- Find tips on how to plan a funeral and keep costs down below
Cremation with service: average cost has risen to £4,431 this year, says L&G
The cost of holding a funeral has risen almost 6 per cent to £4,706 on average this year, new research from Legal & General reveals.
Direct cremation, the simplest and cheapest option that involves no services or mourners, has risen the most in price, up 11.5 per cent to £1,557.
The ashes are then returned to the family, allowing them to arrange a personal memorial at a time of their choosing, which has become a more popular farewell option in recent years.
The average cost of a cremation and service has risen 6.1 per cent to £4,431 this year, while the price of a burial and service has risen 7.3 per cent to £5,894, according to the L&G study .
It also found that the number of public health funerals increased by 23 percent between 2018 and 2023.
Local authorities have a legal duty to organize funerals as a last resort when families cannot be located or are unable to fund them. L&G suggested the trend was due to rising costs.
L&G’s findings on the price of basic funerals are similar to the most recent annual survey by SunLife, which found the average cost of a basic cremation or burial had risen 4.1 per cent to £4,141.
That would cover the fees of the funeral director, a mid-range casket, a funeral limousine, a doctor and a minister or celebrant.
But it would not include a funeral, death and funeral notices, flowers, order forms, limousines, venue and catering for a wake, or hiring a professional to administer an estate.
SunLife said costs were rising again due to rising cremation and burial fees, after several years in which they had fallen after new rules required companies to display a clear summary of prices at their facilities and sites. website starting fall 2021.
Serviced burial: average cost has risen to £5,894 this year, says L&G
L&G says: “Funeral costs are high largely due to the expense of appointing a funeral director, as well as third-party costs for burial or cremation, which include the cost of the service plus the minister or officiant.”
But he points out: ‘A funeral director has a vital role to play, acting as a guide in both planning and carrying out the funeral.
“Together with their staff, they make sure family members are taken care of, making a difficult day as easy as possible.”
L&G says extras may include flowers, headstones and memorial plaques, newspaper advertisements, hiring an organist, releasing pigeons or another unique tribute.
Their research found that the East Midlands has the lowest combined costs for a burial and funeral director, around £5,000. But Wales has the cheapest cremations, around £3,900. Greater London is the most expensive region to hold a funeral.
