Most families meet a funeral home for the first time on the worst day of the year they have had. Nobody has to decide anything at the first visit, and you can ask for the paperwork before the death happens. This article is about what to ask for and what to check before you commit to a provider or sign anything.
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What the federal rule gives you
The Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule, found at 16 CFR Part 453, requires funeral providers to give you a general price list when you ask for one in person. They must also give you price information over the telephone if you ask. The rule lets you buy only the goods and services you choose, and it does not require you to buy a casket for a cremation. It also restricts a provider from charging a fee for handling a casket you bought somewhere else. The Sources page lists where this site draws its rules from.
Ask for the list before you are in the room
Call two or three providers and ask whether they will send or give you the general price list. Ask whether the list is current and whether it includes every item they offer. A provider who will not give prices over the phone or on paper is telling you how the rest of the process may go.
Compare the lines you will actually use
Read each item on the list and mark which ones apply to your situation. Typical lines include the basic services fee, transfer of the person from the home or facility, embalming if you choose it, cremation or burial, the use of facilities and vehicles, and copies of the death certificate. Note which costs go to the funeral home and which go to a cemetery, crematory, or other third party. Those are often separate bills.
If you are thinking about paying ahead
Ask whether the arrangement is in writing and whether it can be cancelled. Ask where the money is held, whether it is in a trust or an insurance policy, and what happens if the business closes, moves, or is sold. Ask whether you can change the plan later and what it costs to do so. Keep a copy of the contract in a place the person who will make the call can find it.
What to bring home
Take home the general price list, any written contract, and the name of the person who will sign on the family's behalf. If you are comparing two providers, put their lists side by side on one page so the differences are visible without memory doing the work.
Nobody needs to settle this at two in the morning. The list is a document you can ask for on a weekday and read at your own table. Ask for it while the person at home can still hear the conversation, and while you still have time to think it over.