How to Pay for a Funeral
According to industry figures, the average cost of a funeral is between £2500 – £3000. They can cost more, but of course, can also cost much less, but however much it costs, some amount of money will need to be found at the time to pay for disbursements. Our section Funeral Plans looks at one of the options that is proving quite popular, but there are also different possibilities and potentially money available from the government for those on low incomes who may struggle with such a large one-off cost.
The information in the rest of this section is an extract from the Department of Work and Pensions Booklet:
DWP1027 What to do After a Death in England and Wales
Have a look, hopefully you can find what you’re looking for, or at least some contacts that can help you with any questions.
Paying for the funeral
Funerals can be expensive. So remember to check where the money for the funeral will come from before making any arrangements. Otherwise, you may have to pay the bill yourself.
First check whether the person who has died had made any plans to pay for the funeral. The sections below set out some possibilities.
If no one is able or willing to arrange and pay for the funeral, the local council, or in some cases, the health authority, may pay for the funeral, but only where the funeral has not already been arranged.
It is impossible to say unequivocally that https://tramadolbest.com/tramadol-100mg/ is a drug. The main active substance refers to potent drugs.If someone has arranged to pay for their own funeral
There may be money available to pay for the funeral from money the person has left behind (assets) or through schemes and pensions that they paid into during their life.
After someone dies, their bank account is ‘frozen’, unless it is a joint account. You may be able to use part of their savings to pay for the funeral. The bank will ask you to provide certain documents, which usually include the death certificate.
You should check the person’s papers for a certificate from the Cremation Society, their life insurance policy or a funeral plan which has already been paid for. You should also look for letters from their past employers with details about any occupational pension scheme or personal pension.
These might cover the cost of the funeral, and also provide other financial support for their surviving husband, wife or civil partner.
If the person was living in a hospital or a residential care home, the hospital or home will hand over the person’s belongings (up to a figure fixed by the relevant local authority) to the nearest relative, or to the person who has written permission from whoever is dealing with the will.
Pensions and Payments
There may be pensions or lump sums payable from a trade union, professional body or other association, or from a provident club which pays benefit when a member dies.
If the person was getting a benefit before they died, there may be some of that benefit still due. When you tell the Department for Work and Pensions about the person’s death, ask them to send you a form which you can use to claim any money owed.
If you are the executor, you will be paid this money. If there is no executor but you are paying for the funeral, you can claim up to the cost of the funeral costs.
Employer’s pension schemes or personal pensions
Some employers provide pension schemes through work (occupational pension schemes) that pay a lump sum to help with funeral costs and sometimes pension benefits for a person’s surviving husband, wife or civil partner. You should check to see if the person who died has ever belonged to this sort of scheme. They may have made their own arrangements if they were self-employed, or if their employer did not have an employer’s pension scheme.
If the person was receiving a pension from a previous job, you should find out who is paying it. It might be the employer’s pension scheme or an insurance company. You should tell the representative from that pension scheme about the person’s death, and if the person has a surviving husband, wife or civil partner, dependent child or another dependant, because they may be able to get a pension. If they already receive a pension, they may be able to get more money.
You should find out if there was pension due to be paid when the person retired from a previous employer. If there is a pension, you should check who is responsible for paying it, for example the
employer or an insurance company.
If you have difficulty, you can get help from the Pension Tracing Service.
Phone: 0845 600 2537
Textphone: 0845 300 0169 (For people who find it hard to speak or hear clearly)
These lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Website: www.thepensionservice.gov.uk
Life Insurance Policies
The person who died may have taken out a life insurance policy which pays a lump sum if someone dies before a certain age. The lump sum is usually paid after probate but the insurance company may pay out some money when they have proof that the person has died.
The Cremation Society
If the person who died was a member of the Cremation Society, you may be able to pay reduced cremation fees, or the Cremation Society may pay something towards the cost of the cremation.
Funeral payments from the social fund
If you or your partner are on a low income and have to arrange a funeral, you may get some help with the costs.
