Arranging A Funeral Guide

You should contact a funeral director as soon as you feel ready to do so but it is advisable to do this as soon as possible after the death of your loved one, even before obtaining the Death Certificate. The funeral director will visit you to advise and help with the necessary arrangements (including special circumstances, for example, when death occurs away from home).

Choose a funeral director who are members of the NAFD, SAIF, BIFD or The Good Funeral Guide or you may receive recommendations from family or friends. It may also be worth contacting a few funeral directors as funeral costs do vary. It is a legal requirement that funeral directors publish a standardized price list for comparison.

Although it may be the last thing on your mind, funerals can be expensive and we would recommend seeking quotes from a couple of different companies in order for you to be able to compare prices.

What Type of Funeral? Burial Or Cremation

There are few legal controls governing the disposal of a body in the United Kingdom. The only requirement is that the death is certified and registered and the body properly taken care of, by either burial or cremation.

Burial is virtually free of regulations; individuals can be buried in almost anything and almost anywhere. All that is required is a death certificate signed by a doctor and a certificate for burial from the registrar of deaths, although, should you wish to organise a funeral without the assistance of a funeral director, you should contact the Cemeteries and Crematorium Department of your Local Authority for advice and guidance on how to proceed. Check the will to see if the deceased has left instructions for the funeral. Without guidance from the deceased, the executor or nearest relative usually decides whether the body is to be cremated or buried.

Your funeral director will probably have a 'chapel of rest' and he will help you decide where the body will stay until the funeral, as well as the starting point, time and place of the funeral.

Cremation

No-one can be cremated until the cause of death is certain. Four forms must be completed:

• Application form signed by the next of kin or executor
• A Cremation Certificate, signed by a registered medical practitioner, you have to pay for this, (unless the death is referred to the coroner – he will give you a Certificate for Cremation instead)
• A Certificate signed by the medical referee at the crematorium
• A Certificate for Burial or Cremation issued by the Registrar (not required if the coroner has issued a Certificate for Cremation).

Cremation is almost always cheaper than burial and the majority of deceased people are now cremated. Ashes can be scattered in a garden of remembrance or in a favourite spot, buried in a churchyard or cemetery, or kept in an urn. Make your wishes known at the outset. If you think you would like to keep the ashes, discuss it carefully first, preferably with someone with experience in bereavement care.

Burial

Check the will to find out if a grave space in a churchyard or cemetery has been arranged. If a grave space has been paid for in a cemetery, there will be a deed of grant.

Natural Burial Grounds

It is hugely important that the final resting place for someone you love, or indeed for yourself is right for you and for your family. It is advised to visit any natural burial ground you are thinking of choosing so you can see for yourself what it looks and feels like. This will also allow you to meet the people who run it and to ask any questions you may have.

A natural burial allows families to have greater freedom to bury their loved one in a place of natural, unspoilt beauty. Natural Burial Grounds are managed according to ecologically sound principles, to create informal and nature-rich areas without the formality and memorials of traditional cemeteries. Dedicated natural burial grounds, usually privately run, are set within the countryside or woodlands, whilst many local authorities are now setting aside parts of municipal cemeteries as 'green' or 'woodland' burial areas, providing valuable choice

What Type Of Funeral Service?

The funeral service expresses what you, as bereaved people, believe about life, as well as trying to take into account the deceased's will, religion or beliefs. Your funeral director will offer to contact the minister of your local place of worship, who will generally be happy to support you even if the deceased may not have maintained close links with the organisation concerned. If you wish to organise a non-religious ceremony, the funeral director will be able to advise you and also put you in contact with a local celebrant. Many services now take place not in a church but at the crematorium chapel. Crematorium chapels are nondenominational and so the service can be religious or non-religious.

What is a Celebrant?

A funeral celebrant is a qualified person that officiates funeral services by planning and overseeing funeral proceedings. Funeral celebrants conduct non-religious, semi-religious and spiritual funeral services. Many celebrants aim for the funeral service to be a 'celebration of life' that honours the person's memory.

This approach places greater emphasis on how the person lived their life, their personality traits and the memories of mourners. This is quite opposed to the traditional religious service, which often encourages people to consider the afterlife where the deceased is understood to be and focuses more on religious last rites. Celebrants are the go-to option for people looking to create ceremonies of substance and meaning.

Your funeral director may have a list of celebrants that they are associated with, however you do not have to use them, any celebrant can officiate your service. Many celebrants work independently, you may have been recommended one by friends or family or you can use a celebrant directory site to search for a celebrant. It is recommended that you find a celebrant who has been registered by a professional body to ensure that they adhere to the highest standards.

Flowers Or Donations?

Flowers are the traditional tribute and symbol of love, respect and loss. After the funeral, you may wish to donate flowers to a local charity or hospice. Some people, anticipating numerous floral tributes, request donations to a named charity instead. If this is your choice, it is a good idea to ask the funeral director to co-ordinate donations so you receive a formal acknowledgement by the charity.

There are many well established reputable florists throughout the region who specialise in arranging flowers specifically for Funerals and most will offer a wide range of decoration such as Sprays and Sheaths, Hearts and Crosses, Wreaths, Letters, Posies and Cushions.

Press Notices And Obituaries

Letting people know that a loved one has died can be difficult and so you may wish to place notices or announcements in your local newspapers or online obituary. Your funeral director, supplying many optional services for your convenience, may offer to handle such insertions on your behalf. The newspaper in question will also be happy to help you with wording your notice and will be able to advise you on the attached costs.

