How to get help with funeral costs in the UK
Grieving the loss of a loved one whilst worrying about the cost of funeral services can be overwhelming. Losing someone close to you is often an extremely difficult experience, bringing up strong emotions. You may feel like you can’t cope with other day-to-day tasks around you anyway, but then there’s also the added stress of organising a funeral and burial. In turn, this costs money and can get extremely expensive very fast. This can add to an already distressing time, which no one wants.
The cost of a funeral can be substantial. The average cost of a funeral in the UK is now £3,828, according to the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026. This can include the viewing, burial, service fees, transport, coffin, embalming, and other costs. Today, many families turn to crowdfunding for funerals to cover the cost of funeral services and create a new way for friends and family to support each other emotionally through this difficult time.
Factors to consider
Potential hidden costs – There may be hidden costs that you might not automatically consider – for example, transportation of the deceased which requires a special vehicle, or embalming.
Personal and cultural preferences – Depending on the religion and culture of the deceased, there may be different ceremonies to consider.
Emotional considerations – Planning a funeral or burial can be an emotive time for everyone and people may have different opinions on how money should be spent. Make sure that everyone is heard and can have their opinion considered.
Timing and urgency – The cost of a funeral or burial may vary depending on if it’s been pre-planned or if nothing has been put in place.
Cost of a funeral UK
The average cost of a funeral in the UK is £4,141 according to SunLife UK. But this cost can vary enormously depending on a number of factors, including location in the country, whether you choose a burial or cremation and also the kind of service you choose to go alongside this.
| Type of funeral | Average Cost | Includes |
| Direct Cremation | £1,628 | Collecting the deceased, a simple coffin, return of ashes |
| Cremation using funeral director | £4,200 | Fees for the cremation or burial, funeral director, doctor and minister or celebrant |
| Burial using a funeral director | £5,440 | Fees for the burial, funeral director, doctor and minister or celebrant. |
Source: SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026
Breakdown of funeral costs
Cost of funeral services
Families often contact a funeral home to begin preparations when a loved one passes away. It’s important not to go alone and to take an impartial party to help deal with sensitive decisions. The general price list covers tasks, including basic service fees, embalming, and funeral home costs.
The basic service fees for funerals typically include the necessary and not much more, such as death certificates, permits, and professional services. Then there are optional services which get added on, like viewing and visitation fees, embalming, if the deceased needs dressing in the coffin, and then the cost of the coffin or urns themselves.
Cemetery and burial costs
For burials, there is usually a procession to the cemetery for the burial of the body after the service at the funeral home. The associated funeral costs of a typical burial are listed on the general price list. These costs can add up quickly, including transportation of the remains, a burial plot, and a coffin.
- The cost of transporting the body from the funeral home to the cemetery in a hearse is usually included in the funeral director’s overall fee. If you’d like additional cars for family and guests, limousine hire typically costs around £463, according to SunLife.
- Securing a plot of land for burial is another funeral expense and can vary in the UK. The median cost of a new grave is £1,229, with prices ranging from £250 to £2,424 depending on the local authority, according to Funeral Cost Index.
- The coffin can be an important element of the funeral in many traditions, but it can also be one of the priciest. Often, funeral homes offer a selection of basic coffins regulated under the general price list, but you can bypass these options and find a more expensive coffin. The average cost of coffins can vary from £150 for a cheap one to £10,000 for the top-of-the-range model, according to Sunlife.
Cremation and memorial service costs
A cremation or memorial service offers flexibility and is usually less expensive for families looking to avoid both the process and cost of funeral services. A memorial involves a celebration of life but may vary from a funeral according to the family’s traditions, beliefs, and wishes.
Here’s an overview of the average cost of a funeral typically associated with memorials and cremation:
- MoneyHelper reports that private crematoriums tend to charge more than those owned by the local authority, so it’s worth comparing quotes from both before deciding.
- According to the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026, a simple attended cremation costs £3,518 on average in the UK, rising to £4,200 for a traditional attended cremation with more inclusions.