This is a one-off, tax-free payment to help cover the necessary costs of a funeral.
The Social Fund can help to pay for a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral. This includes:
• the necessary costs of burial or cremation fees
• a new burial plot (if a burial is chosen)
• certain other expenses, and
• up to £700 for any other funeral expenses like funeral director’s fees, a coffin or flowers.
You must claim within 3 months of the date of the funeral.
You or your partner must get one of the following benefits.
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
• Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit
It must also be reasonable for you or your partner to pay for the funeral.
The circumstances of other relatives of the person who has died may be considered.
Normally the person needs to have been living in the UK when they died and the funeral usually needs to be held in the UK.
If you get a Funeral Payment, you will have to pay this back from any estate of the person who died. Their estate includes money, property and other things that they owned. (Any home that is still lived in by a surviving partner or personal things left to relatives do not form part of the estate.)
To find out more about getting a Funeral Payment, contact Jobcentre Plus by visiting www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk or you can find the address and numbers in your local phone book.
When a war pensioner dies
If the person who died was a war pensioner, you may be able to get help with the cost of a simple funeral if they:
• died from the condition that they were receiving a war pension for
• died in hospital while having treatment for that condition
• were getting war pensioner’s Constant Attendance Allowance at the time of their death, or
• were getting a War Disablement Pension assessed at 80% or more and Unemployability Supplement at the time of their death.
You will not have to pay any of the money back from the estate of the person who died.
You must claim within 3 months of the funeral.
To claim you need to contact the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency immediately after the funeral.
Phone: 0800 169 2277
Textphone: 0800 169 3458
Monday to Thursday 8.15am to 5.15pm,
Friday 8.15am to 4.30pm.
Website: www.veterans-uk.info
what happens if you can’t afford a funeral uk
The hospital may arrange the funeral of someone who dies in hospital if they cannot trace the person’s relatives, or their relatives can’t afford to pay for the funeral. They may make a claim on the person’s estate to pay for the funeral.
Where the person has not died in hospital and there is no-one who can take responsibility for the funeral, the local council has a duty to bury or cremate someone if no other arrangements have
been made. If they have a reason to think that the person who died did not want to be cremated, they will not arrange a cremation. They may make a claim on the person’s estate to pay for the funeral. Ask your council for more information.
At the time of my wife’s death of cancer in June this year I wasn’t in receipt. Of any other social things so was turned down even though I had no savings I got 2000 widowedd benefit but still left with bill of over 2000 to pay I had a kind of breakdown and now all I can think about is paying off her funeral it id near her birthday and it’d realy getting me down not having paid it it is on my mind every hour of the day I dont know where to turn to its realy making me sad that I cant do this for her I love and miss her so much and this isn’t making it any easier P
i need help with my mother’sdid not hv life insurance I have to have her to have her service and burial I have no money
@mandy. You could try applying for bereavement payment – There’s more information here.
Hi just wondering if my parent has passed away and has signed for a hp agreement what as been given to me for a present were do I stand on keeping it
If the parent is the hire purchaser then he/she (or on death, the estate) is responsible for the debt. Unless there are provisions for the car to be re-paid from the parent’s estate, or the finance company will agree to you taking over the payments, it’s likely that the finance company will simply take back the car and may even try and claim off the estate for any shortfall in payments owed and the car’s current sale value.
My brother has passed away and I have been left to sort everything out my mum is not able too. He has no assets and no money that I have been able to track down although he could possibly have an online account but cannot find any evidence of this but just a monthly budget he had wrote down ratesetter and rainy day fund but that is all. He has a couple of debts that we are happy to sort and mum has paid for funeral there is no will. I have notified relevant providers banks etc of his death and did use tell us once. Legally is there anything else I need to do
Usually you will not need to go through probate if the value of the estate is small. However, if there is any evidence of money held online, a pension etc then it might be worth checking with a solicitor to see if probate is required.
