The average UK funeral costs approximately £4,285.
Many of our clients choose to pre-pay for a funeral during their lifetime to avoid their loved ones having to sort out the arrangements and financing of their funeral following their death.
The Expense of Funerals
When someone dies it is often a difficult time for their friends and family, and the cost of a funeral can be a surprise. In addition to the funeral itself there are often extra costs to consider such as fees relating to a church service, venue hire, flowers, notices and the wake.
We are also finding that more and more of our clients are opting for cremations over burials, and when doing so they are opting for direct cremations (where there is no service or family attendance), over an attended cremation service. Often this is because a cremation is cheaper, and even more so if it is an unattended cremation, but sometimes we find that clients feel that they have to go for these cheaper options so that they don’t add any financial burden to their loved ones after death.
This isn’t entirely surprising when the cost of nearly everything in our day to day lives is increasing, but it is worth bearing in mind that even though your bank account is frozen after death, funeral expenses can still be paid out from it.
Funeral Wishes in your Will
The responsibility of arranging the funeral will fall to the Executors (where there is a Will), and so it will also be their responsibility to settle the invoices.
Having a Will which appoints Executors is obviously really important to make sure that the people who you’d want to arrange your funeral have the authority to do so. If you don’t have a Will, then this responsibility, and the responsibility for dealing with your finances after death, could fall to family members who you may not wish to be involved. Sometimes, these family members can be quite distant and might not have had anything to do with you in your lifetime.
Wills are also great places to set out your funeral wishes i.e. whether you’d want a burial or a cremation, what sort of service you’d want and your preferences in terms of flowers, hymns and any other personal touches. Of course, these wishes are just wishes, and they are not binding on your Executors, but they are a useful guide for them when making the arrangements.
Having a Will also means that you can determine where your money and property will pass after your death, and they can be used to protect assets for children of previous marriages whilst making provision for your current spouse. They are also important in terms of making provision for your minor children i.e. appointing guardians.
Next Steps...
If you would like to speak to us about preparing a Will, please contact Charlotte Day on 01283 214 231 or email c.day@timms-law.com.
For more information about Wills & Probate, please visit our webpage here.
