A Simple Guide To Funeral Costs| FuneralSmart

When you buy a funeral service without doing your homework you can be very vulnerable and it’s very difficult to unpack that product. It’s very hard to get a funeral director to tell you the cost of each item in a package. That’s where eziFunerals can help.

FuneralSmart has prepared the following guide to help you understand funeral costs and avoid unnecessary fees and charges.

Use our guide to plan a funeral, connect with funeral directors and compare funeral costs before selecting a funeral director.

How are funeral costs calculated?

Funeral Service Quotes from funeral directors are often presented in three parts: 

Funeral Director (Professional) Fees
Coffins and Caskets
Disbursements

Funeral Director (Professional) Fees 

Funeral Director (Professional) Fees  are usually not itemised in the quote from the funeral director. These fees cover the services funeral directors provide using their own resources. Generally these tasks include collecting, transporting, and preparing the body, and providing chapel or viewing facilities as well as staff, a hearse and mourners’ cars.

This cost also includes the ‘organising’ they do on your behalf, such as speaking with clergy, organising the cemetery or crematorium, arranging for medical or death certificates and ordering flowers and placing obituaries.  The fees will vary according to which funeral director you use and the level of service you choose. 

Coffins and Caskets

Purchasing a coffin is one of the most expensive items for any funeral, and many people either don’t have the means to pay for a coffin or would prefer not to spend such a large sum of money.

Coffins are usually less expensive than caskets. Coffins and caskets with more elaborate fittings, linings and timbers are more expensive.   

There is a wide range available on offer by suppliers. Coffins vary in materials and costs depending on your choice and budget.

Solid timber
Craft wood/timber combination
Particle board
Plain craft wood or chipboard
Cardboard

Disbursements

Disbursements are fees charged by a third party which the funeral director pays on your behalf. Necessary disbursements include the fees charged by a doctor for medical certificates and permits or fees charged by a cemetery or crematorium. Other disbursements may include newspaper notices, flowers or refreshments you have requested. The funeral director should only pass the actual cost on to you. 