Funerals are expensive. It has been spoken about for many years now; the rise of funeral costs each year has been publicised by Sunlife who have released a survey every year since 2004. There are many ways of reducing costs when it comes to planning a funeral and there are many more options out there that people are often unaware of. Let’s start by going through different options for a cremation:
1. Direct Cremation
This is an unattended cremation where there is no service at the time of cremation. You can still have a memorial service at a different time or spend time with family and friends at a reception venue to celebrate the life of your loved one; the cremation is simply not attended, and this significantly reduces costs.
At Hadaway & Denton, we do things a little differently to many other firms by still retaining the use of our Mercedes Hearse for your loved ones’ final journey and ceremonial-dressed staff, as well as playing a piece of music as your loved one enters the chapel. This is in huge contrast to other firms who provide a van as the main transport option and where the staff are dressed in ‘workwear’ rather than funeral dress.
Our all-inclusive direct cremation fee is £1320 (plus possible doctor’s fees of £82) and with this option you receive a scatter tube of your choice as a gift and also have the right to scatter your loved one’s ashes in the gardens of remembrance at Charing Crematorium.
2. Attended Direct Cremation
This is attended but limited as an option provided to independent firms at Charing Crematorium. Up to 8 people can attend a 10-minute committal/farewell inside the chapel, where they can listen to music or read a poem or say a few words. There is no minister or celebrant present, so it is family-led. The service includes our ceremonial hearse with full bearing team and funeral director to perform a formal carry into the chapel.
Our all-inclusive attended direct cremation fee is £1950 (plus possible doctor’s fees of £82). We again gift a scatter tube of your choice and you have the right to scatter your loved ones ashes in the gardens of remembrance at Charing.
Above we have two options that considerably reduce the cost of a funeral. For those whom it is important to have a formal funeral service at a chosen venue, such as Charing Crematorium or a church or a secular venue, such as the Secret Garden, there are still options to keep costs down. We have a simple funeral option, which includes a simple coffin (oak-look and traditional) and the provision of our hearse. It does not include order of service or limousines and therefore the professional fees are reduced in light of this. Try and consider the following elements to help finances:
1. Spend less on flowers (we offer to use a silk spray to reduce floristry costs completely)
2. Choose a less expensive coffin
3. Have a reception/wake at a home
4. Shop around for funeral directors who don’t have hidden costs – recently, we have noted funeral directors who are charging per day “storage fees” for use of a mortuary! This shocked us. One firm charges £30 per day every day, after the first 5 days. We have no storage fees at all - this should ring alarm bells and would suggest that this particular funeral director does not run their own mortuary but likely paying someone else as a third party. If this is the case, is there professional fee less to reflect this?
5. Choose not to embalm your loved one
6. Consider following the hearse in your own vehicles
7. Crematoria have various prices for different times of day – consider a reduced fee option
Hopefully the above is helpful in planning whilst keeping costs in mind. Let us now look at help paying for the funeral – when we have no money at all.
As a final resort, if there is no money in the family and the person/s responsible for the funeral costs simply cannot fund a funeral then the authorities will step in and organise what is called a ‘state funeral’ or ‘public health funeral’. The ability to attend a state funeral depends on the policy of the local council/authorities. Often, you are able to attend but you should expect a simple short service and likely earlier in the morning when the costs at the crematoriums are reduced. A burial will only be permitted for religious reasons and is dependent on the local authorities policies.
Another option is, if you are receiving qualifying benefits such as universal credit, then you are entitled to a ‘funeral expenses’ payment from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP will usually pay £1000 towards the funeral director costs and up to £700 towards the third party fees depending on any other finances that are within the family. You can apply here: https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments.
Finally, there are organisations that do offer loans to help pay for funeral costs. Funeral Safe is a good example and you can look into eligibility here: https://funeralsafe.co.uk/softchecken/form/funeral-directors-finance.
Final thoughts
And at the end of the day….your funeral director should be there to support you in any way they can. If this is looking into financially helpful options, then that is what they should focus on. If in a funeral arrangement, the firm start by showing you the most expensive coffins….then I suggest you consider visiting another to at least have a comparison!
If you are struggling, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Hadaway & Denton on 01233 421852 or enquiries@hadawaydenton.co.uk and we will do our upmost to assist you.
5 min 
