Understanding A Funeral Contract

Wesley VanMeter
Sep 1, 2015
3 min read

First of all it is important to know that the funeral industry is regulated by the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION and that consumers are protected and given rights under the FUNERAL RULE. Therefore the funeral home or mortuary that you select will be required to itemize charges in a funeral contract.

When making funeral arrangements make sure to familiarize yourself with the Funeral Rule and know going in what to expect at the arrangement conference with a funeral director.

Every funeral home should have a GPL or General Price List with effective dates. According to the funeral rule you should be given a GPL upon discussion of pricing of the particular funeral or cremation services that you are interested in.

Remember the Funeral Rule protects YOU and is intended to keep a check on the funeral industry. We have all heard the horror stories about bodies not being cremated, rotting in a field behind the crematory and families being given cat liter as their loved ones remains. Rest assured that those types of cases get the most press because of the egregious nature of those crimes. I can assure that most funeral homes simply want to serve the community with dignity and respect. The good thing about it is, you have the right to choose which funeral home or mortuary you like, and if you don't like them once your family member is there, you can always change to another funeral home and only pay for the services that were actually performed by that particular funeral home.

WHAT IS A FUNERAL CONTRACT

A funeral contract consists of 3 major parts or sections.

Services
Merchandise
Cash Advances

We will discuss each in detail below...

The list below will show a few examples of cash advance items that may appear on a funeral contract.

SERVICES:

This is the section that details the services that the funeral home or mortuary provides.

These included things like the removal of remains
Services of the funeral director and staff
Embalming
Special care of the remains (ie. care for autopsied or decomposing remains).
Hearse
Visitations
Viewings
Crematory Fees

MERCHANDISE:

This is the section that details the taxable items chosen, such as:

Casket
Outer Bural Containers (vaults, concrete box etc.)
Memorial Package (sign in book, memorial folders, thank you cards)
Urns
Other merchandise: Memorial rings, flowers, necklaces, keepsaks, etc.

CASH ADVANCE:

You will most likely notice on a funeral contract a section named cash advances. These are items or services that are outside the scope of the funeral home's services that need to be outsourced, yet is necessary for the type of arrangements selected.For example in Oklahoma, the death certificates cost $15 a certified copy, therefore you indicate to the funeral director how many copies of the death certificate you need and he or she will charge the appropriate amount on the contract. (note: some funeral homes will charge a fee for obtaining these items)

Obituary Charges: If you have an obituary published in a local newspaper, there may be a charge.
Cemetery fees for opening/closing a grave
Honorariums for ministers or musicians
Transit permit fees (if deceased has to be transported across state lines)
Flowers (if the funeral home is paying a flower shop on your behalf)
Beautician
Limo Rental (if the funeral home doesn't have limos they may rent them and pass the cost on to the family)
Monument Setting Fee (some cemeteries require a fee if a monument is being set
Cremation Permit Fee:
Transport Out of State Permit Fee:
Tent and equipment for cemetery
Death Certificates: this fee varies from state to state