Key Takeaways
- Planning your funeral ahead spares your family dozens of decisions during the hardest days of their lives.
- Key choices include burial or cremation, the type of service, location, music and readings, and how it will be paid for.
- Don’t rely only on your will: it’s often read after the funeral. Record your wishes separately and tell people where they are.
- Some states let you name a person with legal authority over your remains and funeral arrangements.
- Funeral homes must give you an itemized price list under the FTC Funeral Rule, so you can compare and buy only what you want.
Why plan your funeral in advance?
When a death happens, families typically have just days to make many decisions, often while grieving and sometimes while disagreeing. Pre-planning lets you make those choices calmly, share them clearly and, if you want, arrange payment so no one is caught off guard by the cost.
The funeral planning checklist
1. Disposition
- Burial, cremation, green burial or donation to science
- Cemetery or final resting place; whether you already own a plot
- Casket or urn preferences
- What to do with cremated remains
2. The service
- Funeral, memorial service, celebration of life, graveside service or none
- Religious or secular; who should officiate
- Location and timing
- Music, readings, speakers and pallbearers
- Open or closed casket, viewing or visitation
- Flowers, or donations to a named charity instead
3. Paperwork and information
- Your full legal name, date and place of birth, Social Security number, parents’ names: details needed for the death certificate
- Military service records, if you served (veterans may be eligible for burial benefits)
- An obituary draft, or facts you’d like included
- Contacts to notify
4. Paying for it
- A payable-on-death bank account set aside for funeral costs
- Life insurance or a final expense policy
- A pre-need contract with a funeral home; read the terms carefully and ask what happens if the provider goes out of business or you move
5. Put it in writing, and in the right place
- Write your wishes in a document your family can find quickly
- In states that allow it, name an agent for disposition of your remains
- Give copies to your executor, your health care agent and close family
Where to record your funeral wishes
| Where you record them | Read in time? | Legally binding? | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will | Often not; may be read after the funeral | Varies | Back-up only |
| Separate written funeral wishes | Yes, if family knows where it is | Usually guidance, not binding | Main place for your detailed wishes |
| Designation of an agent for remains (where available) | Yes | Yes, gives a named person authority | Avoiding family disputes |
| Pre-need contract with a funeral home | Yes | Contract terms are binding | Locking in arrangements and price |
| Conversation with family | Yes | No | Always do this too |
Know your rights on cost
Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, funeral homes must give you an itemized price list, let you buy only the goods and services you want, and accept a casket or urn you buy elsewhere without charging a handling fee. Comparing two or three providers can save a significant amount.
Planning for a parent or loved one
If you’re helping an aging parent, use this checklist as a conversation guide. Pair it with their living will and powers of attorney so their wishes are covered before and after death.
Frequently asked questions
You can, but don’t rely on it alone. Wills are often read after the funeral has taken place. Keep a separate written statement of your wishes and make sure your family knows where it is.
It can lock in arrangements and ease the burden on your family, but read the contract carefully. Ask whether it’s refundable, transferable if you move, and protected if the funeral home closes. A payable-on-death account is a flexible alternative.
Written wishes are usually treated as guidance. In many states you can make them more enforceable by naming an agent with legal authority over your remains.
Costs vary widely by location and choices. A traditional funeral with burial typically costs much more than direct cremation. The FTC Funeral Rule lets you request itemized prices to compare.
State law usually gives that right to a spouse, then adult children, parents and other relatives, unless you’ve designated someone else where your state allows it.
Keep reading
- Estate Planning Checklist: The Documents Everyone NeedsA plain-English estate planning checklist: the will, living will, powers of attorney and other documents everyone needs, plus what to organize and when to update.
- What Is a Living Will? How It Works and What to IncludeA living will records your wishes about life-sustaining treatment if you can't speak for yourself. Learn what it covers, when it applies and how it differs from a will.
- Living Will vs. Advance Directive: What’s the Difference?An advance directive is the umbrella term; a living will is one type. Learn how living wills, health care powers of attorney and advance directives fit together.
- Will vs. Trust: Which Do You Need?Compare a will and a revocable living trust on probate, privacy, cost and control. Learn when a will is enough and when a trust makes sense.
- What Happens If You Die Without a Will?If you die without a will, state intestacy law decides who inherits, who manages your estate and who raises your kids. Here's what typically happens.
- How to Avoid Probate: 6 Common StrategiesProbate can be slow, public and costly. Learn six common ways to pass assets directly to your heirs, from beneficiary designations to a living trust.
- How to Choose an Executor for Your Will (and What They Do)Your executor carries out your will. Learn what an executor does, who makes a good choice, and the mistakes to avoid when naming one.
- Pet Trust: How to Provide for Your Pets After You’re GonePets can't inherit money, but a pet trust can fund their care. Learn how pet trusts work, how they compare with a will, and how to choose a caregiver.
Don’t leave your family guessing
Put your health care wishes in writing with a living will, HIPAA release and medical authorization. The No Brainer Box adds a last will, a revocable trust and health care and financial powers of attorney.
- Answer a few simple questions online
- Download your completed, ready-to-sign forms
- Sign them and keep copies in your account
This guide is general educational information written by the No Brainer Forms Team. It is not legal advice, and No Brainer Forms is not a law firm. Laws and signing requirements vary by state; for advice about your situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.