Funeral Cost Comparer

Compare two funeral homes' prices, line by line

Two funeral homes in the same town can charge very different amounts for the same thing. Type in each one's prices from its General Price List, or from a phone call, and see the true totals side by side. Nothing to look up, nothing to sign up for.

What you type stays on your own screen. We don't see it or save it, so copy or print your comparison before you close this page. This page does its own math from the numbers you type. It can't tell you what a funeral home will charge or allow, so ask each one for an itemized written statement before you pay.

This is a made-up example so you can see how it works.

1The two funeral homes

Any name you'll recognize is fine, like "the one near Mom's."

First funeral home Second funeral home

Who this is for Optional. It goes at the top of your copy.

You can ask for prices by phone, and you don't have to give your name. A friend can make the calls for you. In person, the funeral home must hand you its General Price List to keep.

2What you're thinking of

Pick the closest one. It ticks the lines you'll likely see, and you can tick or untick any line after. Nothing has to be decided yet.

3Anything that applies

Tick what fits your family. It adds a few lines and notes. Skip it if you'd rather.

They served in the military A baby or child has died Our faith or culture has its own customs They'll travel to another state or country We may buy the casket or urn elsewhere Money is very tight

9Tax, discounts, packages and help

Leave any of these blank if they don't apply.

Sales tax, if they add itSome states tax caskets and other goods. Ask if tax is in their prices.

Discount they offeredType the dollar amount. It's taken off the total. Ask for it in writing.

Package price, if they quoted oneThis doesn't change your totals. We'll show it next to the same lines bought one by one, so you can see which costs less.

Help you expectInsurance, VA, Social Security, county, union, faith community, family. Type one amount. It's shown as a separate line for both, and only you know if it will come.

Before you sign anything

Grief makes it hard to ask questions out loud. Tick these off as you go, at one funeral home or both. This list isn't saved, so copy or print it if you'd like to keep it.

Good to know before you choose

The rights a federal rule gives you: Under the FTC's Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you prices by phone, hand you a General Price List to keep, and let you choose only the items you want. Once you've chosen, you get a written list of each item, its price and the total.
The one fee you can't turn down: That's the basic services fee. It covers what every funeral needs, like planning and permits. Some homes put it inside their casket prices instead, and the price list must say so. It's already part of the price of a direct cremation or an immediate burial.
Packages are allowed: A funeral home may offer packages, but only alongside item-by-item prices. You never have to take a package with things you don't want. That's why the package box above sits next to your own lines.
Embalming: Except in certain special cases, embalming isn't required by law. Refrigeration is often an option instead. A funeral home may require it for some choices, like a public viewing, so ask why before you agree. Direct cremation and immediate burial never need it.
A casket or urn from somewhere else: You can buy one online or from a store. The funeral home must accept it and can't charge you a fee for handling it. A casket is never required for cremation. Any home that offers cremation must offer a simple container.
Vaults and grave liners: No state law requires one, the FTC says, but many cemeteries do. Ask the cemetery itself, in writing, and compare what it sells with what the funeral home sells.
Money paid to others: Death certificates, obituaries, clergy and flowers are often paid by the funeral home for you. It may add a charge for getting them, but if it does, the written statement must say so. Some states don't allow any added charge.
What the rule doesn't cover: It doesn't cover cemeteries without a funeral home on site, or separate casket and monument sellers. Get each of their charges in writing too: the grave, opening and closing, the vault, setting it, the marker and any care fee.
What changes from state to state: Sales tax on goods, death certificate fees, who has the right to decide, whether prices must be online (California requires it for homes with a website), when a family can act without a funeral director, and protections for prepaid plans. Your state funeral board can tell you yours.
Why the totals can be so far apart: Each home sets its own prices. In consumer group checks, the highest price for a simple cremation in a city was often several times the lowest. That's why two phone calls can matter more than any coupon. If there's only one home near you, you can still call one farther away.
Lower price isn't the only thing: Distance, how they treated you, whether they honor your faith or customs, and whether they answered your questions plainly all count. The cheaper total is worth knowing, not worth winning.
Every family is welcome here: Chosen family, unmarried partners, blended families, any faith or none, a home funeral, green burial, body donation, a memorial months from now. There's no right amount to spend. What you pay was never the measure of your love.
When money is very tight: Call your county before you sign with a funeral home. Some county programs can't help once a home has your loved one in its care. You can also call or text 211. Our guide to paying for a funeral lists more help.
If something goes wrong: Start with the funeral home, and write down who said what. Then try your state funeral board, your state attorney general, or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Keep the price list and the written statement. They're your proof.

Printables that go with this. A one-page sheet for the arrangement meeting with a column to write each price as you hear it, and a planning workbook with a page for comparing two funeral homes.

Questions and Prices Before the Day Comes workbook

En español: Preguntas y precios · Antes de que llegue el día.

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