Funeral director costs
The funeral director plays a useful and vital role in the running of a burial. They not only co-ordinate the running and timings of the actual funeral ceremony, but they also help the family or the deceased undertake any steps they need. They help to explain laws around funerals and generally help everything to run smoothly.
The fees associated with a funeral director include:
- Looking after the deceased until the funeral.
- Funeral cars and staff.
- Professional services like co-ordinating with a doctor.
Extra (but optional) costs
There are also a lot of extra (but optional) costs associated with a funeral or burial, too. These aren’t essentials but are things that plenty of people may request or want when they pass, such as running orders at the burial ceremony.
| Item | Average Cost |
| Memorial | £1,044 |
| Catering | £564 |
| Limosine | £463 |
| Venue hire | £362 |
| Flowers | £242 |
| Funeral notice | £91 |
| Obituary notice | £81 |
| Order of service sheets | £128 |
| Death certificate | £12.50 per copy |
Source: SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026 and Help After Loss’ article “How Many Death Certificates Do I Need? (2026 Guide)”.
Ways to manage the cost of a funeral
There are a number of ways you can get financial assistance for funeral costs if you find yourself in a difficult situation. Knowing how to pay for a funeral in the UK, whether through government support, charity grants, or crowdfunding, can make a difficult time a little easier to manage.
Pre-planning
A way to help alleviate the financial burden on your family after you’ve gone is by pre-planning your funeral. By pre-planning, you can contribute to the costs but also lock in prices as they are at the time you book the service. There are a few different ways you can do this, too.
- Funeral insurance: Funeral insurance helps to cover the cost of a funeral by paying a premium, usually month by month, which will then pay out a lump sum to help to cover the funeral when you pass.
- Funeral plans: Funeral plans differ slightly from funeral insurance. Rather than paying out a lump sum to your family when you pass, you are essentially prepaying your funeral in advance.
- Funeral trust: A funeral trust is a type of agreement which essentially helps you pre-pay your funeral in advance by placing assets in a trust in a funeral home. This is then managed by trustees who work with the funeral director.
Affordable alternatives
Plenty of people in the UK may want to avoid costly ceremonies and go for a far more pared-back approach. In this case, you may want to consider a direct burial or a direct cremation. This means the burial or cremation takes place without spectators: there is no ceremony, so to speak.
Many people are now also considering eco-friendly or green burials, which means there’s no embalming, the burial is directly into the ground in something biodegradable, and the ceremony is simple and in a designated area of woodland or field. These options are cheaper, as they don’t include costly coffins.
Shop around
When looking at different types of burial and also different funeral directors, it’s a wise idea to shop around and speak to the director before committing. Get a list of standard pricing from several in your area, as well as comparing online, to see if you are getting a deal which suits your loved one’s wishes and financial needs.
Funeral Expenses Payment
You may be eligible for a Funeral Expense Payment if you claim certain benefits and need assistance to pay for a funeral you’re arranging. You can check your eligibility on the Government website. In Scotland, this support is called the Funeral Support Payment, and it’s administered separately by Social Security Scotland.
Children’s Funeral Fund
The Children’s Funeral Fund can help towards paying for the funeral of a child under 18 or a baby that is stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy. It isn’t means-tested, but the funeral must take place in England. There’s also support in:
- Wales: You can get £500 towards the cost of the funeral or other related expenses like floral tributes, according to GOV.WALES.
- Scotland: An average contribution of £2,065 towards reasonable funeral expenses, according to mygov.scot.
- Northern Ireland: A one-off payment of £3,441, according to nidirect.
Charity grants
In some circumstances, you may also be able to apply for charity grants to cover the cost of a funeral. For example, grants from Friends of the Elderly are usually capped at £400, rising to £500 for joint household applications.
Have a wake at home
One of the costs associated with a funeral or burial is the wake afterwards. Many people choose to have a wake in a community environment, such as a local pub or community centre, but there’s also always the option to host the wake at home, if you or someone in the family is happy to host it.
