAT - the services of the funeral director, minister and cemetery or crematorium are exempt, but items such as flowers, catering or any form of memorial are liable to VAT

Disbursements (third-party costs) will depend on whether you choose a cremation or burial, but will usually include the following items:

Cremation

If you’re considering a cremation the costs may include:

• cremation fee, which varies in different parts of the UK 
• minister, religious or secular officiant or celebrant fee
• doctors' fees for cremation forms (two forms completed by different GPs)

Burial

If you decide on a burial the costs include:

• minister, religious or secular officiant or celebrant fee
• burial of a body in a churchyard.

A funeral director or the minister of the church where you're holding the service will be able to tell you all the charges.

Funeral extras

Although the average cost of a funeral decreased, rising professional fees and send-off costs have caused the overall cost of dying to increase to £9,200. 

For example, last January probate fees increased to £273.The report found the average cost of a send-off in 2022 was £2,660 - an increase of 7.4% from 2021.

A send-off is the added optional extras that can make a funeral more personal to the deceased and their loved ones, and can include venue hire and transport. 

Here is what the optional extras can cost you, according to SunLife’s Cost of Dying report 2024. 

• Memorial: £1,064
• Limo hire: £353
• Funeral notice: £80
• Flowers: £210
• Catering: £467
• Order sheets: £77
• Death notice: £77
• Venue hire: £312

Find out more: cost of a funeral jumps 4.7% - are there any ways to save?

Who pays for a funeral?

Some people choose to put money aside for their funeral while they're still alive. 

According to SunLife's report, seven in 10 made provisions for their own funeral before they passed away, but only 54% of those put enough aside to cover the whole cost.

The person who signs the papers at the funeral director's enters into a formal contract to pay for the funeral, so it's important to understand who is paying for the funeral before you sign.

If your loved one had a pre-paid funeral plan, the costs may already be taken care of. If not, the cost of the funeral is usually paid from the estate of the deceased, although it may be difficult to get access to the funds in time for the funeral. 

The bank holding the estate should release funds to pay for the funeral from the deceased's account, if they are presented with an itemised account from the funeral director and a copy of the death certificate.

If funds can't be released in time, the family may need to fund the funeral and be reimbursed later. Family members could all contribute, or you may need to take out a loan to cover the cost until probate comes through.

Comparing funeral prices

This might not be the easiest of times for investigating costs, but it's advisable to ask friends for recommendations. You might also want to get some comparative quotes before you choose a specific funeral package.

In the past, the funeral market has been heavily criticised for its lack of transparency around costs, which has led to vulnerable customers paying inflated prices. 

This prompted the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch an investigation, and in 2020 it announced a series of ‘sunlight remedies’ requesting that funeral directors and crematorium operators make prices clear for customers.

These remedies were made law through the Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021, meaning those who do not comply could end up facing court action. 

As a result, funeral directors must display a standardised price list at the premises and on their website, which must include: 

• the headline price of a funeral 
• the price of the individual items comprising the funeral 
• the price of certain additional products and services

The CMA said its active monitoring suggested under 250 funeral directors were failing to comply with the law, and many had failed to display the necessary pricing information for funeral or crematorium services in branch and online.

• Find out more: funeral directors still not being clear about their prices

Help with funeral costs

Here are our tips on cutting costs:

Shop around

The CMA's price transparency regulations have been designed to make shopping around easier, as providers should allow you to see an itemised breakdown of costs. 

One option is to use a price comparison site such as Beyond, Funeral Guide or Funeral Choice. Simply enter your postcode into one of these websites and it will give price estimates for funeral directors in your local area.

Cut the extras

Choosing a cheaper coffin was the most common way people saved on funerals in 2022, according to SunLife. 

You can order the coffin yourself and have it supplied to the funeral director. The Natural Death Centre has a list of suppliers that sell directly to the public.

Other options include holding the service on a weekday – as weekends can cost around £250 more – and using your own cars, if possible, instead of hiring limousines. 

Speak to your loved ones about what you want

Around half of people surveyed didn’t even know if their loved one wanted a burial or cremation, according to SunLife.

As burials can be considerably more expensive, it's a good idea to have these conversations with your loved ones while you are alive as it means your wishes will be followed and money won’t be spent on services you don't want.

How to get help with funeral costs

Payment for the funeral takes priority over all other claims on the estate except debts secured against an asset. 

Often a bank will be prepared to release funds to a funeral director even if the account has been frozen. 

If there isn't enough money in the estate, the cost will need to be met by family members.

Some people find the expenses of a funeral difficult to meet, and are embarrassed about telling the funeral director. A good funeral director will tactfully find out whether or not there is a problem about money and, if there is, advise the client of ways in which help may be provided.

Funeral Expenses Payment 

People in receipt of certain benefits or tax credits might be eligible for state support for funeral costs. 

The government offers a Funeral Expenses Payment, which can help pay for some of the costs of the following:

• burial fees for a particular plot
• cremation fees, including the cost of the doctor’s certificate 
• travel to arrange or go to the funeral
• the cost of moving the body within the UK, if it’s being moved more than 50 miles
• death certificates or other documents

You can also get up to £1,000 for any other funeral expenses, such as funeral director’s fees, flowers or the coffin.

The payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral. However, if the deceased held a funeral plan, you can only get up to £120 to help pay for items not covered by their plan.

For those that live in Scotland, you can apply for a Funeral Support Payment.  The amount of Funeral Support Payment you get will depend on your circumstances, but the average payment is expected to be £1,800.

Public health funeral 

A public health funeral is arranged by the local council when no other suitable arrangements are being made – for example, when there’s nobody to organise the funeral or when the deceased and their relatives can’t afford to do so.

Public Health funeral referrals can come from a number of sources including Her Majesty’s Coroner, a GP, a care home, a social worker or a family member.

To find out more, it’s best to search the relevant local authority where the deceased lived and search ‘public health funeral’. 

Paying for a funeral in advance

To avoid any difficulties in arranging or paying for their funeral, some people choose to pay for their own funeral in advance. 

For some, this is not only to spare relatives from facing the cost of their funeral, but because they want to specify how things are to be done, and what they would like to take place at their own funeral.

Here are some ways to save for a funeral:

Prepaid funeral plan

A funeral plan allows you to pay upfront for your funeral so your relatives don't have to cover the costs themselves. It means you can lock in today’s price so they are protected against inflation and it can save your family the stress of organising every aspect of the funeral themselves.

However, they won’t cover everything which may leave your family facing unexpected costs.

Since July last year, all prepaid funeral providers must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, which means should something happen to your provider, you’ll be able to get your money back. 

• Find out more: prepaid funeral plans explained

Life insurance 

Life insurance is a financial product that enables you to leave behind money for your family when you die.

This can be used to support them for a number of years, to replace lost income, or to pay off a large debt such as your mortgage.

Life insurance can be used to cover funeral costs with the lump sum that is paid out when the policy holder passes away.

• Find out more: life insurance explained

Looking to buy life insurance?

Find the right life insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch.

Find out more

Over 50s life insurance

Over-50s life insurance, which pays out a fixed lump sum when you die, is often marketed as another way to help your family cover funeral costs. 

Unlike regular life insurance, there’s no medical screening; all that’s checked is age and smoking status. 

You choose your monthly premium, which can start from around £5. But there’s a good chance you’ll end up paying more in premiums than the policy pays out.

Savings

You can leave money in your bank account, however your family may have trouble accessing this when you die. This is because banks and building societies normally freeze accounts when they are told of the account holder’s death.

Your family will need the help of the executor or administrator of the estate to access the money.

• Find out more: best savings accounts 2024