A Guide to Funeral Costs

We aim to be transparent and fair about all aspects of arranging a funeral for your loved one, including the cost of a funeral. We know that there can be some confusion about what you can expect from us, what is included and how we arrive at the final invoice cost, so we hope that this short overview will help you.

The total cost of a funeral is made up of two main parts:

Funeral Director's Charges - TBC (uPDATING)

Funeral Director’s Charges or Professional Services include the following:

  • 24-hour telephone support
  • Bringing the deceased into our care within a 30-mile radius
  • All administration relating to funeral arrangements including the completion and delivery of statutory documents
  • Liaising with third parties on client’s behalf
  • Administration of donations on client’s behalf
  • Placing of newspaper notices
  •  Use of the Chapel of Rest (by appointment)
  • Care of the deceased including dressing
  • Provision of a motorised hearse within a 30-mile radius
  • Services of a qualified Funeral Director to conduct the funeral
  • Services of fully-trained staff to drive funeral vehicles, act as ushers and bearers. Please note that on certain occasions, additional staff may be required to assist at the funeral and additional charges will apply. We must always have a minimum of three trained coffin bearers in attendance, to meet required health and safety standards.

Professional fees also include an appropriate proportion of business overheads such as insurances and maintenance costs etc.

Additional Costs

  • Additional Bearers
  • Preparation of a grave
  • Preparation of an ashes plot
  • Funeral Director’s attendance at interment of ashes 
  • Coffin / Ashes caskets 
  • Floral Tributes 
  • Hire of Limousine to follow hearse 
  • Printed Service Sheets 
  • Additional mileage beyond 30 miles 
  • Additional charges for staff will be incurred if a funeral is in two or more parts and therefore occupies more than 3 hours in total

Disbursements

Disbursements are the monies paid out to third parties on behalf of the client. These include fees to crematoria, cemeteries, church, clergy and doctors’ fees, newspaper notices, venues and caterers, florists and so on. These fees are generally paid out either prior to or on the day of the funeral. We make every effort to accurately estimate third party costs before the funeral but any subsequent changes to costs made by third parties is beyond our control and will be incorporated in the final account.

Disbursement Fees

The following information is to give an idea of costs but is by no means exhaustive.

  • Services of a Church of England Minister or Civil Celebrant
  • Doctors’ fees for the completion of cremation paperwork
  • Crematorium fees
  • Burial Fees

Simple Funeral Options

If a ceremony or service is not required, we offer a totally fuss-free option which keeps costs to a minimum. 

Our Unattended Direct Cremation Service costs from TBC (updating) and includes the following:

  • * Collection of the deceased from place of death within 30 miles
  • * Administration and legal documentation
  • * Supplying a simple coffin
  • * Taking the deceased to a local crematorium for cremation - no ceremony or mourners
  • * Crematorium Fees
  • * Doctors' fees for completion of cremation paperwork
  • * Cremated remains to be scattered at Crematorium (unattended) or collected from our offices within 30 days

 

Our Limited Cremation Service allows for mourners to attend a 9.00am Cremation Service. This price only applies to local Crematoriums who offer this attended reduced fee slot. Costs from TBC (Updating) and includes the following:

  • Collection of the deceased from place of death within 30 miles
  • Administration and legal documentation
  • Supplying a simple coffin
  •  Provision of a Hearse to convey the coffin to the Crematorium
  • Services of a qualified Funeral Director and Staff to bear the coffin
  • Crematorium Fees
  •  Doctors' fees for completion of cremation paperwork
  •  Cremated remains to be scattered at Crematorium (unattended) or collected from our offices within 30 days

Both of the above options exclude the following: hire of funeral cars for family, services of an officiant or organist, service sheets, floral tributes, placing of newspaper notices, administration of donations or chapel visits. 

*Prices are valid from 1 February 2021 to 31st January 2022 but are subject to change from third parties.

  Coffins Ashes Caskets
Oak Veneered £TBC £TBC
Solid Oak £TBC £TBC
Pandanus - Seagrass & Willow £TBC £TBC
Bamboo £TBC £TBC
Willow £TBC £TBC
Cardboard £TBC N/A
Colourful Coffin £TBC £TBC
     

 

Terms of Payment
You will receive your invoice approximately 10-14 days after the funeral unless you specifically require it sooner. Only in exceptional circumstances do we ask for a deposit prior to the funeral. However, we do ask that you settle your bill within 30 days of the invoice date. You can pay either by cheque, card or BACs transfer. It is helpful to know in advance if a solicitor is going to be handling the account so that we can liaise directly with them. We understand that paying for a funeral can be daunting, especially if the death was unexpected. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any concerns about being able to pay the bill so that we can talk through all the options available. We will always try to help if we can.