Funeral charges?

[Cooldryplace]

Currently arranging DH's funeral.

We haven't gone for the cheapest of everything, but not far from it. DH said he should be buried in a cardboard box!

So hearse plus one car from the house, cheapest coffin, celebrant, order of service and one floral thing are the only extras and the cost is a couple of quid less than £5k.

Now, this isn't going to cause me any hardship, I've just agreed to things without shopping around for an easy life, but I imagine there must be very many families for whom this is just out of the question.

Their budget package, which you couldn't change in any way was £3k

The FD has been very attentive and things like flowers, cars and printing don't seem extortionate. The general undertaking fee and the crematorium charge do though.

I suppose families have to borrow to give dad a good (any) send off, but how heart breaking.

FWIW I did investigate the possibility of a cardboard coffin and it was £650!

I also know it was the GP because the itemised bill has his name.

My mates funeral was around 6 grand that was with a newspaper announcement, no minister and one spay of flowers on top of the coffin, he would have been turning in his grave knowing I had spent that much if he hadn't been creamated.

The nurses would not have given you a copy of the cremation paperwork - it's never done by nurses, it's not something you carry in your bag and it also takes ages to fill out and requires access to his medical notes.

Am not sure what they gave you as nurses can't fill out a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death either and currently these are all being sent electronically to the Registrar's Office.

My Mum always brought me up to get three quotes and had talked to us about what was important to her funeral-wise, so when her medical team said she didn't have long, I contacted three undertakers for quotes. As it was winter and all her friends were elderly I decided not to have a service with the burial (the thought of hypothermic old ladies slipping on the mud and falling into the grave!), so asked for people carrier instead of hearse, and no limo, cross, viewing, or order of service. It was still about £2.5k, and then the separate memorial/wake was a few more hundred. I did spend about as much again on a good quality headstone and planting up her grave. She loved gardens and a good time / parties, and got the wicker coffin she'd specified so hopefully I did her proud.

I've told my OH to go for direct cremation and spend all the money saved on a splurgy wake!

I have a terminal illness and my dad also died recently.

We basically didn’t have a funeral for him (his choice). The undertaker took his body away and then returned the ashes a couple of weeks later. We registered the death ourselves. We plan a meal and to scatter the ashes when the family can be together. That alone cost almost £2000.

I want much the same. I absolutely hate the thought of my family stressing about arrangements and eulogies etc let alone the cost. Death is not a cheap business!

Well I don't know then, but they definitely gave me a copy and when the GP called to offer his condolences, he told me it was all done and that he'd signed off what they did and sent it electronically to the registrar.

I'm not disputing he had to do "something" but £82?

A relative of mine wanted Pure Cremation firm. Cost about £1400. Family is thinking of a nice place to put the ashes and have a little remembrance there. Exactly what he would have wanted.

Also for a cremation form, the doctor has to see the body. Even with Covid, this requirement hasn't been changed, although it has been reduced from two doctors to one.

So the GP has gone to see the body, you just don't know about it. It usually happens at the Funeral Directors.

My dad's funeral was £4000 to the FD, which included the crematorium fees. Everything was respectful but there were no frills.

As it was Covid, we didn't have a wake, and cars were kept to a mininum (I think just the hearse).

@AnnaMagnani

Also for a cremation form, the doctor has to see the body. Even with Covid, this requirement hasn't been changed, although it has been reduced from two doctors to one.

So the GP has gone to see the body, you just don't know about it. It usually happens at the Funeral Directors.

Obviously you know better than me, but both the FD and the GP told me he'd decided he didn't need to see the body because the nurses had done what was needed before he left home.

The FD had previously told me he "might" want to see it, but subsequently told me GP didn't visit, but had signed off the paperwork for the body to be released for cremation.

But if you want to insist I'm making it up, fine.

In 2003 my husband's funeral cost €5k plus an additional €2 or€3.5k for the headstone and "rent" of the plot in the graveyard.
I know that the flowers I had for the coffin were €120. Mind you this was in a rural area, a colleague paid at least double for her mother's funeral.
Both my parents had funeral plans, but I know for my mother that we paid GBP50 for the orders of service and about GPB80 for the coffin flowers.

I am sorry for your loss.

My parents are both signed up for Direct Cremation which has cost them £1750 each. That's it, no other payment. When they eventually go they have asked for a special place for their ashes when we can get together as a family [ all far flung in different parts of the country / world ].
Given their ages they have been to many funerals and are appalled at the costs involved so this, for them, is the best solution.

Firstly my sincere condolences;

Members of my family have all had a funeral plan in place to cover the costs and me and my partner have done the same as I'd hate to leave this financial burden for my children. It seems a responsible and sensible thing to do.

I agree tho it's a huge amount of money at what can already be a very difficult time, especially is death is unexpected if someone is younger.