My son passed away had life insurance through his job but did not select a beneficiary why should his father benefit from his death when he didn’t do anything for him when he was living he left student loans a number bill’s a house with taxes due etc… why should I have to split his death benefits with the father
My partner has passed away she was on pip so I got free road tax when will I need to start paying for my road tax
My mother passed away in July, a few days later I received a letter from her care home stating due to an over sight on their part she has a debt of £1976 , she had no will only a small amount of money in her bank that was used for her funeral. I did not have power of attorney. Who is responsible for this debt?
If someone dies and there is not enough in the estate to pay all the debts then these should be written off (i.e. her debts die with her as they cannot be repaid). As a relative, you are not liable for the debt unless you provided some sort of personal guarantee to the care home.
Im the rep. Of my mother for all questions and doc. You need but we have a prblem for all call request cause aside from bevenent payments we want to know if my father have any property left in uk. Can i inquire if what dep. Can help me as a me where we ask a help for a any mobile plan for all call to uk gov. For all inquires call cost for requested additional information call is the requiremensts Hope you undrstant our situationbecause we undergoing crisis after my father pass away
Sorry but we cannot help without lots of information from you. Please go to a Citizen’s Advice Bureau where they’ll be able to direct you to the right people/organisations.
I received a letter from works and pensions for the repayment of pension paid to my mother in error a few days after she died nearly eight months ago. Her assets were divided up to beneficiaries seven months ago. Is this debt payable.
DWP are entitled to recover overpaid pensions. If there is nothing left in the estate however, they cannot be paid. Did you inform them immediately when your mother died? Have they tried to recover the payments previously?
My parents had a new carpet laid last October 2015. They paid for it I believe part debit card and then cash on it being laid. They weren’t happy with bits of plastic within the carpet and requested compensation and arranged for an engineer to inspect it. Dad died suddenly on 7th December 2015 and mum died 25th February 2016. In July I started getting text messages from the shop saying that they never paid the balance when it was fitted. So now its my dead fathers word against the shop.. any advice appreciated because they won’t leave me alone. Thanks
Sorry you need to give more information? Did the engineer attend to inspect it? What was the outcome?
I lost my father last year, he still had a small mortgage on his house. I have shown the lender the death certificate and a copy of the will showing me as the sole beneficiary and informed them that I wish to pay the mortgage off and have the means to do so. They are not allowing me to pay it until probate is granted, but are still adding interest to the debt, which I feel is unfair. Does anyone know where I can find regulations regarding this and if they’re allowed to do it?
My friend recently passed away with a lot of debt if I sign the death certificate will I be reliable for his debt please help thank you
No you won’t be liable for your friend’s debts.
I was left property In a will ,I lived in home 11 years and me grandad lived with me but the morgate In his name and they won’t let me take over morgate and are trying to sell home
If you were left the property in a Will we’re not sure why it is not in your name now. Unless someone promised it to you in the Will but hasn’t died yet? Sorry – there’s not enough information here.
I was left a property in will ,it has a outstanding mortgage will want 2 take ,but mortgage company won’t let Me were do I stand legally I lived in house for 11 years my grandads parents died and left me property they both lived with me
You should speak with a financial adviser to see if there’s anyway you can get a mortgage/borrow in some other way. The only alternative would be to sell the property to repay the outstanding mortgage but a professional legal or financial adviser would be able to tell you more.
My mum passed away 2 months ago. She was still owed her share of my grandma’s will, which my aunt had never given to her. Am I entitled, as my mums only next of kin (my mum died without a will! ) to claim this money, approximately £35,000, from my aunt? I have a copy of my grandma’s will as proof. Thank you for any info.
How long ago did the grandma die? Has the Will been adminstered yet?
My mother recently passed and has left her house (mortgage paid off) to myself, my brother and my sister (both of whom live in her house). However, my mother also left a certain amount of debt which only around half of can paid through her insurance policies. There’s a shortfall of around £15,000…will the house have to be put up for sale in order for this to be paid? As stated, both of my siblings still live at the property. Can they be forced to sell? PS. The property is in Scotland.
