Questions About Funeral Expenses

1. Does life insurance cover funeral expenses?

   Question - Many people are able to do just what you want: pay the costs of a funeral with life insurance proceeds. The policy will generally state that a particular beneficiary should get the proceeds at death. But if you are the beneficiary and choose to spend them that way, that is your option.
   1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

2. Can I Pay for a Funeral in Advance?

   Question - You can, but it may not be a good idea.
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 5 Community Answers

3. Is funeral financial assistance available?

   Question - There are a number of sources for funds to be used for funeral expenses.
   1 Expert Answer, 7 Community Answers

4. Is a senior legally responsible for the funeral of an adult child?

   Question - Not usually--although you may be asked to cover the bill, at least temporarily.
   1 Expert Answer

5. Is there financial assistance for funeral expenses?

   Question - First of all, consider less expensive options such as a graveside service only or cremation, which generally costs between $1,000 and $2,000. While that's a fraction of the cost of most traditional funerals, it's still quite a chunk of change.There are, however, some places to which you can turn for help in paying for funerals...
   1 Expert Answer, 11 Community Answers

6. Will I as executor pay for funeral and burial expenses for my father?

   Question - Possibly two different questions here, with possibly two different answers.When a person dies, all of his or her creditors are notified -- and the outstanding debts are ranked in a hierarchy set out in state law and paid off from remaining estate property. And that happens before beneficiaries are entitled to take any property they may be left in a will...
   1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

7. Are there any programs that help with funeral expenses?

   Question - All states -- and many counties and municipalities -- run programs that offer financial benefits for funerals, burials, and cremation to families with low incomes.Unfortunately, there is no good central resource that tracks all of them -- and what is available varies widely, depending on where you live...
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

8. Can my ashes be buried in my parents' plot?

   Question - You ask a good question that many people wonder about. The Pennsylvania cremation burial laws allow each cemetery to set its own guidelines about the burial of ashes. I'm assuming that your parents are buried in a full-size grave that a casket was buried in, and not a cremation grave...
   1 Expert Answer

9. How to get funds out my deceased father-in-law bank account to get reimbursed for funeral arrangements?

   Question - You will likely be able to get all the help you need from an unexpected source: the local probate court.
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

10. Any tips for how to figure out how to choose a funeral home?

    Question - Tips on Choosing a Funeral Home
    1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

11. What is the standard donation for a minister who performs a memorial service?

    Question - Thank you for telling me your area. Like most services, the price can be quite different depending where you live. In your area, the current fee ranges between $200 and $250.
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

12. Is public assistance available to cover funeral costs? My...

    Question - Is there public assistance for funeral costs? Since I run the Funeral Help hot line I get this question several times daily and wish I could give you a more solid answer than "Maybe". Most states and some cities have an Indigent Burial Fund (or something similar) to assist those who die without assets for a funeral...
    1 Expert Answer

13. If Medicare and Medicad offer funeral benefits, are there restrictions if someone committed suicide?

    Question - Medicare and Medicaid vary from state to state, so for an exact answer you'll need to contact a benefits adviser in your state. That said, Medicare and Medicaid do not, as a rule, pay death benefits beyond the Social Security program's $255 one-time payment to surviving spouse or children...
    1 Expert Answer

14. Who is ultimately responsible for funeral expenses?

    Question - Please accept my condolences in the loss of your husband. That issue in itself ranks in studies as one of the hardest life experiences. To have to deal with the issues you mentioned makes it even more difficult.
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

15. Is there funeral expense assistance available to a veteran's widow?

    Question - This is a good question. Many times a spouse of a veteran is eligible for certain benefits during her life. Usually these are in the form of financial assistance with assisted living or nursing home costs.
    1 Expert Answer

16. Can I legally use Dad's money for funeral expenses after his death?

    Question - What happened in your situation is perfectly common and understandable—especially since some creditors, such as those providing funeral goods and services, are less than likely to accept delayed payment plans these days. And the fact that you are fretting over the possibility of getting into troublele almost assures that you won’t...
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

17. Does SSI help with funeral expenses?

    Question - If she's on SSI now, that office already has a record of her and her eligibility for those benefits so they will probably pay some amount for funeral expenses. Call her local SSI office and ask about eligibility criteria and amounts for funeral expenses...
    2 Expert Answers

18. Who is responsible for the final costs of my almost ex-husband?

    Question - Married people are not responsible for the individual debts of their spouses unless they have taken on the debts themselves, like when you co-sign a loan. So, even though you were still married at the time of his death, you aren't responsible for your husband's funeral expenses.
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

19. Can I pre pay funeral expenses with my mother's life insurance policy?

    Question - You cannot assign the ownership of your mother's life insurance policy in return for a prepaid funeral contract with a funeral home, but you do have some other options that may help you pay for her final expenses.
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

20. What are the requirements for an open coffin viewing for someone who wants to be cremated?

    Question - There are no specific laws or regulations that control this. Such arrangements are up to the survivors -- or must be carried out according to the wishes of the deceased, if he or she left binding wishes.If the deceased or survivors wish to have an open casket viewing, you should be able to arrange one...
    1 Expert Answer

21. What should I do with my mother's Social Security deposits if her nursing home is 100% covered by Medicaid?

    Question - In order to maintain her eligibility for Medicaid, her countable assets , such as a bank account, may not exceed $2,000. She is allowed to prepay a funeral. You could use her excess funds for this purpose. You can also purchase clothing, a radio, a television or other items of pesonal property for her...
    1 Expert Answer

22. What's a Totten Trust and does it protect assets?

    Question - A Totten Trust is somewhat of a misnomer because it is a trust in name only.
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

23. What are good funeral homes when it come to costs?

    Question - These are good questions that many people ask at some time. Any place that sells caskets has varied prices, whether it’s a funeral home, a wholesale company, an internet company, or a retail store. The least expensive caskets are usually a 20-gauge steel casket without a gasket to help seal it, a wowooden...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

24. How does an executor get hep paying for bills after death?

    Question - A short certificate is usually the local probate court's certification that an estate proceeding is on record, and most courts will issue them only after the probate is complete, so the paperwork you were issued here is a little confusing. First, the easier news: As executor, you should not be legally...
    1 Expert Answer

25. Does life insurance pay for final expenses?

    Question - If, as is the most common situation, your nephew is the designated beneficiary of his grandmother's life insurance policy, upon her death, he has a right to the full proceeds of the policy. The only exception to this general rule would be if there were estate taxes due as a result of the grandmother...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer