Short answer: lower the bill before you finance it. Under the FTC Funeral Rule you can get prices by phone, a written itemized price list in person, and you can buy only the goods and services you want instead of a package (FTC). Choices like skipping embalming where it is not needed or buying the casket elsewhere cut $3,350.00 from the example bill below. Then borrow only what is left; on that example a no interest plan adds nothing and a credit card at the average rate costs more than a personal loan at the average rate.
Your rights under the Funeral Rule
The rule covers funeral homes. It does not apply to third-party sellers, such as casket and monument dealers, or to cemeteries that lack an on-site funeral home (FTC).
- Prices by phone. A funeral home must answer price questions on the telephone from its price lists (16 CFR 453.2(b)(1)), and you do not have to give your name, address or number first (FTC).
- A general price list to keep. When you discuss arrangements or prices in person, the home must give you a written list with the price of each item it offers, such as transfer of remains, embalming, use of facilities for a viewing or ceremony, hearse, direct cremation and immediate burial (16 CFR 453.2(b)(4)).
- Casket and outer burial container prices before you see them. If those prices are not on the general list, the home must offer a separate written list before showing the caskets or containers (16 CFR 453.2(b)(2) and (3)). Ask about lower priced models that may not be on display (FTC).
- No required package. A funeral home may not make you buy one item to get another, except as the law requires; the one fee it may make non-declinable is its basic services fee (16 CFR 453.4(b), 16 CFR 453.2(b)(4)(iv)).
- Your own casket or urn. The home cannot refuse a casket or urn you bought elsewhere or charge you a fee to handle it (FTC, FTC business guidance).
- An itemized statement before you pay. At the end of the arrangements you get a written statement of each item chosen, its price, the cash advance items (such as fees the home pays to others for you) and the total (16 CFR 453.2(b)(5)). If the law or a cemetery or crematory requires an item, the reason must be written there (16 CFR 453.4(b)(2)).
Lower cost choices
- Embalming. Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. A funeral home may not say it is required for a direct cremation, an immediate burial, or a closed casket funeral without viewing when refrigeration is available and state or local law does not require embalming (16 CFR 453.3(a)).
- Direct cremation or immediate burial. These have no formal viewing or ceremony with the body present, and their prices must be on the general price list (16 CFR 453.2(b)(4)(ii)). A memorial service can still be held later.
- No casket needed for cremation. A home that arranges direct cremations must offer an alternative container, such as fiberboard, and may not require a casket (16 CFR 453.4(a), 16 CFR 453.3(b)).
- Outer burial container. State law does not require one, but many cemeteries do; a grave liner or a vault will meet that requirement (16 CFR 453.3(c)). Compare the price of each.
- Shop and trim. The FTC suggests comparing prices from at least two funeral homes, limiting the viewing to a shorter time, and using a favorite outfit instead of burial clothing (FTC).
- Veterans. VA burial allowances can help cover some burial, funeral and plot costs for an eligible Veteran, for the person who paid them (VA). Check eligibility before you pay.
One worked bill
Example only; made-up prices to show the math, not typical prices. Same funeral home, two sets of choices from its general price list.
| Item | First quote | Trimmed |
|---|---|---|
| Basic services of funeral director and staff | $2,200.00 | $2,200.00 |
| Transfer of remains to the funeral home | $450.00 | $450.00 |
| Embalming | $850.00 | Not chosen (closed casket, no viewing) |
| Other preparation of the body | $300.00 | Not chosen |
| Facilities and staff for viewing | $500.00 | Not chosen |
| Facilities and staff for the ceremony | $600.00 | $600.00 |
| Hearse | $400.00 | $400.00 |
| Casket | $2,800.00 | $1,100.00 (bought elsewhere) |
| Total | $8,100.00 | $4,750.00 |
The trimmed choices cost $3,350.00 less. Cemetery charges and other cash advance items come on top in both cases. With $2,950.00 from savings and family, $1,800.00 is left to cover.
Paying the $1,800.00 that is left
Example only, our calculation. Loans and the card are repaid in 12 equal monthly payments, interest counted monthly. Rates: the Federal Reserve's August 2026 averages for commercial bank credit card accounts that paid interest (22.36%) and 24-month personal loans (11.90%) (Federal Reserve G.19); your rate depends on your credit and the lender. The PAL row uses the 28% cap (NCUA) and the $20 maximum application fee (12 CFR 701.21(c)(7)).
| Option | Monthly payment | Total paid | Added to the bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funeral home payment plan, no interest, 12 months (if offered) | $150.00 | $1,800.00 | $0.00 |
| Personal loan at 11.90% APR | $159.84 | $1,918.08 | $118.08 |
| Credit card at 22.36%, paid in 12 equal payments | $168.78 | $2,025.36 | $225.36 |
| PAL at the 28% cap, plus a $20.00 application fee | $173.71 | $2,104.52 | $304.52 |
Loan payment: P x r / (1 - (1 + r)-n), r = APR / 12, rounded to the cent.
- Funeral home payment plan. Ask whether the home will split the bill, and get the amounts, dates and any interest or fee in writing. If the plan is run by a lender, it is credit: read the APR and total of payments (how to read a loan disclosure).
- Credit card. Only as cheap as the table if you really pay it off in the planned months; paying the minimum makes it cost far more.
- Credit union PAL. Small loans from federal credit unions to members; see payday alternative loans.
- Personal installment loan. A fixed payment and end date. Check what the payment does to your budget first (debt-to-income ratio).
- If a company wants money up front to arrange a loan, see advance fee loan scams.
The person who died had debts too
Paying for the funeral is a separate question from the debts the person left. Who owes those, and what collectors may say to the family, is in personal loan debt after death.
This guide explains a federal rule in general terms and is not legal advice. State and local law can add requirements.
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Disclosure: Modern Lending Solutions is not a lender, loan broker or agent for any lender or loan broker, and does not make credit decisions. Any compensation we receive is paid by participating lenders, only for advertising services. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice.
Sources
- FTC: The FTC Funeral Rule
- FTC: Shopping for Funeral Services
- FTC: Complying with the Funeral Rule
- FTC Funeral Rule, 16 CFR 453.2: price disclosures (general price list, casket and outer burial container price lists, itemized statement)
- FTC Funeral Rule, 16 CFR 453.3: misrepresentations (embalming, casket for cremation, outer burial containers)
- FTC Funeral Rule, 16 CFR 453.4: required purchase of funeral goods or services
- VA: Veterans burial allowance and transportation benefits
- Federal Reserve: G.19 Consumer Credit (released October 7, 2026), terms of credit, August 2026: credit card plans and 24-month personal loans
- MyCreditUnion.gov (NCUA): Payday Alternative Loans
- eCFR: NCUA rule 12 CFR 701.21(c)(7), payday alternative loans (PALs I and PALs II)