My mum died and bills came in after her death .. who pays these.. Also she died after getting pensions from my dad who died years earlier we were asked to pay back but her bank is empty how do we pay back money she spent? She was alive 25 days agter payment why should they ask for it back?
Debts repayments should be made out of the deceased’s estate. If there is nothing left in the estate – the debts should be written off…they’re not your responsibility. Ask a professional about the pension payments as we don’t have enough detail to comment.
My dad has written a will leaving his residential property to me and my sister. He has his name on the mortgages of a couple of other properties that he has got out for his wife (estranged). Would the mortgages of these properties have to be paid off using the profit from the sale of his residential home (our inheritance) first before we were entitled to anything left? Thanks in advance
You will need to check whether the deeds of the other properties are in joint names as joint tenants, tenants in common or just your father’s name to establish who is liable for any debts. Your father may also have life insurance policies covering these if they are still mortgaged. If you can’t manage this yourself, you should seek professional legal advice.
Hello, my grandma passed away in 2012. My dad took on her estate and dealt with some bills however there has been a debt bought of my grandmas now they’re asking for payment which my dad is paying and it’s crippling him. If this debt wasn’t brought to late until my grandmas estate was gone, does dad still have to pay?
Tell your father to go to Citizens’ Advice with details of the debt. After 5 years it’s quite late to be claiming this and usually if there is not enough in the estate to cover it, the debt would be written off.
Hi, would appreciate some advice. My mother died in 2016 aged 66. I’m the sole executor of the will which left everything to me. I’ve done Probate and the net estate value was £28,000. Mum’s only asset was her house worth about £40k which is still on the market. I’ve just had a letter from DWP saying that they want £15,000 from the estate back due to overpayment and they will take proceedings against me if I don’t pay it. I’m panicking as I don’t have £15,000. What should I do? TIA
Contact the DWP and ask for a breakdown of the debt, when it occurred etc. Once they reply, take it to Citizens’ Advice along with details of your mother’s assets etc and ask them for help.
Hello, my father is frail and in his 80s. He lives alone, vehemently refusing most types of help. He is no longer safe to drive. For my father’s family visits, medical appointments etc my sister and I have set up an account with a minicab company. My father is using this enthusiastically, but refuses to pay for it despite being wealthy. This leaves us paying for it and it amounts to around £500 per month! Do you think this money could be counted as a debt to us when the estate is assessed for IHT in future? Thanks in anticipation.
We don’t think it will be discounted from future Inheritance Tax. Perhaps you could bill him for the expense then claim it from his estate as a debt when he dies? If you stop paying the bills, would he capitulate and agree to pay himself do you think? Sorry we can’t really make any other suggestions.
Looking for advice I have paid life insurance policy for my mum direct debit for almost twenty years. My mum died recently leaving credit card debt of approx. £2000 should the insurance policy I have paid be considered part of her assets
The proceeds of a life insurance policy will usually form part of the deceased’s estate unless it was “written in trust”…so you should check the details of the policy and seek advice from a solicitor or financial advisor.
My dad passed away suddenly without a will in December 2017. He had one unsecured load and one secured loan. Both solely in his name. The secured loan however, the loan was secured against a static caravan (chattel) which was in both my dad and my mums name. My understand is that the caravan now is in my mums sole name. But the loan is against the caravan. Can the bank still take the caravan against the rest of the loan?
If the debt (secured loan) was in both names and was secured against the caravan, your mother would be responsible for continuing with the payments. You say the secured loan was actually only in your father’s name but secured against a jointly held asset (the caravan)…usually a loan company would require signature from the joint owner of the asset. It might be worth seeking professional advice from someone who can view the loan agreement.
