Funeral Cost Breakdown: Where the Money Goes in the UK

In short: A funeral cost breakdown has two main parts: the funeral director’s own charges, and third-party costs the director pays on your behalf, such as cremation or burial fees, doctors’ fees and a celebrant. Under the CMA’s Order, funeral directors must publish a Standardised Price List that itemises their charges, so you can ask to see it. Optional extras, such as flowers, catering and a memorial, are separate again.

The funeral cost breakdown in two parts

Most funeral bills split into funeral director fees and third-party costs, and knowing which is which makes quotes easier to compare. GOV.UK says costs can include director fees, third-party payments such as the officiant, crematorium or cemetery fees or a newspaper notice, and local authority burial or cremation fees.

The CMA’s Order calls the second group disbursements. It defines them as payments made to a third party on the customer’s behalf and passed on without any mark-up, and gives cremation and burial fees, doctors’ fees, and a minister’s or celebrant’s fees as examples. MoneyHelper adds that a funeral director will often collect these from you up front.

This guide follows that split. Our wider guide to the average funeral cost explains what official sources say about totals, and the sections below show what sits inside each part. No figure here is a price you should expect, because prices vary by provider and area, so use this funeral cost breakdown as a checklist rather than a quote.

What funeral director fees cover

The CMA’s Standardised Price List sets out what a funeral director’s own charges include, and it names six core items for an attended funeral. Under Part C of Schedule 1 of the Order, an attended funeral price covers:

1. taking care of all necessary legal and administrative arrangements
2. collection and transport of the person into the director’s care, from the place of death
3. care of the person before the funeral, in appropriate facilities
4. a suitable coffin
5. viewing of the person, by appointment
6. a hearse or other appropriate vehicle to take the person directly to the cemetery or crematorium, at a date and time agreed with you

The price list labels that total as the funeral director’s charges only, which means it leaves out third-party fees. An unattended funeral has five elements, with no viewing and with transport at a time the director decides. Customers may opt out of elements, and the director may apply an appropriate discount, according to the CMA guidance, so ask whether that is possible.

The same list names additional funeral director items that are priced separately: additional mileage, additional transfers of the person, collection and delivery of ashes, embalming, a funeral officiant, and services outside normal office hours. If someone is unsure what an attended or unattended funeral means, our guide to direct cremation explains the unattended option.

Third-party costs in the funeral cost breakdown

Third-party costs are paid to organisations outside the funeral director’s firm, and the main ones are the cremation or burial fee, doctors’ fees and an officiant. These vary with the crematorium, cemetery and local authority. This part of the funeral cost breakdown is the one most easily missed in a headline price.

• Cremation fee: the crematorium’s own charge. The CMA price list says that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland you will usually need to pay doctors’ fees as well, for the medical certificates cremation requires.
• Burial fee: the CMA price list describes this as the charge for digging and closing a new grave, or for reopening and closing an existing grave. For a new grave you will also need to pay for the plot.
• Cemetery extras: MoneyHelper says cemeteries may add non-resident charges, an annual grave maintenance fee or a separate service charge, so check what the burial or cremation fee includes.
• Officiant: a minister, celebrant or other person who leads a service. The CMA price list also lists a funeral officiant as a funeral director extra.
• Newspaper notice: GOV.UK lists this as a third-party cost. MoneyHelper suggests social media as an alternative.

At the crematorium end, the CMA requires operators to display prices for a standard attended service, a reduced fee attended service if offered, and an unattended service if offered. Each price must say what is and is not included, the permitted service length, extra charges for particular days or times, and any charge for overrunning.

Our cremation cost guide covers these fees in more detail, and our guide to burial and grave plot costs covers the burial side.

What is optional in a funeral cost breakdown

Many items are optional, and you are entitled to choose what to include. Optional items are the most flexible part of any funeral cost breakdown. Citizens Advice lists flowers, a more expensive coffin and fittings, embalming, a memorial and catering as costs that can be extra to a simple funeral.

The CMA also requires funeral directors to publish an Additional Options Price List. It covers products and services not on the standard list, including items traditionally treated as disbursements, such as flower arrangements, coffins, transport and funeral jewellery. If a service is bespoke, the funeral director must tell you the price before you agree to buy.

Items families often treat as choices include:

• flowers, or a donation to a charity in the person’s memory
• a more expensive coffin, or a simpler option
• embalming, which Citizens Advice does not list as part of a simple funeral
• additional vehicles, extra mileage or services outside normal hours
• venue hire, catering and order of service sheets
• a headstone or memorial
• extra copies of the death certificate, which are usually needed for probate

Nothing here means you must choose the cheapest option. It means you decide what matters, and each item should have a visible price.

How to ask for an itemised price list under the CMA order

Ask the funeral director for its Standardised Price List, its Additional Options Price List and the local crematorium prices, in writing or by email, together with a funeral cost breakdown for your own choices. Under the CMA Order, funeral directors have had to display these since September 2021.

