A funeral is a honoured ceremony following a death to memorialise, honour and to celebrate an individual. The service is very personal and will usually reflect the wishes of your loved one. Funeral services may be held at a funeral home chapel, cemetery (known as graveside), or a place of worship. The funeral ceremony is connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a cremation or a burial.  

The funeral can only take place after the death is registered. You can pay for a funeral director to arrange the funeral or do it yourself. You should check if the person who died had made arrangements for their funeral - this could include prepaid funeral plans or life insurance.

There are several steps for planning a funeral.  

The first step will be to register the death within five days.

Following that, arrangements for the funeral will need to be made.

If you hire a funeral director, choose a funeral director who’s a member of either:

These organisations have codes of practice - they should give you a price list when asked.

Some local councils run their own funeral services, for example for non-religious burials. The British Humanist Association and Institute of Civil Funerals can also help with non-religious funerals.

Contact the Cemeteries and Crematorium Department of your local council to arrange a funeral yourself.

Funeral costs can include: 

  • funeral director fees

  • things the funeral director pays for on your behalf (called ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’), for example crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death

  • local authority burial or cremation fees

Funeral directors may list all these costs in their quote. You can get quotes from several funeral directors to see what is available within your budget. MoneyHelper has information about funeral costs and how to reduce them.

Paying for a funeral

The funeral can be paid for: 

  • from a financial scheme the person had, for example a pre-paid funeral plan or insurance policy

  • by you, or other family members or friends

  • with money from the person’s estate (savings, for example) - getting access to this is called applying for a ‘grant of representation’ (sometimes called ‘applying for probate’)

You can apply for a Funeral Expenses Payment if you have difficulty paying for the funeral. You could be eligible if you get certain benefits and need help to pay for a funeral you’re arranging. For more information, visit the gov.uk website.

You need permission from a coroner to move a body for a funeral abroad. Apply at least four days before you want the body to be moved. 

Find a local coroner using the Coroners’ Society of England and Wales website.