The nonprofit Consumer Checkbook collected local consumer ratings of the funeral homes they had used. Checkbook also assessed funeral home prices by asking undercover buyers to collect their fees and casket prices. Until October 31, Washington Post readers can access Checkbook’s funeral home reviews for free via Checkbook.org/WashingtonPost/funerals.
Protect yourself from overspending
If you are planning a service, do not go to a funeral home alone. Bring along a less involved companion who can assure you that sensible cost-cutting decisions are acceptable.
Specialized organizations can also contribute. Nonprofit funeral consumer organizations, also known as “memorial societies,” provide consumer education and resources regarding burial and cremation rights and options. The Alliance of Funeral Consumers (funeraires.org) is the national association of affiliates. The Washington area has two organizations: the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maryland and Environs (mdfunerals.org), which also serves the District; and the Memorial Society of Northern Virginia (memorialsocietyva.org).
And though it may be difficult, plan ahead your own funeral is meaningful and provides a valuable contribution to your survivors when they are forced to make many decisions on short notice. Write down and share your preferences with loved ones and include them in the process to ensure their emotional needs are met.
When discussing options with a funeral home, start by asking for their General Price List (GPL). The Federal Trade Commission requires funeral homes to provide a copy of their prices if you ask. Many GPL licenses are long and confusing, so also ask for a detailed written quote for the services you are considering.
Some funeral directors may encourage you to come because “these issues are too complicated to discuss over the phone or by email” or “we can probably find a solution between us”. Checkbook Tips: Only deal with funeral homes that easily provide detailed pricing information to potential customers without requiring an in-person appointment.
There are several options for disposing of leftovers. Most families choose burial with a traditional funeral, immediate burial, or cremation (with or without a funeral).
Burial can take place directly, without visitation or ceremony, or with any combination of visitation, ceremony and service at the cemetery. It usually requires a coffin; cemetery land; the cost of opening and closing the tomb; cemetery endowment (maintenance); and a marker, monument or tombstone.
In Checkbook’s survey of local funeral home prices, costs for a traditional oak casket burial ranged from $7,290 to $26,575, with an average of $12,867. Cemetery fees will add thousands to these amounts.
Immediate burial is much less expensive if an inexpensive casket is chosen. A funeral home files the necessary paperwork, places the unembalmed body in a casket, and takes the remains to a cemetery for burial, usually the same day. On average, families will save $5,000 to $6,000 compared to a traditional funeral.
Cremation is an increasingly popular choice. Like the funeral, it can be direct or after a funeral. Cremation also allows flexibility on the time and place of services; many families now hold memorial services at their homes or at the preferred location of the deceased.
Cremated remains can be scattered, kept at home, buried in a cemetery, or interred in a columbarium. Burial or burial increases the cost. In Checkbook’s Pricing Survey, funeral home fees for direct cremation (no funeral) ranged from $1,295 to $7,595, with an average of $3,343.
The casket is usually the most expensive item at a funeral. Casket prices range from less than $1,000 for a wooden box to $25,000 or more for elaborate designs. The markup on a casket is often three to five times higher, so beware. Advice from a funeral director — and even the design of the selection room — can make you pay too much. Most people choose mid-range steel or hardwood models for $3,000 to $6,000.
The least expensive containers—cardboard containers or bags—are suitable for cremation or direct burial. Some funeral homes have rental caskets that can be used for viewing, allowing you to purchase a cheaper one for burial.
Checkbook’s underground buyers have found the cheapest way to buy caskets is to shop online. For example, for an oak casket, the average price quoted by area funeral homes was $3,782; buyers found a comparable model online for $1,200. Online sellers ship caskets overnight, and by law funeral homes must use them, upon request.
You must also choose between a religious and secular service, held in a funeral home, religious establishment, residence or elsewhere. Determine if you would like a traditional funeral, with the casket open or closed, or if you would prefer a memorial service with no body present. Memorial services, religious services and funeral services generally cost less than conventional funerals.
Check out resources that could help with funeral costs. Because many people are unaware of the benefits available for final expenses, money often remains unclaimed. Most death benefits are not automatically sent to survivors and must be requested.
A lump-sum Social Security death benefit of $255 is available for a surviving spouse or eligible dependent child (under age 18).
In April 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency launched a reimbursement program to help those who lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone with covid-related funeral expenses may be eligible for reimbursement of up to $9,000. You cannot request reimbursement of funeral expenses online; you should call the FEMA covid-19 funeral assistance hotline at 844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585). There is no deadline for applying for this benefit.
Honorably discharged veterans and their spouses may be eligible to be buried in one of 155 national cemeteries in 42 states (and Puerto Rico), complete with headstone and casket flag. Other benefits may be available if the death occurred while on active duty or while hospitalized at a veterans facility. To verify, contact the Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Benefits Administration (800-827-1000, benefits.va.gov).
Other possibilities include payments from fraternal organizations, lodges, clubs, union welfare funds, pension plans and employers.
Many funeral homes offer plans that allow you to prepay for your funeral. These deals represent significant financial commitments, and many unscrupulous venues have misappropriated prepaid customer funds; others have gone out of business without protecting their customers’ prepaid assets. A better arrangement is to open a joint savings account with a likely survivor who will have immediate access to the funds upon your death.
Kevin Brasler is editor of the nonprofit magazine Washington Consumers’ Checkbook and checkbook.org. You can access Checkbook’s unbiased reviews of Washington-area funeral homes for free through October 31 at Checkbook.org/WashingtonPost/funerals.