What you can expect to see, according to the CMA guidance:

• the Standardised Price List in the branch window and on an A2 poster inside, or A3 if space is limited
• on the website, the list as a separate PDF reachable by one link from the home page
• a total price for the attended funeral and a separate price for each item
• the words Not offered, if they do not provide an attended or unattended funeral
• local crematorium prices, including attended and unattended fees
• terms of business, if they ask for a deposit or charge late payment fees
• disclosure of their ultimate owner

If you cannot visit or go online, the funeral director must offer to send a physical copy. The guidance also says the information must be clear, in plain English and easy to find.

The CMA guidance does not set a separate rule about individual written estimates, so ask for one yourself once you have chosen what you want. Citizens Advice advises reading any funeral director contract carefully before you sign it.

Reading and comparing two quotes

Put the two quotes side by side and compare the same items, including the third-party costs. A lower funeral director price can mean the cremation fee or doctors’ fees are not included. A written funeral cost breakdown from each firm makes the comparison simple, and keeping both together lets relatives who share the cost see the same figures.

1. Check whether the quote is the funeral director’s charges only, or a total with third-party fees.
2. Write down the cremation or burial fee, doctors’ fees and officiant separately.
3. List every extra and mark each as chosen or not chosen.
4. Check the deposit, due dates and any late payment charges.
5. Ask what happens if you change something later.
6. Ask for the final total in writing.

MoneyHelper also suggests comparing crematoria and cemeteries, since fees can differ sharply over a few miles. If you are weighing costs across different types of funeral, see low-cost funeral options.

Ways families reduce costs without cutting what matters

MoneyHelper lists several ways to reduce a funeral bill while keeping the parts that matter to you. A funeral cost breakdown also shows which savings are realistic. These are options, not recommendations:

• choose a cheaper coffin, or a shroud, which is not legally required to be a coffin; confirm delivery costs with online suppliers
• consider a charity donation instead of flowers
• hold a home wake, with friends and family bringing food
• skip embalming, a hearse or a limousine
• use social media instead of a newspaper notice
• consider a natural burial ground, which MoneyHelper says is often cheaper than a traditional cemetery
• write down your wishes and share them with your next of kin, to reduce both cost and stress

If you cannot afford the funeral, the Funeral Expenses Payment may help, though it usually will not cover the full cost. In Scotland the Funeral Support Payment has replaced it, according to GOV.UK. Wales and Northern Ireland may have different local arrangements, so ask the council. For more, see funeral costs and funeral expenses payment.

Frequently asked questions

What is a disbursement on a funeral bill?

The CMA’s Order defines a disbursement as a payment made to a third party on the customer’s behalf and reimbursed without any mark-up. Examples include cremation and burial fees, doctors’ fees, and minister’s or celebrant’s fees.

Are cremation fees included in the funeral director’s price?

Not always. The CMA’s attended funeral price is labelled funeral director’s charges only, and the cremation fee is separate. Ask whether a quote is a total or director’s charges only, and for the third-party costs to be listed.

What must be on the Standardised Price List?

For an attended funeral, a price for six core items, such as legal arrangements, collection, care, a coffin, viewing and a hearse, plus a total. An unattended funeral has five items. Additional items are priced separately, or marked as not offered.

Can I ask for a copy of the price list?

Yes. Funeral directors must provide physical or electronic copies of the Standardised Price List, local crematorium prices and terms of business on request, and offer a physical copy to people who cannot visit or go online.

Which funeral costs are optional?

Citizens Advice lists flowers, a more expensive coffin, embalming, a memorial and catering as extra costs. Funeral directors must also publish an Additional Options Price List, and tell you the price of bespoke services before you agree.

Who pays doctors’ fees for a cremation?

Doctors’ fees are a third-party cost. The CMA price list says that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland you will usually need to pay them as well as the cremation fee. Ask the funeral director whether a quote includes them.

Can I arrange a funeral without a funeral director?

Yes. GOV.UK says you can pay a funeral director or arrange the funeral yourself, and Citizens Advice suggests contacting your local council’s cemeteries and crematorium department. You would then pay third-party costs yourself. Cremation forms differ depending on where the death took place.

Official sources

• GOV.UK: The Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021 (full text, Schedule 1)
• GOV.UK: Funeral directors and crematorium operators guidance (CMA)
• GOV.UK: Working with the Funerals Market Investigation Order
• GOV.UK: Arrange a funeral
• Citizens Advice: Arranging a funeral
• MoneyHelper: How much does a funeral cost?
• GOV.UK: Funeral Expenses Payment

This page is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice. The Care Panel is an independent guide and is not part of any government body or care provider. Last checked 9 November 2026.

Related: Average funeral cost in the UK · Direct cremation explained · Who pays for a funeral

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 9 November 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.