How to Compare Funeral Costs So You Don’t Overspend

Planning a funeral can be as complex as planning a wedding. With numerous decisions—flowers, venues, catering—every choice impacts the final price. Like opting for a backyard reception to save costs on a banquet hall, you can make cost-effective decisions when arranging a funeral. However, unlike weddings, funerals offer no chance for a redo. It's a singular opportunity to honor your loved one, making it crucial to balance financial considerations and emotional needs.

Families often regret focusing solely on costs at the expense of meaningful arrangements. By conducting a funeral price comparison, you can ensure the service reflects your loved one’s wishes and your budget.

Two Essential Questions to Answer Before Arranging a Funeral

Before contacting funeral providers, take a moment to reflect on these critical questions. Clear answers will help guide your decisions and provide clarity during an emotional time.

1. What Would Your Loved One Want?

Check if your loved one made prearranged plans, such as a prepaid funeral. If no plans exist, think about their preferences. Did they express wishes for cremation versus burial, a formal service, or a more casual gathering? These decisions can influence your costs significantly.

Factors to consider when deciding between burial and cremation include:

• Cultural or religious funeral beliefs toward cremation versus burial, post-death preparation, such as washing and dressing the decedent in special clothes
• Family traditions
• Practical considerations if family members cannot immediately travel
• Proximity and options offered by funeral provider
• Personal preferences of those closest to the deceased
• Budget

2. What Do YOU Want?

Funerals are ultimately for the living. Naturally, you want to honor your loved one’s wishes to the best of your ability. You should also consider what type of memorial feels meaningful and authentic for everyone involved. Your choices will guide you as you compare funeral plans and find a provider that meets your emotional and financial needs.

Think about:

• Beliefs: A secular service is a wise choice if you and your family are not religious. Your spiritual leader can guide you if you are devout in your faith. 
• Guest List: Did your loved one have many friends, family members, or work colleagues? Were they a notable member of the community? Consider how many people might want to pay their respects because that affects venue size, catering, and parking. 
• Timeframe: Burials usually take place within a few days after passing. Can family members travel to arrive in time? If not, cremation might be a better choice. On a related note, if your loved one dies during the winter, the ground might be too frozen for burial until it thaws. Are you ready to pay for extended refrigeration and embalming? 
• Location: Do you want a service close to your home (if you do most of the planning) or where your loved one lived?

The FTC Funeral Rule: Understanding Your Rights

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) introduced The Funeral Rule as a federal law that ensures funeral homes provide consumers with accurate, transparent pricing information and disclose their rights when making funeral arrangements. Funeral providers must:

• Provide a copy of their General Price List (GPL) that is yours to keep 
• Offer goods and services a la carte
• Explain what is included in packaged plans

Funeral homes also must provide prices for:

• Direct cremation
• Immediate burial
• Basic services of funeral director and staff, and overhead
• Embalming
• Other preparation of the body
• Use of facilities and staff for
• Viewing
• Funeral ceremony
• Memorial service
• Use of equipment and staff for a graveside service
• Hearse
• Limousine
• Receiving and Forwarding remains to another funeral home
• Caskets
• Outer burial containers (vaults)

By obtaining this information, you can compare funeral costs across providers and avoid hidden fees.

Your rights under the Funeral Rule include:

• Buy only the funeral arrangements you want.
• Get price information over the telephone.
• Get a written, itemized price list when you visit a funeral home (or via email or download that you can print from their website). 
• See a written casket price list before the actual caskets because lower-priced options typically aren’t in the display area.
• See a written outer burial container price list (this container encloses the casket placed in an opened grave before a graveside service).
• Receive a written statement after you decide what you want and before you pay.
• Get an explanation in the written statement that describes any legal cemetery or crematory rules that require you to buy specific funeral goods or services.
• Use an alternative container instead of a casket for cremation.
• Provide the funeral home with a casket or urn you buy elsewhere (and they cannot charge a handling fee if you provide these items).
• Make funeral arrangements without embalming (no state requires embalming for routine burial or cremations). 

