Funeral planning checklist: how to plan your own funeral
Death is never an easy subject to think about, especially your own death. But sometimes confronting an uncomfortable topic ahead of time can be a great gift to your family and friends. This post will cover how to plan your own funeral and make your wishes known in case of unforeseen circumstances. We hope it gives you and your loved ones peace of mind.
Why plan your own funeral
According to a 2025 NFDA study, only 19.4 percent of Americans have pre-planned and prepaid for their own funeral arrangements, even though doing so locks in today’s prices and eases the financial burden on loved ones.
Planning your own funeral might be the last thing you want to contemplate, but there are many logistical and business issues that need to be addressed when we die. Doing some legwork in advance can ease some of the burden on your loved ones during an already difficult time, especially financially.
“One of the most overlooked parts of funeral planning is how much it can cost, and how your loved ones will be able to pay for services that can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars,” explains Gail Rubin, a death educator and author of the book, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die. She emphasizes that it’s important to “be an informed consumer.”
What to get in order
Rubin advises people to make sure they organize all of their important papers and give that information to a trusted family member.
“If you suddenly dropped off the face of the planet, your family will need to be able to contact your executor, lawyer, financial advisor, insurance agent, banker, other professional advisors, as well as family and friends. A master list with those names and numbers will save loved ones a lot of stress,” she says.
Make your wishes known
Rubin advises putting some thought into what you would like to plan for your own funeral, which can save your family from the stress of having to guess and make decisions at a time when they need to focus on grieving.
“Your loved ones need a sense of what you might want for your ‘good goodbye,'” Rubin says. “Would you want burial, cremation, donating your body to science? If cremation, what happens to your remains? What about some kind of gathering so people can start the process of learning to live without you? Funerals are now ‘celebrations of life.'”
Kenneth A. Cahall, President of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), adds, “When families don’t have these important discussions, family members who are left behind may feel overwhelmed and not be prepared to make these important decisions when their loved one dies.”
How crowdfunding can help
One of the major benefits of funeral pre-planning is that you can start putting money aside to help ease any future burden on your loved ones. But what if there’s an unexpected death in the family and you need to pay for a funeral right away?
Crowdfunding can be an important financial tool in the event of a sudden loss. GoFundMe offers fundraising opportunities that can help your family through one of life’s most difficult times. For tips on sharing your story and reaching more supporters, see our guide to funeral fundraising tips.
Include your online presence in your funeral pre-planning
When a person dies, their online life continues, and this can be an invitation for fraud, warns Rubin. Among your important papers, be sure to include all your usernames and passwords for social media and other online accounts.
“You need to know the extent of a person’s online life to avoid hacking and identity theft of the dead. About a third of today’s deceased persons are victims of ID theft. It’s vital to shut down social media accounts and other online accounts, and avoid putting too much detail in obituaries,” says Rubin, adding that she keeps an up-to-date printed spreadsheet of sites, usernames, passwords, and notes about automatic account billing. This figure matches data from the Identity Theft Resource Center: about 800,000 of the 2.5 million deceased Americans targeted by identity thieves each year are targeted specifically because they died.
Take the time to plan ahead
Funeral planning is one of those rites of passage in life that most of us must go through. If you’ve already been through the process of planning one for someone else, especially if you weren’t sure about their wishes, then you can understand the value of planning your own funeral.
Even if it’s difficult, have conversations with loved ones about your final wishes, and be sure to share copies of important documents and passwords. While you’re at it, make sure you have your family members’ information and an understanding of their final wishes. Above all, remember that there is no right formula for these conversations or your planning.
For more information, see our posts on organizations that help with funeral expenses, the cost of funeral services, and how to get help with burial expenses.
Funeral planning checklist
Planning your funeral in advance comes down to a handful of clear decisions. Use this funeral planning checklist to work through them.
- Choose your type of service. Decide on burial, cremation, or donating your body to science. Write down your choice.
- Pick a funeral home or cremation provider. Ask two or three for a price list. The FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to give you these upon request.
- Decide on a memorial location. For burial, look into cemetery options and plot costs. You can often pay for a plot in advance. For cremation, decide what you want done with your remains. Some cemeteries have a special area for scattering ashes.
- Write down what kind of service you want. This could be a celebration of life, a traditional funeral, a graveside service, or no service. Make sure to include music, readings, and other wishes.
- Gather your important papers. Keep your will, insurance policies, and bank details in one place. Add a contact list for your executor, lawyer, and financial advisor. Make sure your family knows where to find them.
- Make a list of your online accounts. Include your usernames and passwords. Add notes for social media and subscriptions.
- Set money aside or pay in advance. Ask a funeral home about paying ahead of time. Or open a savings account or funeral trust just for this.
- Tell someone. Share your wishes with a trusted family member and give them access to your documents.
For help with the financial side of funeral planning, see our guide to organizations that help with funeral expenses.
Funeral planning FAQs
Start by choosing your type of service. This means burial, cremation, or body donation. Decide if you want a gathering too. Write down your choices. Pick a funeral home or cremation provider and ask for pricing. Gather your important papers, including your will, insurance policies, and digital account details. Tell a trusted family member your wishes and where to find your documents. Consider paying in advance or saving money to help your family later.
Costs depend on your choices. The NFDA says the median cost for a funeral with viewing and burial is $8,300, and the cost for cremation is $6,280 (2023 data). Paying in advance locks in today’s prices. If you want more flexibility, you can save money in a separate account or funeral trust instead.
If a family can’t pay for a funeral, there are a few options. Some funeral homes offer payment plans or reduced-cost services for families in need. It’s worth asking directly. Government programs may help too, such as Social Security, the VA, or state Medicaid. It depends on your situation. Many families also start a GoFundMe to ask friends and their community for help.