2nd interment question

Billed for 2nd interment

Recently my grandmother passed and the funeral and service went well. 5 years prior my father passed away and was cremated. Me and my siblings had not decided on his final location. So at the service for my grandmother we decided to lay him to rest with my grandmother. My grandfather agreed to have his name added to the headstone at his request. He went to see the headstone today and was given a bill for $1600, $1400 of which was a 2nd interment fee with $200 being charged for the engraving. There was not a 2nd service and my father’s name was not mentioned at the burial. Me and my brother placed the ashes in with my grandmother and now we are receiving this bill.

No service was provided. The cemetery did not even touch his remains and no additional space was needed in the casket. I am confused and livid that this is being added to my family’s bill. Is this normal?
I am appalled at the cost of them doing nothing.

22 thoughts on “2nd interment question”

  1. Jennifer Lane

    Based on what you wrote, this is not a normal way of learning about these charges. What is normal, is for a contract to be signed *before* any services are done. The $200 for engraving sounds about right (but again, this should have itemized on a contract or an invoice where you knew what amount to pay before the engraving was done.)

    As for the $1400 2nd interment fee, a cemetery will charge for an “additional right of interment” (also known as 2nd Interment ). This is almost always charged when cremated remains are buried in the same grave space as a full casket/vault .

    It usually involves 2 fees – the labor charge for digging the hole to add the urn on top of a full burial, and the fee for the 2nd right of interment. How did the cemetery know your father’s remains were in your grandmother’s casket? Was this discussed with them prior to your grandmother’s burial? Either way, the cemetery would generally assess a fee for the 2nd right of interment, but you should have known what the charge was going to be. I would talk to the manager at the cemetery and request an explanation of the charges (i.e., was the $1400 only for the additional right of interment?) and who signed agreeing to the charges. Better to do this in person rather than over the phone. It is unusual to get a bill after the fact and not having any prior knowledge about what to expect for the charges.

    • Brenda

      We have similar situation – my mom passed away 2 years ago, cremated and in an urn. My aunt just passed away and we are placing the urn in her casket, the funeral home want $4000. To do this “2nd Rite”. Ive heard there is a “loophole” to avoiding this outrageous fee, but havent found it. Can you give guidance to avoid this cost

  2. Jennifer Lane

    Hello Brenda – The funeral home must give you a price list for any charge they assess. It is very odd for a funeral home to charge for “2nd Interment Right” unless the funeral home has added this as a “Cash Advance” charge, meaning it is the cemetery’s charge that they are carrying on the funeral home contract. You should then contact the cemetery for explanation of this charge.

    • Gale Smith

      Our experience, similar thing happened to us 4 days ago. Dad’s Urn was there since 1985. So, 2 days before Mom’s service they call to say , “we discounted the 2nd burial right fee from $1900 to $569”. We had not heard if this . So, it was paid. Turns out Dad’s urn was “under” the headstone, which has Dad’s name on the left. Leaving the whole right side for Mom, they didn’t have to disturb it. Mission Park South San Antonio Tx, kept throwing fees at us ‘after’ a package contract was signed. They already charge for Opening & Closing , her burial fee, the funeral home fees, etc. They told us, after we signed contract, that it was a single burial plot, said they would have to charge a full 2nd burial. All of this information was given to us after contract was signed… seems so unprofessional. They prey on things we don’t know and our raw emotions and distress… a shame…

      • Lisa Andrade

        Gale Smith, we too buried our father at Mission Park South . It was suggested at the time of preparing dads burial that at a cost they could dig deeper in order to leave space for our mom in the future. We agreed to a Double Depth fee of 1995.00. They mentioned a 2nd Right fee that would be charged upon our moms death and burial. I recently called and almost fell out of my chair when I heard what they plan on charging for the 2nd right to bury. Gentlemen started at 3200.00, then came back and said 3400.00 and in the end said oh no the fee to allow your mom to be buried over your dad in the same plot will be $4800.00!!!! This to me is much more than I ever imagined! I’m disappointed.

  3. Robin Daltorio

    You would think it would be less expensive to bury 2 people in the same Plot right? I bought a plot years ago for $700, I just buried
    My Husband there and I will be buried on top. I don’t understand how a right to be buried can cost 2 or more 3
    Thousand dollars, Why is this? Your using the same
    amount of space? Please
    Can someone answer this for me? Don’t get me wrong
    I cannot say enough good things about the People that work there but I don’t get it.

  4. Donna

    My dad purchased 2 mausoleums @ $4100. Dad would like to have my nephew’s urn placed in his casket when he passes. The cemetery is charging $4500 as a 2nd interment rite for this. Unbelievable as they will not be doing anything for this money. This is more than he paid for the 2 mausoleums . The lettering and opening an closing are paid for on the mausoleums. Is there a limit on the fee amount that can be charged for a 2nd interment?

  5. Jennifer Lane

    Hi Donna, that is a very high amount to charge. Unfortunately, there is no rule or regulation that limits what a cemetery can charge but they should have to explain why they are assessing a fee that high for adding an urn to the casket at the time of the entombment when most likely the urn will be inside the casket before it even arrives at the cemetery. They can charge a 2nd interment right fee, but it should way more reasonable than what they quoted you.