Go for a cheaper coffin
Another large cost associated with a funeral and burial is a coffin. One area where you could keep costs down for a funeral is choosing a cheaper or more economical coffin. Cardboard coffins for cremations, for example, are a more economical option, along with chipboard coffins with wood veneers.
Body donation
If you or your deceased loved one has chosen to do so, donating your body to medical science could prove valuable for a variety of reasons. Donating your body to science is an excellent thing for the cause. It could provide training or medical research, and often, a real-life body is invaluable compared with models, as it shows surgeons and the like how to do things that can’t be emulated. Often, if you donate your body to medical science, it may be two or three years until you can then be buried, and the funeral will be held by the medical school.
Crowdfunding
People crowdfund towards funerals and memorials every day, too. By doing this, it means that anyone who wants to contribute can. Many people feel it is difficult to ask for help, but the very concept of crowdfunding is that an amount of money is raised for a cause through a group donating what they can. At GoFundMe, we see dozens of fundraisers for funerals and memorials every day. Crowdfunding can help with:
- The cost of the burial or funeral: You can crowdfund directly to cover the cost of the funeral or burial, and loved ones can donate as they see fit.
- Donations in lieu of flowers: A popular option in the UK now is to ask for donations instead of flowers. These donations may go towards a charity close to the heart of the deceased, a community cause, or to help to pay for the funeral itself.
How GoFundMe can help with funeral costs
If you’re struggling to cover the cost of a funeral, setting up a fundraiser can bring in support from family, friends, and your wider community. You can withdraw funds as they come in, so you don’t need to wait until you’ve reached your target before putting the money towards funeral costs.
GoFundMe’s Trust & Safety team is also on hand throughout to help protect you and your supporters, and every fundraiser comes with tools to share your story, post updates, and thank supporters.
For guidance on starting a funeral fundraiser, see the GoFundMe funeral fundraising tips guide.
GoFundMe fundraisers can be used to cover a wide range of costs, from funeral director fees and the costs of burial or cremation, to travel for family members, flowers, or donations in lieu of flowers directed to a chosen cause.
Navigating funeral home negotiations in the UK
The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Order has laid out guidelines for funeral homes in the UK. Concerns had been raised about a lack of transparency over pricing and the fact that there were a lot of hidden costs associated with funerals or burials. People are often sad or distressed when they are looking at funeral services, too, which may impact their decisions. The Funerals Market Investigation Order requires funeral homes to display a standardised price list on their website and also physically in their shop. This must include:
- The price of an attended funeral and an unattended funeral.
- The price of individual items at the attended funeral.
- The price of additional products and services.
The aim of this is to make it more transparent and easier to compare which director might be the best for you, especially at an extremely distressing time.
It’s never easy to think about funerals, whether it be your own or your loved ones. But with a bit of preparation, the process can be made far easier for those close to you. Start thinking about the options available to ease the financial burden in future.
Help with funeral costs in the UK FAQs
Several types of support are available depending on your circumstances. The government’s Funeral Expenses Payment can help if you receive certain benefits and are responsible for arranging the funeral. In Scotland, this is replaced by the Funeral Support Payment. The Children’s Funeral Fund covers costs for children under 18 and stillborn babies after the 24th week of pregnancy. Charity grants, such as those from Friends of the Elderly, may also be available to eligible families. Crowdfunding through a GoFundMe is an option for those who need support beyond what government programmes cover.
If a family cannot afford a funeral, the local council has a legal responsibility to arrange a public health funeral. This is a basic service with no ceremony. Before this becomes necessary, it’s worth checking eligibility for the government’s Funeral Expenses Payment, as well as support from charity grants and crowdfunding. The deceased’s estate, including any savings, property, or other assets they left behind, may also be used to cover funeral costs before other expenses are paid.
Direct cremation is generally the most affordable option. According to the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026, the average cost of a direct cremation in the UK is £1,628, significantly less than a full attended funeral. A direct cremation means the body is cremated without a funeral service, and families can arrange a separate memorial at a later date, often at a lower cost and at a time that suits everyone.