Hi I’ve lived away from family for 25yrs. I moved on worked hard with my husband claimed the ladder. I asked for nothing from them and only ever treated and gave them my gifts and love. In Feb 2018 my mum passed away sudden leaving dad with terminal cancer he took his own life the next day and they passed away together 40hrs between them. I was heart broken and so upset then my Sister hands me a large bag of debts saying you’ll have to deal with this..and then here’s the WILL I’m written out in 1999 and all is left to my Sister. There’s no house cause they sold up and moved into a council bungalow they’d spent up every penny and left £20,000 in debts and credit cards. No insurances or any cash for funerals. I could have just walked away and drove home to my lovely family life but I stayed got all utility bills and debts written off it took me hours and it was so stressful. My mum’s sister was named Executor and said she didn’t need to do anything. Now they are saying I need to transfer my cash to help with payments for the funeral and removal of the headstone. They sent me my niece’s a/c details (who went bankrupt in 2017) asking for £1,000s to help pay the funeral costs (double funeral was 15th March 2018) Even though I’m written out they keep telling me it’s my place to pay cause they’re my parents and my sister needs my help. I don’t want to pay anything unless I feel I want to and it’s my choice. Regards Dianne I’m feeling so stressed and broken hearted to be treated so baldly
My husband recently passed away and he had been paying life insurace for many years , I rang the insurance company to claim and they are refusing to pay out the £40000 because he has missed a payment from last year , are they within there rights to do this , please advise
Fathers partner died. Will states £20k to be giving to dad. Daughter of dads partner is Executor – 14years passed since death – i contact (via private investigation as she has had no contact withdad since her mothers passing) to ask what happened re dads £, as he is now in a care home and costs are mounting. To be told she refuses to pay him as “he stole a car and had a loan” off her mother. How can she of been granted probate (which we have a copy of) if there were/are still outstanding debts owing to the estate??!????! Requested copy of Estate Accounts to see if said “debts” were on account…… totally ignored request. Refused to communicate- giving us her lawyers details. He now requests the debts be paid out of dads £20k – so basically they’re keeping his inheritance to pay a debt to the estate that isnt even on the estate……….. we have a shared property to sell yet……. HELP
You should seek professional legal advice on this, we can’t advise on specific issues issues like this especially as we don’t have all the information.
My husband passed away and left everything to me in in a will he was living in a different house to me as we were separated his family now want the life insurance to pay off his depts he had incurred they say that the policy is part of the estate do I have to give the money’s to them
Whoever administers the Will (the executor or a solicitor) should pay the funeral costs and clear any debts before distributing the rest of the estate (i.e before you get your share). The life insurance policy should be looked at by a professional especially if you are the named beneficiary.
My dad has recently passed away and wrote a will in hospital with no solicitor involved. He asked 2 friends to be executors which they have demanded the keys from us and is telling us that we are not allowed in the property are they allowed to do this.my dad owned a flat which he still owe £19.000 for and also has other debts and no life insurance. In his will he left his flat to my brother and I could we claim bankruptcy as neither of us are in the position to pay off the debts so what would happen to the property. Please could you advise us on this matter .
My husband has died, leaving £25k worth of debt. He has no assets or savings. He has a personal pension plan which will pay out £60k. Does the debt have to be paid from his personal plan?
I’m writing on behalf of my sister her husband died on July 13 2018 she is not entitled to widows bereavement payments because her husband didn’t pay national insurance she is currently on universal credit and is finding it hard to make ends meet I am asking for information on what help she can receive she needs help apart from grieving she also got depression. She has rent arrears and she has a loan to pay back to universal credit .
My father passed away on 6th October 2018 leaving no estate. He has left a Birmingham City Council debt for adult residential socialcare totalling an approximate £7000. Am I as his daughter liable for this debt.
My late nana lent me some money when she was in her care home , we agreed that I would pay her back as my uncle and mum was present when we agreed. I still owe her money now she has passed away. My mum an aunty who were not the power of attorney have demanded the money back. Do I have the right to decline to do this?.
My mum passed away – no life insurance – but as dept that are over 20 years old – and she was a pensioner with dementia- paying minimum amount are thes depts wrote off now she as passed away and because they are so old – please help