Funeral costs and the Funeral Expenses Payment (2026/27)

A simple attended funeral in the UK costs about £3,800 on average, and closer to £5,100 once flowers, a venue and catering are added, according to SunLife’s Cost of Dying Report 2026. If you get a qualifying benefit such as Pension Credit or Universal Credit and you are responsible for the funeral, the DWP Funeral Expenses Payment pays the burial or cremation fees in full plus up to £1,000 towards other costs. Funeral bills can also be paid from the person’s own money, and banks will usually release funds for this before probate.

In short

• SunLife’s Cost of Dying Report 2026 (2025 data) puts a simple attended funeral at £3,828, a simple cremation at £3,518, a simple burial at £4,758 and a direct cremation at £1,628.
• The Funeral Expenses Payment (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) covers burial or cremation fees and up to £1,000 for other expenses, or £120 if there was a pre-paid funeral plan.
• You must claim within 6 months of the funeral, and you or your partner must get Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related ESA or Housing Benefit.
• In Scotland, the Funeral Support Payment pays a flat £1,327.75 towards other costs (£162.05 with a funeral plan), on top of burial or cremation fees.
• The DWP takes its payment back from the estate, so it is a safety net, not a gift to the family.
• If nobody can or will arrange a funeral, the council must arrange a public health funeral under section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.

What a funeral costs in 2026

Prices vary a lot by region and by funeral director, so treat any average as a rough guide. The most widely quoted annual survey is SunLife’s Cost of Dying Report. Its 2026 edition, based on 2025 prices, gives these figures:

Burial is usually dearer than cremation because of the plot and grave-digging fees. In the same survey, a simple cremation came out £1,240 cheaper than a simple burial. Probate, estate administration and solicitors’ fees are extra, and the report puts average professional fees at £2,635 for the families who use them.

How to keep costs down

• Ask at least two funeral directors for an itemised price list. Since 2021 the Competition and Markets Authority has required funeral directors to publish a standardised price list, so you can compare like with like.
• Check whether your parent had a pre-paid funeral plan or a life insurance policy. Look through paperwork and bank statements for regular payments.
• Consider a direct cremation followed by your own memorial gathering at home or in a community hall.
• Council crematoria and cemeteries are often cheaper than private ones. Fees for residents are usually lower than for non-residents.

The Funeral Expenses Payment: who qualifies

The Funeral Expenses Payment is run by the DWP in England and Wales, with an equivalent scheme in Northern Ireland. It helps people on low incomes who are responsible for a funeral. Three conditions must all be met.

1. You get a qualifying benefit

You or your partner must get Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Housing Benefit. A Support for Mortgage Interest loan can also count. You can apply while you are still waiting for a decision on one of those benefits.

2. You are the right person to be responsible

The person who died must have been your partner, or a child you were responsible for. Adult children, other relatives and close friends can claim only if the person had no surviving partner, or the partner cannot claim. The DWP will also look at other close relatives. If a brother or sister is working and not on a qualifying benefit, for example, the DWP may decide it is reasonable for them to pay instead, and your claim can be refused.

3. The funeral is in the UK, EEA or Switzerland

The funeral itself must take place in the UK, a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

What the Funeral Expenses Payment pays

GOV.UK lists what can be included:

• burial fees for a particular plot, or cremation fees including the doctor’s certificate;
• travel to arrange or attend the funeral;
• moving the body within the UK, if it is moved more than 50 miles;
• death certificates and other documents;
• up to £1,000 for any other funeral expenses, such as the funeral director’s fees, the coffin or flowers.

If the person had a pre-paid funeral plan, the “other expenses” amount drops to £120, to cover items the plan does not include. The £1,000 cap has not risen for several years, so the payment rarely covers a whole funeral.

Worked example

Maureen’s father dies in a care home. She gets Universal Credit and is his only child. A simple cremation costs £3,500, of which £1,100 is the crematorium and doctor’s fees. The Funeral Expenses Payment could cover the £1,100 in full, plus up to £1,000 of the funeral director’s charges, a total of £2,100. Maureen is left with about £1,400 to find, which might come from her father’s bank account. If his estate held £1,500 in savings, the DWP would take that money into account and could recover up to £1,500 of its payment from the estate before anything was left over.

How to claim

Claim by phone through the DWP Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012, or by post using form SF200. You can apply from the date of death until 6 months after the funeral. If the bill is unpaid, the money goes straight to the funeral director; if you have already paid, it goes into your account. Ask the funeral director whether they will wait for the decision, as many are familiar with the scheme.