  6. Daniel w rodgrrs

    My wife is buried at Irving Park Cemetery in Chicago I have a plot next to her so my daughter passed away October 2021 she was 28 years old I have her ashes and I have my plot paid for next to my wife which includes opening and closing and handling fees so when I pass away I wanted to put my daughter’s ashes with me and my ashes and an urn the funeral wants to charge me another fee for the second interment right when I paid for everything already all they have to do is put my daughter’s urn in my plot with me when I pass away so they want to charge me for a second interment right of $2,500 extra why is this is there some federal law that limits funeral homes from charging you thousands of dollars for nothing why is this going on sounds like a loophole for funeral homes or cemeteries to screw you when you’re in morning of losing a loved one or dying this is not right at all should legislation pass a law limiting funeral homes and cemeteries for a second interment price why does society let cemeteries funeral homes do this to families seems like a way to just screw them and get more money this is outrageous and wrong all the things in the world just another way of saying you’re going to pay whatever we want you to pay I am ashamed that appalled sometimes of being a human being can’t seem to do what’s right not even at the end of someone’s life even when they put you in the ground they’re taking advantage of you and your family by placing another urn or family member in the same grave at the same time they open and close something needs to be done this is such a shame that funeral homes and cemeteries get away with this I could see a small fee because they’re already opening the grave and putting somebody in there but just to put another urn at the same time they charge thousands of dollars this again makes me feel ashamed like everyday you wake up and something in the world is so drastically wrong that you have to fight and fight to straighten it out when the funeral and cemeteries have a loophole there should be a basic price that the funeral homes and cemeteries can only charge how can we stop this to get together fight legislation or do what we have to do to change this millions of dollars funeral homes and cemeteries get just because they can this is wrong is there some committee or some way we can all fight together and change this make it a law why do we always have to fight to change the wrong like you have to do every day of your life because the human race can’t seem to do the right thing when it comes to money and especially grief of losing somebody family member or loved one please contact me I’d like to know if there’s some way to change this so people don’t have to suffer more and come up with thousands and thousands of dollars more just to put another loved one in the same grave sounds like a loophole and somebody’s getting paid off in the government or something but this needs to be changed we need to fight together how can we do this and change this wrongdoing

    • Jennifer Lane

      Hi Daniel – I certainly understand your frustration. The best we can do is clarify a few things that may be helpful to you in how you ultimately decide to handle the matter:

      A) The charge for the 2nd right of interment is a cemetery charge, not a funeral home charge. If it seemed like it was a funeral home charge it may be that they were simply going to carry the cemetery’s charge on their contract, or they were just passing the information along to you from the cemetery.

      B) When you purchase a grave or a plot from a cemetery, what you are actually buying is a single right of interment. In essence, then, the cemetery sells a right of interment which for the price sold only allows for the remains of 1 person.

      C) The charge for the 2nd right of interment in the same plot or grave is determined by the cemetery. They are allowed to set their pricing so we would recommend that you ask the cemetery to explain their charge.

  7. Robert

    My parents have each been cremated and in separate plastic urns. The urns will be placed in one urn, in to a urn vault and buried in a family plot where family is already buried. I am being told we need to pay 2 separate “rites of internment” charges at $1500.00 a piece. Does this seem right where it is one urn?

  8. Upset in Utah

    Nearly four years ago we paid $9,000 for full service burial for my Mom. Mortuary picked her up from our home, kept her for three days, we paid for a casket and ceremony. Now we want to bury my father who we recently had cremated in the same gravesite as my mother. The cemetery is charging $7,000 for the second internment plus other fees cost just as much total $9,200. This is robbery at the expense of heartbroken family members. This is where regulated prices should be required. Rose Hills, California

    • Abraham Rojo

      im actually looking here rn they are charging $8,725 for one and basically the same price for the 2nd one

    • Upset in Utah Too

      I’m another upset in Utah. My mother bought our father’s grave in 1986 when he passed. She recently passed and wanted her cremains to be buried with our father. Rose Hills is telling us it is $11,250 for our second interment right, basically 1/2 of what they claim is the current market value of the grave site. The total cost is north of $15,000. Predatory and unethical in my mind. I understand they can charge a second interment right, but it is in no way reasonable. By the way, Rose Hills’ parent company is Service Corp Intl. in Houston.

    • L. C.

      I just contacted Rose Hills Memorial Park to bury my mother’s ashes in her father’s grave which was purchased in 1928. Our family has purchased five lots there over the years. The second right charge is $7250 +++ for a total of $11,055. This is insane!

  9. john b

    SCI – Lawndale in Houston, TX is asking for $14,000 for 2nd interment because I want to put a double cremation urn into our plot that was paid for years ago.

    • David

      Hey John, I think I got you beat. The place I want to put my relative is asking 18k! What a joke. This is highway robbery!

  10. Office administrator

    I work at a cemetery. We charge a second right of interment. This information is always discussed with the customers prior to burial as long as the customer tells us their plans. If you place ashes in a casket and do not tell the funeral home or the cemetery but then try to add a name to grave marker, you will have to pay that second right plus the cost to add the name. Some of the charges I see on here are outrageous. Ours is nowhere near that. Our lots are from $1695 to $1995. Our second right of interment is $1095. Again- we always do our best in over inform our customers of all charges. Some places seem to be taking advantage of families at their time of grievance and that is a terrible practice.

    • Ninab

      Rose Hills, now owned by Service Corp. Intl. is charging $11,000 just for the 2nd right of interment to inter our mom’s ashes into our dad’s grave. I understand a reasonable fee for this right, but this is outrageous. How can this company get away with this? Who is overseeing these practices?

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