Free Tool
What does a funeral actually cost?
Funeral pricing is the most opaque corner of end-of-life planning. NFDA medians are real but average $9,420 for traditional burial. This tool covers five service paths (burial, cremation with service, direct cremation, green burial, natural organic reduction) with regional pricing and the savings paths most people do not know about.
Service details
Estimated cost
Cremation with full ceremonial service including viewing.
Reduce the cost
Five legal ways families lower funeral costs
- Direct cremation. The single biggest reduction. Direct cremation runs $700 to $1,500 nationally. Family arranges any memorial separately, on their own schedule, often at no additional venue cost.
- Pre-plan and prepay. Locks in todays prices. Saves 12 to 25 percent versus paying at need (industry inflation runs about 5 percent annually for funeral services).
- Skip the embalming. Federal law does not require embalming for most cases. Direct burial or refrigerated viewing eliminates a $700-$1,000 line item.
- Use a casket from outside the funeral home. Federal Funeral Rule mandates that funeral homes accept caskets from third parties. Online caskets often run 50 to 70 percent less than funeral-home caskets.
- Veteran benefits. The VA pays burial benefits up to about $2,000 plus a free plot at a national cemetery for eligible veterans. Family must apply.
Founding 10,000 Members
The full pre-planning workbook is free for founding members.
Worksheet, conversation scripts, and the comparison framework. Email is all we need.
Plan Your Passing is not a law firm. The information on this site is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, tax, medical, or professional advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this site or using any tool on it. Estate, probate, tax, and inheritance laws differ by country, state, province, county, and individual circumstance, and they change over time. You are solely responsible for confirming the laws that apply to you. Always consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before making any legal, financial, or tax decision regarding wills, trusts, beneficiaries, probate, real estate transfers, gifts, or end-of-life directives. The author, operators, and affiliates of this site disclaim all liability for actions taken or not taken based on its contents.