Check a cremation quote

Why the first number you hear is often not the last

There is no national definition of what a “direct cremation” price must contain. One funeral home’s price covers everything from the first phone call to the return of the ashes. Another’s covers only its own staff time, with the crematory, the container and the transfer billed on top.

A 2016 study by the Consumer Federation of America and the Funeral Consumers Alliance looked at 142 funeral homes and found that 22% advertised a direct cremation price that did not include the cremation itself. The separate crematory charge was typically $250 to $400.

The charges most often left out

• The crematory fee, when the funeral home does not own a crematory and passes the charge through.
• Transfer outside a set radius, or at night and on weekends.
• Refrigerated care beyond a few days. A permit or a medical examiner can take longer than that, and the wait is outside your control.
• Death certificates. Each certified copy carries a state or county fee.
• A medical examiner or coroner fee that some counties charge before a cremation can go ahead.

What makes a quote complete

A quote is complete when you can answer “included” or “extra, and this much” for every row above. If any row is still “not sure”, you have a starting price, not a total.

Before you sign anything, the funeral home must give you an itemized statement showing each item and its price. Compare it with what you were told on the phone.

• Consumer Federation of America and Funeral Consumers Alliance, cremation services report (2016)
• Federal Trade Commission, The FTC Funeral Rule