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How Much Does Average Funeral Cost in 2022?

When a beloved member passes away and has no contingency in motion, the hardest moment to make meaningful financial choices is right.

On many occasions, you’ll hear people claiming it costs over $9,000 on average for the funeral. The calculation, nevertheless, is based on a survey of values taken many years ago.

As for all else, funeral or memorial service rates have risen for inflation. Now the typical conventional North American funeral expenses range from $9,600 to $13,000.

Pre-planning for things that you realize would arise will allow you and your families to take some of the stress out of those bills–particularly the funeral costs.

Whether you’ve ever been involved in planning burial costs, you realize it may be tough to cover only the most minimal funeral expenses.

Unless you are heading through the cycle with a budget into consideration, specific add-ons alone will bring out of control the expense of a funeral spiraling.

It may be a struggle to seek to determine the expense of a funeral in advance. Standard funeral rates are on the increase, and there is a variety to remember.

It covers whether there should be a burial or a cremation, services to be provided, the urn or casket/vault and size, whether the corpse should be embalmed or not, and more.

It doesn’t need to be a nightmare to arrange burial expenses. You should train the family in advance with a bit of thoughtful funeral planning and know-how.

Release your family to morn on your passing, and let them leave the burial preparation burden behind.

Your relatives should be forced to concentrate on mourning your death away by pre-planning funeral costs instead of thinking over whether they’ll compensate for your funeral.

Depending on other variables, such as the quality of care and the venue, the cost of a funeral will be between $1,500 and $15,000.

With just 57 percent of Americans getting life insurance, many families are not ready to pay the cheapest funeral costs.

A Must Read: Life Insurance for Over 85

How do I find a funeral home or cremation provider in Georgia?

There are in the region of 1000 funeral homes, cemeteries and crematories in Georgia. US Funerals Online lists all funeral establishments in our ‘Funeral homes’ directory, by state, city and in zip code order. This does make it easy for you to locate and review the funeral homes and cremation providers in Georgia. You can also use the short cut links to the main cities in Georgia on the right-hand side of this page. Narrowing it down to your local area, you can identify local funeral homes in Georgia, and compare services and funeral prices.           

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How to Get Burial Insurance in Georgia

The first step is to find a provider you trust who specializes in burial insurance and has experience working with the funeral industry. Look for a plan that offers an affordable amount of coverage while allowing you to document your final wishes.

Contact Lincoln Heritage today for your free, no-obligation quote on burial insurance and see why people all over the Peach State choose Funeral Advantage™.

Tips For Saving On Funeral Costs

As families can expect to pay over $15,000 in fees, it’s very important to understand funeral expenses and know what you’re buying.

Even basic services can lead to a lot of debt. Here are some simple steps to significantly reduce funeral expenses:

1. Ask for the general price list — All funeral homes are required by law to show you a general price list upon request. Many funeral homes will verbally inflate their prices, hoping you agree to them. However, they are required to honor the rates shown on their general price list regardless of what they state verbally. Every price list will have a separate line entry for each item. It is your right only to purchase the services and goods that you want.
2. Shop around — Call four to seven funeral homes to get estimates on the services you are interested in.
3. Keep your budget a secret — Don’t tell the funeral homes how much money you have to spend. If they ask you what your budget is, simply say, “I’m not sure, but it won’t be much. What’s the best you can do?”
4. Consider buying a casket/urn separately — You aren’t required to purchase a casket, urn, prayer cards, or flowers directly from the funeral home. All of those items are typically up-charged by the funeral home, and alternatives can be a great deal cheaper. For example, Costco actually sells caskets and urns.
5. Don’t insist on a viewing — Embalming and body preparation are often not required unless the body is not buried within a specific time. Ask about refrigeration.
6. Consider a direct cremation/burial — A direct cremation is a simple cremation without a funeral service of any kind. A direct burial is a burial service that does not include any sort of service or funeral ceremony. Either can cut thousands from the cost. Some of the cheapest funeral costs are for direct cremation. That could be followed by an at-home service. This can be a difficult choice, however, as many families may not want to host a full service themselves.

Organizations like the Funeral Consumers Alliance also offer tips and resources for minimizing the costs of funerals, burials, and cremations. See the FCA’s detailed overview of your legal rights after a loved one dies to get more savings tips.

The FCA’s four-step funeral planning guide also gives you an easy-to-follow game plan for funerals and burials that don’t break the bank.

When dealing with funeral homes, always ask for the general price list and double-check for changes. Know that a funeral home cannot force you to make unnecessary purchases, like caskets with “sealer” or gilded memorial prints.

Use the numbers in this article to help you create a baseline and budget, but remember that prices will vary a great deal depending on where you are. You can also print this official FTC checklist for funeral expenses and use it as you price shop or compare your options.

If a funeral home includes a fee not listed on the official FTC checklist, never be shy to ask what it is and why it’s there.

How to Save Money on Funeral Plan?

Although nobody likes to worry about their death, the early end-of-life expenses preparation will spare the families and friends, a lot of extra stress eventually.

It’s a tragic reality that you can not question him or her if they want to be recalled until somebody is dead.

And though we would all prefer to believe our loved ones are doing what is right, sadness will affect the judgment of the individual.

No one would have to ask what you may have decided by setting out a detailed schedule ahead of time.