Headstone and Cremation Tablets

A memorial will be a lasting tribute to a loved one. In the case of a burial, it can be either a traditional headstone with kerbs, an upright lawn memorial, or even an angled wedge. In the case of a cremation, usually only one tablet will be allowed. Each churchyard and burial authority will have different regulations and these can restrict the type of headstone or tablet design that you have in mind. Therefore, although choosing the memorial is not something that you should or need to rush into straight after a bereavement, it is important to have an understanding of the memorial regulations where you have chosen to bury your loved one.

In the case of a burial, a memorial usually can't be replaced for at least 6 months (sometimes even a year). As there is no time restriction and the placing of a tablet or headstone is going to be a lasting tribute to your loved one, we would suggest you use this time to research which mason you would like to undertake the work and to also spend time deciding with the mason on the memorial, its shape, colour and lettering.

A local mason will have the benefit of knowing all the rules and regulations that apply in your area and will be able to advise you as well as making all the applications on your behalf and obtaining the necessary permits. Visit the National Association of Memorial Masons' website at www.namm.org.uk for free public information on buying a memorial and finding your local mason.

Paying For A Funeral

Funerals can be expensive, and vary depending on the area you live, so check whether the deceased person purchased a pre-paid funeral plan or contributed to any other relevant scheme. Asking several different funeral directors to quote for the funeral costs can help you control how much you spend and all will offer a 'The Simple Funeral Service' package, which you may wish to ask about. Many funeral directors also run a payment scheme, which would enable you to pay for the funeral in instalments.

The bank account of the deceased will be frozen, unless it is a joint account but may be used to pay the funeral account upon request. Building societies may pay out when an application is supported by the Death Certificate. Equally, where life insurance is held, some insurance companies may be able to give you the interest on the money in the policy before probate is granted. National Savings will also consider releasing money for funeral expenses.

Help From The Council

The local council has a duty to bury or cremate the deceased if no other arrangements have been made. They may make a claim on the deceased's estate to pay for the funeral. Alternatively, the hospital where your loved one died may be able to help with the funeral arrangements and costs you should ask them for more information.

Help From The State

If you receive Universal Credit, Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Working Tax Credit (with a disability element) or Child Tax Credit at a higher rate than the family allowance, you may qualify for a Funeral Payment from the Social Fund to help pay for the funeral. A Funeral Payment will cover the costs of a simple, respectful, low cost funeral, normally within the UK. The State will pay the charges of the burial authority or crematorium, certain necessary travel expenses and up to £1000 for other funeral expenses. You may not be entitled to a payment if expenses have been met by a pre-paid funeral plan and a Funeral Payment may be reduced in certain circumstances. In particular, the following will be deducted from an award:

• any assets of the deceased available to you or your partner
• any lump sum due on the death of the deceased for funeral costs
• any contribution for the funeral from a charity or relative (of both yourself and the deceased)
• any funeral grant where the deceased was a war pensioner. If you get a Funeral Payment, it will have to be paid back from any estate of the deceased. The estate means any money, property and other things like insurance policies that the deceased owned. A house or personal possessions that are left to a widow or widower or surviving civil partner are not counted as part of the estate.

You must apply for a Funeral Payment within 6 months of the date of the funeral. The Pension Service, your funeral director, your local social security office or the Citizens Advice Bureau can help you to fill out your claim form (SF200).

Employer's Pension Schemes Or Personal Pensions

Some employers provide occupational pension schemes that pay a lump sum to help with funeral costs and sometimes pension benefits for widows, surviving civil partners and other survivors. Check to see if the deceased has ever belonged to this sort of scheme.

The deceased may have made his or her own arrangements if he or she was self employed, or his or her employer did not have an employer's pension scheme. Employers may also offer a death-inservice payment or have a benevolent fund through which they can offer you some assistance. You should check with your loved one's employer to find out more.

War Pension

If the person who died was a war pensioner, you may be able to get help with the cost of a simple funeral if:

• the war pensioner died from the disablement condition for which he or she was getting a war pension
• or the war pensioner died in hospital while having treatment for that disablement condition
• or the war pensioner was getting war pensioner's Constant Attendance Allowance at the time of his or her death
• or the war pensioner was getting a War Disablement Pension assessed at 80 per cent or more and Unemployable Supplement at the time of his or her death.

You will not have to pay any of the money back from the estate of the person who died. Claims must be made within THREE months of the funeral via the Veterans Agency, who can be found on www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk

Other Pensions And Payments

There may be pensions or lump sums payable from the deceased's trade union, professional body or other association, or from a provident club which pays benefit when a member dies. If your loved one was receiving or had recently claimed a social security benefit before death, there may be arrears of that benefit still due. When you tell the Department for Work and Pensions about the death, ask them to send you a form on which to claim any arrears of benefit. If you are the executor or administrator, the arrears will be payable to you. If there is no executor or administrator but you are paying for the funeral, you can claim the arrears up to the cost of the funeral expenses.

Life Insurance Policies

The deceased may have taken out a life insurance policy which will provide a lump sum payment if someone dies before a certain age. Payment is usually made after probate but the insurance company may pay out a limited sum on evidence of death.

The Cremation Society

If the deceased was a member of the Cremation Society, you may be able to get a reduction in cremation fees or a contribution towards the cost.

Pre-paid Funerals

For many different reasons, including practical considerations and peace of mind, some people provide for their own future funeral arrangements. Some see this option as a way of sparing someone else the decision and expense. Check to see whether or not the deceased person had made such arrangements; there will be a policy or other documents relating to it.

A range of pre-paid funeral plans is available, through which all funeral expenses are covered, no matter how much the costs may have increased over the years. Schemes should be affiliated to the National Association for Pre-Paid Funeral Plans or the Funeral Planning Council. Your local funeral director will be able to advise you of the different plans available.