What I find in really bad taste is those go fund me pages tho - there's no need and for families who need support there are special death benefits to help with costs.

It’s a licence to print money. Praying on bereaved people and their wallets when they are at their most vulnerable.

I’m sorry about your husband.

Sorry for your loss @Cooldryplace . My mum died a couple of years ago , we had a hearse , a bamboo coffin ( my adult ds said she wanted one ) , some coffin flowers , a celebrant and the usual funeral director / cremation fees and it was 5.5k . Most of that being the extortionate coffin but it did look nice . We had immediate family only ( her request)so no printing etc needed .

Doing a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death is not chargeable. I think the nurses have completed something to say that your DH has died and they confirmed it, but not the actual certificate (I am guessing a bit here as in my area the nurses wouldn't hand you paperwork).

The GP has then completed the actual MCCD which can only be done by a doctor and this is what he means by sent it electronically to the registrar.

The £82 is for a Cremation form. As previously stated, this used to require the GP, and then a second doctor (another £82) to check the work and make sure nothing untoward has happened - remember Harold Shipman?

The GP hasn't told you about the Cremation form at all because they just get on with it, it's part of the funeral arrangements. It's a great big booklet where you have to fill in the person's details, how and where they died, the events leading up to the death, who was there, whether they should be referred to the coroner and any discussions you have had with the coroner, any operations they have had, whether they have any implants such as pacemakers that are dangerous in a crematorium. You have to examine the body yourself.

It is process to safeguard that it is OK to turn the deceased into ashes and no further investigations need to be done into why the person died.

It isn't NHS work and you might quibble about it being £82 but it is skilled work and takes time. Also a safeguard has been lost during Covid of the second doctor checking.

I organised my mums funeral 18 months ago
We had the hearse
2 family limos
All the cremation fees and legal fees
Celebrant
And it cost £2850

The Funeral directors did everything
£50 order of the service books printed
Flowers was an extra £500
Food for afterwards was £350 in the local social club so we paid £100 refundable deposit
My mum had a life insurance policy that was with profits so we were guaranteed £2000 but my father actually got almost £5000
The funeral directors were paid direct from the life insurance policy and then they sent a cheque to my dad for the balance

To be fair I did shop around 😂😂😂 some wanted 4K for less than what I got
It was a women only firm which my mother would have thought brilliant
As the men were only used to carry her coffin 😂😂

We had a simple funeral for my dad but it was still cost around £3000, my Mum passed away only 6 months later and she wanted a direct cremation as don't think she wanted to put me through another funeral this cost just over £1000.

When we got the ashes back we scattered them where we did my dad's and close family went for a meal to celebrate my Mum. I preferred this and I don't have kids so want direct cremation too.

Not being funny but for some people a funeral is a chance to show off, the funeral director wasn't pushy but think you feel a pressure and wonder what other people think if you don't do this.

I felt terrible at the time not giving my mum a proper funeral but it's what she wanted.

Relative died at home, a nurse gave me a form. Pure Cremation came a few hours later and took him away, the GP did not see the body. The GP had seen him a few days earlier. The GP later sent something to Pure Cremation.It was all easily done. The G P did not charge anything.

Anyone noticed how many new private crematoria are being built? Certainly in our area there are at least four within less than 30 miles that I'm aware of. Given the up front investment required in land and equipment there must be a lot of money to be made.

The GP has to produce the medical cause of death certificate so you can register the death and get the official certificates.

Because my dad died at a care home with a registered nurse by his side, I think the GP probably just signed off her paperwork without attending dad either at the home or funeral home.

I had to chase them to get the paperwork forwarded to the registrar.

I can understand your frustration @Cooldryplace

I organised my DH funeral in jan. I was surprised that I had to pay half up front. I could do it, but lots of people wouldn't be able to.

We did it no frills, but still a basic coffin, embalming, order of service, bouquet of flowers, one car still was about £4.5k

I have the itemised bill:

Removal of the deceased to our chapel of rest and care of the deceased.
Provision of hears for conveyance of coffin. Our professional attendance throughout the arrangements including use of chapel of rest, administration, bearers and funeral director's attendance at the funeral. Provision of a scatter tube.

£2525

20 orders of service

£35

Provision of coquet coffin

£460

Crematorium fee

£806

Celebrant

£180

I don't mean to argue that the GP didn't visit and obviously don't know your circumstances.

The Government Guidance however is clear that either the person writing the form or another medical practioner should have seen the body and you need to write their GMC number on the form.

Ultimately it would be down to what the local Crematorium Referee will accept.

I thought it was reasonably well known that a 'normal' funeral costs £3-5k. From all the daytime telly adverts about over 50s plans.

Pre-paying your funeral, with someone who isn't likely to go bust (try the Co-op?) could be a very smart move, and saves your family both bills and admin (if you detail the arrangements)