Practical advice for planning a funeral

Introduction

Planning a funeral can be an overwhelming task at an already tough time. In this guide, we’ve put together some of the practical essentials you need to get you started with organising a funeral.

The most important thing to know is that there’s no ‘right way’ to do a funeral. A funeral is a farewell to the person who has died, and since we’re all unique, funerals can be too.

What to check before planning a funeral

1. Have they shared their funeral wishes already?

It’s good to check whether the person who has died has already set out their funeral wishes ahead of time, as this will save you any unnecessary stress of organising everything from scratch.

They may have discussed it with friends and family, or there might be an appendix to their will, in which they’ve detailed their funeral wishes. Or, they may have written their funeral wishes down elsewhere.

If their funeral wishes seem unrealistic or too expensive for you to cover the costs, there is no legal obligation to follow them to the letter, if it’s not possible.

2. Have they got a prepaid funeral plan?

Some people also purchase a prepaid funeral plan ahead of time. Check if the person who has died put one of these in place.

Prepaid funeral plans cover many of the essential costs of a funeral. Find out more about them, here.

Things to consider when planning a funeral from scratch:

If there isn’t a funeral plan in place already, here are some questions that might help you get started:

• Did they have any religious beliefs that might help determine what kind of funeral they’d like?
• Did they express a preference for burial, cremation or anything else?
• What songs did they love?
• Did they have any poems that were meaningful to them?
• Who are the people that are most important to them?
• How would they want to be remembered?
• Do you want or need to have the funeral quickly, or do you want to take your time?
• Would they have wanted people to dress in all-black, or something more colourful?
• Are there any personal items of theirs, such as photo albums, or collections of objects, that it would be meaningful to put on display?

Choosing a funeral director

Most funerals are organised with the help of a funeral director. They help to remove some of the organisational burden at a tricky time – but they do come with a cost.

If the person who died shared their funeral wishes, they may have already selected a funeral director ahead of time.

If this isn’t the case, and you want to hire a funeral director, look for a funeral director who’s a member a professional organisation, such as:

• National Association of Funeral Directors
• The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF)
  They have codes of conduct and clear price lists, when asked.

Organising a funeral, without a funeral director

It is possible to organise a funeral without a funeral director. This can save on some costs, but it is extra work. To do so, contact your local council’s Cemeteries and Crematorium Department for advice on how to arrange a funeral yourself.

Funeral Costs

Funeral costs can be overwhelming and can have a long-term financial impact for some. This is especially true when the person who has died has not set aside money for the funeral, or where a death is unexpected. We’ve compiled some tips on how to reduce funeral costs, here.

If there is no viable way for you to pay for the funeral, you can seek support from the government via the following schemes:

1. Funeral Expenses Payment can help to pay for some funeral costs, such as burial fees, cremation fees, a death certificate as well as other documents.
   You may be eligible for a Funeral Expenses Payment if you receive certain benefits or tax credits, and if you have a close relationship with the person who has died (for example, you may be their partner or the parent of a child).

2. Bereavement Support Payment may be available to you if your partner has died.
   This payment is not means-tested. To be eligible you must be:

• Under State Pension age,
• Either married to your partner, in a civil partnership with them or living with them as if you were married.
• There are some other requirements that they check when you make the claim e.g. your partner’s working status.
  The size of the Bereavement Support Payment varies depending on your circumstances.