Scotland: Funeral Support Payment

In Scotland the DWP scheme has been replaced by the Funeral Support Payment from Social Security Scotland. It works in a similar way but pays more. For 2026/27 it covers burial or cremation costs plus a flat £1,327.75 towards other costs, or £162.05 if there is a paid-up funeral plan. The list of qualifying benefits is slightly wider than the DWP list, so check eligibility with Social Security Scotland. Apply from the date of death until 6 months after the funeral. Our guide to paying for care in Scotland explains other differences.

Paying from the estate and getting money released

Funeral costs are one of the first debts paid from a person’s estate, ahead of most other creditors. That includes care home fees: if your parent died owing the home money, our guide to unpaid care home fees after death explains the order of payment. If the council had a deferred payment agreement on your parent’s home, that debt is also repaid from the estate, usually when the house is sold.

You do not normally need to wait for probate to pay the funeral director. Most UK banks and building societies will pay a funeral invoice directly from the deceased’s account, as long as there is enough money in it. Take the death certificate and the itemised invoice to the bank. Each bank has its own limits for releasing other money without a grant of probate, so ask about their bereavement process.

Other common sources of funeral money include:

• a pre-paid funeral plan or life insurance policy;
• a lump sum from a workplace or private pension;
• trade union, professional body or armed forces benefits;
• a Budgeting Advance if you are on Universal Credit, repaid from your future payments.

Whoever signs the contract with the funeral director is legally responsible for the bill. If you are worried the estate is too small, say so before you sign, and choose a funeral you could afford yourself.

Public health funerals

If nobody is able or willing to make arrangements, the council where the person died must arrange a burial or cremation. This is called a public health funeral, or sometimes a “pauper’s funeral”. The duty is in section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. The council must not cremate the person if it has reason to believe that would go against their wishes. It can recover its costs from the estate.

A public health funeral is basic. Families can usually attend, but may have little say over the time, place or type of service, and ashes may not be returned unless you ask. If the person was living in a council-arranged care home under the Care Act 2014, the council also has a power, but not a duty, to arrange the funeral. Contact the council’s bereavement or environmental health team as early as possible.

Mistakes to avoid

• Signing first, checking eligibility later. You become liable as soon as you sign. Check whether you or another relative is the right claimant first.
• Missing the 6-month deadline. The clock runs from the date of the funeral, not the death.
• Forgetting to tell the DWP about the estate. Any money in the estate will be used to repay the payment, so declare it honestly.
• Overlooking other benefits. Use the Tell Us Once service when you register the death so that Attendance Allowance, State Pension and council tax are all updated.

If you were caring for the person who died, read our guide to bereavement support for carers for what happens to Carer’s Allowance and your National Insurance record. If a parent is still alive but nearing the end of life, our guides to end of life care at home and DNACPR and advance decisions can help you plan ahead, including recording funeral wishes. Families dealing with a death in residential care can also read what happens when someone dies in a care home.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Funeral Expenses Payment in 2026?

There is no fixed total. The Funeral Expenses Payment covers the necessary burial or cremation fees in full, plus travel, documents and some transport costs, and up to £1,000 for other expenses such as the funeral director and coffin. If the person had a pre-paid funeral plan, the other-expenses amount is £120. In Scotland, the Funeral Support Payment pays £1,327.75 instead.

Does the Funeral Expenses Payment have to be paid back?

You do not repay it personally, but the DWP recovers it from the estate of the person who died. Money in their bank accounts or savings is used first. A house or personal belongings left to a surviving husband, wife or civil partner are not counted. If the estate has nothing, nothing is recovered.

Can I get help with funeral costs if I am not on benefits?

Not from the Funeral Expenses Payment, which requires Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related ESA or Housing Benefit. You can still pay from the person’s bank account, which most banks allow before probate, or use a funeral plan, life insurance or pension lump sum. Some charities and trade unions offer small grants.

What is the average cost of a funeral in the UK?

SunLife’s Cost of Dying Report 2026 puts a simple attended funeral at £3,828 on average, based on 2025 prices. A direct cremation with no service averaged £1,628, and a simple burial £4,758. Adding flowers, a venue and catering took the typical total to about £5,140. London and the South East are usually dearer.

Who pays for a funeral if there is no money?

If the family qualifies, the Funeral Expenses Payment can help. If nobody is able or willing to arrange the funeral, the council where the person died must arrange a public health funeral under section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. The council can reclaim its costs from any estate the person left.

How long do I have to claim the Funeral Expenses Payment?

You must claim within 6 months of the date of the funeral. You can claim by phoning the DWP Bereavement Service on 0800 151 2012 or by posting form SF200. You can apply while waiting for a decision on a qualifying benefit, so do not delay the funeral claim.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Funeral Expenses Payment
• GOV.UK: What to do after someone dies
• GOV.UK: Tell Us Once
• Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, section 46
• Falkirk Council: Funeral Support Payment rates
• GOV.UK: Applying for probate

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 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.