Resources for Making Funeral Arrangements
Everything you need to know about making funeral arrangements.
Making funeral arrangements can be overwhelming, especially during a difficult time. There are lots of calls and decisions to be made. Our Resources help you navigate the process with compassion and care.
From your first calls to selecting funeral services and products, we’ll walk you through every step. We can also help with the tasks after the funeral, like filing claims and taking care of the deceased’s possessions. Use the information on our Arrangements pages as a guide to help you take it one step at a time.
Our easy-to-use tools and resources can help you manage the many details involved and plan a meaningful tribute for your loved one.
Making Arrangements for a Funeral
How To Guides
Payment Options
Other Arrangement Information
Good Things to Know
Request our Guide to Making Funeral Arrangements
Navigating Grief: Essential Funeral Details to Consider When Making Funeral Arrangements
When facing the difficult task of what to do when a parent dies, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed. Take a breath. Your emotions are running high, but there’s still a need to take care of the necessary details.
First, contact a funeral home to guide you through the process. Decisions on burial or cremation and whether there will be a service require attention. When deciding what to do when a loved one dies, consider their wishes, if known, and your family’s needs, too.
Work with professionals who can help with arrangements and see if any prepaid plans exist.
Support from friends or family is invaluable now. Share memories, lean on each other, and honor their life with love and care.
Learn what to do when someone dies, step-by-step Find out who to call when a death has occurred. Learn what to expect when meeting with a funeral director.
How To Make Funeral Arrangements
Making The First Call
The Funeral Arrangement Conference
Can’t find what you need to understand making funeral arrangements? Try Wiley, our chatbot, or email us at support@funeralwise.com.
Paying for a Funeral
Deciding how to pay for a funeral can be a challenging task, especially if the death was unexpected or the deceased made no advance arrangements. The best way by far to make sure that the resources you need when the time comes are there is to plan in advance. Of course, this is not always possible. What then?
The good news is that there are federal and state programs that can help you defray at least some of the costs for funeral and burial. The bad news is that it can be difficult to find information on the programs, and most provide only a portion of the amount needed to pay for a funeral or burial. Most programs are need-based, so you should be prepared to provide documentation of your financial resources.
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about how to pay for a funeral.
Should you find yourself in a situation where you are responsible for making funeral arrangements for a loved one, and there are no resources set aside for this purpose. In that case, you should investigate the available federal, State, and county resources. There may also be non-profit or faith-based groups that have programs for which you may be eligible. Other options are fundraising and funeral loans. Our Paying for a Funeral page offers information on how to start your search for resources.
While some states offer assistance with funeral or burial expenses, in most cases, these programs are administered through the county or local municipality. To learn about how your state provides financial assistance for funerals or burials, visit our State Assistance page.
Social Security offers a one-time death benefit of $255, which can be used for funeral or burial expenses. To receive the payment, you must apply. You can do this on your own at your local Social Security office, or your funeral director can help you.
Generally, funeral and burial expenses are not considered medical expenses, and therefore, Medicare and Medicaid cannot be used to cover them. There are some exceptions in certain states. Under certain Medicare Advantage plans, funds can be set aside for funeral expenses.
Funeral and burial expenses are not considered to be qualified health expenses under flexible spending accounts (FSA), health savings accounts (HSA), health reimbursement arrangements (HRA), limited care flexible spending accounts (LCFSA), or dependent care flexible spending accounts (DCFSA). Because they are not considered qualified, they cannot be used to pay for funeral expenses.
The best way to find help for paying for a funeral is to talk with your funeral director or contact your county health and services department. We have provided information on how each state handles funeral and burial expense assistance on our Federal Assistance and State Assistance pages.
In most cases, the county where the deceased resided will handle the funeral or burial if the deceased is indigent. This generally means a direct cremation is done.
Whether or not borrowing money, either through a funeral loan or a credit card, is a financial decision that you should weigh carefully. These types of arrangements often carry high-interest rates, so it is essential to be aware of all the terms of the loan agreement. For more information on funeral loans, click here.
Most funeral homes require payment before the funeral service. Depending on the provider and your financial circumstances, you may be able to arrange for payment at a later date. For example, many funeral homes will accept a life insurance policy instead of an advance payment. The precise payment details will depend on your particular situation and the policies of the funeral home you choose.
If the primary purpose is taking care of the deceased’s body, the cheapest alternative is low-cost cremation or donation to science. See our article “10 Tips For Having A Cheap Funeral.”
