Woman ‘in shock’ after being left with £8,000 funeral cost | Personal Finance | Finance

A woman has shared her shock at learning about the costs and fees associated with planning a funeral. Nicola’s father passed away last year, and her mum’s partner passed away four years ago, and thinks more information at earlier stages, both verbal and in writing, would have been useful.

The 33-year-old was faced with helping plan her mum’s partner’s funeral, which was made harder as they didn’t know what his wishes for the funeral had been.

She explained to Express.co.uk: “It is simpler if you already know their wishes. There were then decisions to be made on things such as which coffin, which grave plot type, flowers, type of service etc.

“There were then more personal decisions to be made such as his clothing, which music to have, and readings. It involved planning, such as timings, and bank payments, and talking to different people/services. I was in shock at the time, so I was really just in autopilot getting these things done.”

She explained her mum’s partner’s funeral cost around £8,000, even though it was a very simple service. It was much more than she had expected.

She warned other families of the high costs associated with different elements that no one ever talks about.

She continued: “If you haven’t planned a funeral before or are not in the best frame of mind, there are things that might be helpful to know for example if the plot can be dug for multiple burials, or how the deceased may look, or that you may be able to visit at the hospital at an earlier stage before the deceased is taken to a funeral home.

“The cost of the grave plot (for which you have Exclusive Right of Burial for 40 years) was probably the most expensive part.

“I think that made up around half of the overall cost. The cost of the plot alone is a struggle, let alone the cost of the rest of the service.”

Nicola and her mother were able to use some savings her partner had built up over the years however not all families will have access to extra cash.

She warned other families: “It’s a significant amount of money for a straightforward service and can cause more distress.”

With Dying Matters Week falling this month, Britons are being encouraged to think about how they may fund their funerals once they pass away to avoid loved one’s being left with a huge bill.

For the second year in a row, the cost of an average funeral in the UK has gone down – but the total cost of dying has gone up, according to the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2023.‌

The ‘cost of dying’ is the total cost of a funeral – including professional fees, the funeral service, and optional extras like the wake.

The average cost of dying has risen by 3.8 percent, from £8,864 in 2021, to £9,200 in 2022. But the average cost of a basic funeral has gone down. At £3,953, it’s dropped 2.5 percent since 2021.

In 2022, 19 percent of families experienced notable financial concerns when paying for a funeral. On average, they had to find £1,870 to cover the overall costs – up £70 since 2021.

Most of them found the money by dipping into their savings and investments, borrowing from a friend or relative, or by using a credit card.

When it came to recent funeral planning, just one in five people knew how the funeral would be paid for, according to new research from MetLife UK’s upcoming The Last Word: Tackling the death and funeral planning taboo report.‌

From their research, only a quarter say they knew practical choices for the funeral preference, such as burial or cremation, as well as coffin type.

By having open conversations with loved ones, people will be able to plan the funeral they want and consider the various costs associated.‌

Adrian Matthews, Head of Employee Benefits at MetLife UK said: “One thing we can be certain of in life is our death and the inevitable impact this will have on our families, so it’s important that we open up the conversation, tackling it head on so that we talk about it to help minimise the impact on those left behind.

“We naturally take out insurance on events that may never happen, such as to protect our car, home or mobile phone, but we don’t talk about or plan for certainties that will, like death or funeral planning.

“So why is it we often ignore the emotional protection that could support our loved ones – by having the conversation about our wishes and thoughts, so that when the time comes, they can focus on grieving for their loss, not trying to contemplate how to best say goodbye.

“Tackling the conversation head on ensures peace of mind and that we don’t make an already emotional and stressful time more upsetting with the fear of not carrying out the final wishes of loved ones.”