It is important to note that the Funeral Rule for funeral homes does not apply to third-party sellers, including:

• Casket and urn companies
• Burial vault providers
• Monument, headstone, and marker companies
• Memorial items (such as cremation jewelry)
• Cemeteries that do not have an on-site funeral home

Understanding these rights gives you an accurate funeral price comparison and empowers you to make informed decisions.

Comparing Basic and Optional Funeral Services

To effectively compare funeral prices, it’s important to distinguish between required and optional services. On a typical GPL, you'll notice items described as “non-declinable.” Most GPLs separate mandatory fees (e.g., basic services) from extras, such as upgraded caskets or catering for memorial services.

Mandatory Costs

• Basic Services of Funeral Director and Staff: This fee is already included in the prices for direct cremation, immediate burial, forwarding, and receiving remains and cannot be added to any of those prices. Basic services include: 
• Holding the remains 
• Funeral planning 
• Obtaining necessary permits for burial or cremation
• Getting the death certificate
• Preparing the death notice
• Coordinating with the cemetery, crematory, or others
• A portion of the funeral provider’s overhead expenses 
• Direct Cremation: Providers must offer a price for performing a simple cremation without embalming, viewing, or service. Direct cremation plans include:
• Prices for a cremation casket from the funeral home
• Prices for an alternative, cheaper container made from less expensive materials
• Transportation of your loved one
• Basic fees
• Immediate Burial: This is a basic burial plan without embalming, viewing, or service. Immediate burial plans give you the option of:
• Purchasing the funeral home’s minimal casket or alternative container
• Supplying your casket 
• Upgrading to a more expensive casket for extra
• Transportation of your loved one
• Basic fees

Optional Upgrades

• Upgraded caskets, cremation urns, and burial vaults
• Embalming for viewing or visitation, per local ordinances or requirements
• Memorial products and keepsakes, including printed programs, memorial folders, prayer cards, and personalized tributes or videos
• Memorial service options, including catering, audiovisual equipment, certified celebrants, flowers, and other costs 
• Additional transportation for guests between funeral home and graveside ceremonies

If the funeral home owns and operates the crematory and cemetery, they should provide an estimate for additional related services:

• Witnessing the cremation 
• Cemetery fees for burial or interment
• Graveside services

5 Practical Tips to Prevent Emotional Overspending

Grieving families often face “grief brain,” a condition where emotional trauma affects decision-making and can lead to emotional overspending. To stay grounded and make rational choices, follow these tips:

1. Review the General Price List – Familiarize yourself with pricing before meeting to identify cost-effective options.
2. Bring a Trusted Family Member or Friend – A friend or family member can provide emotional support and help you focus on your budget and priorities during the arrangement process. They offer an objective perspective that can prevent you from succumbing to emotional pressure. 
3. Set a Budget – Take a few moments to write down your preferred price range and absolute maximum. List your priorities in order of importance, whether a specific type of casket or having an honor guard present for a veteran. 
4. Bring Relevant Documentation – This might include insurance policies, prearranged funeral plans, military separation papers, or any instructions from your loved one regarding their preferences for the funeral. Also, bring receipts or delivery information if you purchased a casket or urn from an outside vendor. 
5. Be Prepared to Walk Away – If a provider’s prices or services don’t meet your expectations, don’t hesitate to explore other options. There is probably another local funeral provider who can serve you. Take your business elsewhere if you feel pressured, uncomfortable, or dissatisfied with a provider’s prices, services, and memorial products. 

You Can Do This: We’re Here to Help

Making funeral arrangements is never easy, but understanding your rights and options can prevent emotional overspending. At Afterall, we’re committed to helping families navigate this challenging time with compassionate support.

Afterall is a collective of funeral homes, cemeteries, and cremation providers dedicated to helping you through the end-of-life journey. Find a funeral home near you or learn more about how you can ease the burden on your loved ones through funeral preplanning. Taking these steps today can save your family from unnecessary financial and emotional stress during their time of grief.