Guides
Guides to paying less for a funeral
6 short guides: the cheapest funeral options, how to read a funeral home's price list, what the FTC Funeral Rule lets you refuse, and which benefits help with the bill. Each one links to the rules and official sources behind it.
Money-saving guide
How to have the cheapest funeral possible
The cheapest funeral is usually a direct cremation, which is cremation with no viewing, visitation or ceremony with the body present. If you want a burial, immediate burial is usually the lowest-cost choice. To pay less, compare the General Price Lists of at least two funeral homes, buy only the items you want, and bring your own urn or casket if you find one cheaper. The FTC Funeral Rule gives you the right to do each of these.
Updated October 21, 2026
Price list guide
How to read a funeral home price list
A General Price List (GPL) is the itemized list of prices every funeral home has to give you under the FTC Funeral Rule, and you get to keep it. Start with the basic services fee, the only fee you can't decline. Then add up only the items you want, and compare the same lines on at least two homes' lists.
Updated October 21, 2026
Know your rights
Your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule
The FTC Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453) is the federal regulation that lets you buy only the funeral goods and services you want. You can get prices over the phone and see written, itemized price lists before you commit. You can bring a casket or urn you bought elsewhere without paying a handling fee, and choose arrangements without embalming.
Updated October 21, 2026
Comparison
Direct cremation vs. traditional funeral
Direct cremation usually costs less than a traditional funeral because it leaves out the paid extras. It's cremation with no viewing, visitation or ceremony with the body present. A traditional funeral adds services such as embalming, a viewing, a ceremony at the funeral home and a hearse, and each one is a separate line on the General Price List. Immediate burial, the burial version of direct cremation, is the other low-cost option.
Updated October 21, 2026
Financial help
Government help paying for a funeral
Government help with funeral costs is limited. Social Security pays a one-time $255 death payment to an eligible surviving spouse or child. The VA pays burial and plot allowances for eligible veterans. People on SSI can set aside up to $1,500 for burial without it counting against them. Funeral costs can be deducted on a federal estate tax return, but not as a personal medical expense.
Updated October 21, 2026
After the funeral
Settling the estate after the funeral
Start with four things: order enough certified death certificates, find the will and the person's financial papers, check whether the estate needs probate in your state, and keep every funeral receipt. Whoever paid for the funeral may be able to get that money back from the estate.
Updated October 21, 2026