And what would you do to keep the family from collapsing under its financial burden?

Funeral Savings Fund

It’s a smart plan to create a saving plan with a simple picture of how much funds you’ll need for your service. If you start young, you would have saved up enough to cover the expenses.

This approach will be outstanding if you are careful and adhere to putting aside the cash needed to cover all of the funeral expenses.

However, when unforeseen events occur which allow you to draw from the funeral savings fund, where it can become an issue.

Pre-Paying Entire Cost of a Funeral

If you are sure that your favorite funeral home will be in service at the time of death, arrange for your funeral beforehand.

You will pick all the elements needed for your funeral while prepaid. A document may be written up at the funeral home or graveyard, which would indicate the preferences.

At this time, you pay right up-front.

The advantages of pre-payment are numerous: 

• Your funeral service is scheduled.
• You lock in the current prices and stop inflation.
• Your relatives need not care about logistics or settlements

However, there are few disadvantages of this as well, read details here.

Existing Life Insurance

Life insurance is a scheme that cashes out the clients as they pass away. The money earned by a life insurance contract is what is considered the death payout, which is usually compensated as one lump sum settlement and is tax-deductible.

When you have established life insurance or final expense insurance policy, that will be an ideal option to help compensate for the death and funeral expenses.

Funeral Burial Expectations in Georgia

The funeral, burial, and/or cremation process is similar throughout the United States. In Georgia, there are a few things that are handled at the state level. This includes burial requirements, embalming and refrigeration expectations, notifying the authorities of death, and death certificate requests.

Death Certificates

The death certificate serves as proof of death and is obtained by the medical examiner’s office. Deaths should be reported in the county where it took place. The medical examiner is required to issue a death certificate within 72 hours of the event. The death certificate has to be filed within 10 days, and will be needed to apply for government benefits and the deceased person’s employer.

Embalming

Embalming is not required by state law in Georgia, and there is no time limit on how long a body may be left unburied without refrigeration or embalming. A funeral home may require it if there is a public viewing. Embalming is usually a wise choice if the funeral will not take place for several days after death.

Burial Requirements

If burial is chosen, a casket may not be required under certain circumstances. Your cemetery may require the use of a burial container, and they will often note that it must be leak-proof. If a casket is required, you don’t have to buy a one from the funeral home — you are free to buy it elsewhere, and the funeral home must use it. If you’re considering a home burial, check with your local zoning office to confirm its okay to have someone buried on your property.

Cremation Services

Cremation is a method that uses heat to burn a body down to bone fragments, which are then ground into sand-like ash. Embalming is not required, and the remains are often accepted in cemeteries, mausoleums, and churches. If you choose to scatter the ashes, you can do that on your own land or – with permission – on public property. Check with your local country before scattering ashes anywhere.

Average funeral costs by state

Every year, the NFDA publishes its General Price List Survey. These are the results of their latest 2019 report:

2019 NFDA Average Funeral Costs

State	Burial	Cremation
Alabama	$7,353	$4,298
Alaska	$7,290	$4,808
Arizona	$6,907	$4,517
Arkansas	$6,933	$4,688
California	$7,290	$4,808
Colorado	$6,907	$4,517
Connecticut	$7,612	$5,447
Delaware	$7,461	$5,021
Florida	$7,461	$5,021
Georgia	$7,461	$5,021
Hawaii	$7,290	$4,808
Idaho	$6,907	$4,517
Illinois	$7,855	$5,305
Indiana	$7,855	$5,305
Iowa	$8,123	$5,673
Kansas	$8,123	$5,673
Kentucky	$7,353	$4,298
Louisiana	$6,933	$4,688
Maine	$7,612	$5,447
Maryland	$7,461	$5,021
Massachusetts	$7,612	$5,447
Michigan	$7,855	$5,305
Minnesota	$8,123	$5,673
Mississippi	$7,353	$4,298
Missouri	$8,123	$5,673
Montana	$6,907	$4,517
Nebraska	$8,123	$5,673
Nevada	$6,907	$4,517
New Hampshire	$7,612	$5,447
New Jersey	$7,849	$5,364
New Mexico	$6,907	$4,517
New York	$7,849	$5,364
North Carolina	$7,461	$5,021
North Dakota	$8,123	$5,673
Ohio	$7,855	$5,305
Oklahoma	$6,933	$4,688
Oregon	$7,290	$4,808
Pennsylvania	$7,849	$5,364
Rhode Island	$7,612	$5,447
South Carolina	$7,461	$5,021
South Dakota	$8,123	$5,673
Tennessee	$7,353	$4,298
Texas	$6,933	$4,688
Utah	$6,907	$4,517
Vermont	$7,612	$5,447
Virginia	$7,461	$5,021
Washington	$7,290	$4,808
West Virginia	$7,461	$5,021
Wisconsin	$7,855	$5,305
Wyoming	$6,907	$4,517

No matter where you live, cremation is cheaper than a burial, although some areas are certainly cheaper than others. If you live in states like Colorado or Oklahoma, you will pay significantly less than those who live in Kansas or North Dakota.

Affordable direct cremation

US Funerals helped me to find an affordable direct cremation in my area, saving me $100’s in funeral costs. I would definitely recommend their site to family and friends who are faced with arranging a funeral or cremation. James, AL

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