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How to choose a funeral home

Most families choose a funeral home quickly, under pressure. A few calls and the right questions can save money and stress.

Edited by Steven Royster, Licensed Funeral Director (FL) Published October 3, 2026 Updated How we create content

Key points

  • You can choose any funeral home; you are not bound to the one a hospital or facility suggests.
  • Funeral homes must give you prices by phone on request and an itemized General Price List (GPL) in person.
  • Compare the same service — for example, direct cremation — across two or three providers.
  • You only pay for the goods and services you choose, with limited exceptions such as the basic services fee.

Start with what you already know

Before calling anyone, check whether the person left a prearrangement with a specific funeral home, owns cemetery property, or belonged to a faith community with its own customs or preferred providers. If burial will be in a particular cemetery, some families choose a funeral home that regularly works with it. If the person wanted cremation, ask whether the funeral home operates its own crematory or uses a third party — either is common.

Your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule

The Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule applies to funeral providers nationwide. Among other things, it gives you the right to:

  • Get price information by phone. A funeral home must answer your questions about prices over the phone.
  • Get a written, itemized General Price List when you ask in person about funeral arrangements, which you may keep.
  • See casket and outer burial container price lists before you see the products.
  • Buy only what you want. Apart from the basic services fee and anything required by law or a cemetery or crematory you select, you can choose items individually rather than a package.
  • Use a casket or urn you bought elsewhere without being charged a handling fee or being refused.
  • Use an alternative container (such as unfinished wood or heavy cardboard) instead of a casket for direct cremation.
  • Receive a written statement of the goods and services you selected, with prices, before you pay.

Embalming is not required by federal law. A funeral home may require it for a public viewing as its own policy, but it must not tell you embalming is legally required when it isn't, and it must offer options such as direct cremation or immediate burial that don't involve embalming.

How to compare prices

  1. Decide roughly what you want — for example, direct cremation, or a funeral with viewing and burial. Our cost calculator shows the main components.
  2. Call two or three funeral homes and ask the price of that same arrangement, or ask them to email or give you their GPL. Some funeral homes post price lists online.
  3. Compare like with like. Package names differ. Check the basic services fee, transfer of remains, embalming or refrigeration, use of facilities and staff, vehicles, the container or casket, and the crematory fee.
  4. Ask about cash advance items — things the funeral home pays to others on your behalf, such as death certificates, obituary notices, clergy honoraria or cemetery charges. Ask whether they add a service charge to these.

Questions to ask a funeral director

  • What is your basic services fee, and what does it include?
  • What is the total price for the arrangement we're describing, including cash advance items?
  • Do you have a less expensive option, such as direct cremation or immediate burial?
  • Is embalming required for what we want? If not, what is the alternative, and what does refrigeration cost?
  • For cremation: is the crematory on site? How do you ensure identification? When will we receive the cremated remains?
  • Can we hold a viewing or service without embalming (for example, a brief private family viewing)?
  • What happens if family members disagree, or if we need more time to decide?
  • Who will be our point of contact, and how do we reach them after hours?
  • What are the payment terms? When is payment due, and do you accept insurance assignments?

Signs to slow down

  • Reluctance to give prices by phone or provide a GPL
  • Being told embalming, a sealed casket or a particular vault is "required by law" without explanation
  • Pressure to choose a package or upgrade, or to decide immediately
  • Fees to use a casket or urn bought elsewhere
  • Unclear answers about who performs the cremation or how remains are identified

You can check a funeral home's license with your state's funeral licensing board, and report suspected Funeral Rule violations to the FTC.

If you are choosing for yourself in advance

Choosing a funeral home ahead of time gives you time to compare calmly. You can record your choice without paying anything. If you consider prepaying, read our guide to prepaying for a funeral first.

Sources and references

  1. Federal Trade Commission: Shopping for Funeral Services
  2. Federal Trade Commission: Complying with the Funeral Rule
  3. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 16 CFR Part 453 — Funeral Industry Practices
  4. Funeral Consumers Alliance (nonprofit): Funeral Consumers Alliance

Rules, benefit amounts and prices change. Where a source is a government agency, check it directly for current figures. See our sources and fact-checking policy.

Related guides and tools

This guide is general educational information from Serene Farewells, an independent publisher. It is not legal, medical, financial or tax advice, and Serene Farewells is not a funeral provider. Laws and prices vary by state and provider. Spot an error? Tell us.