Pre-Planning a Cremation 

The idea of leaving your loved ones with a big chore (and bills to pay when you pass) isn’t a popular one. Most people want to do everything they can to minimize the burdens their family members have to bear during a time of grief. Of course, most people also don’t follow through. According to the Funeral and Memorial Information Council, 69 percent of adults want to plan ahead for their cremation or traditional burial. But only 17 percent of them actually do it.

If you’re thinking about ways you can make it easier for your loved ones to take care of affairs after you die, pre-planning is a great option. You may be able to save money, and give your loved ones the ability to grieve without rushing to carry out a big event. Here are a few things you should know as you start planning.

Pre-planning a cremation involves thinking about what you want for your final rest and putting it into writing. You may choose to make formal arrangements and pay for them in advance. Ideally, you’ll have a plan for the following:

• Chosen cremation provider
• Services you want from the crematorium
• Memorial service
• What to do with the ashes: scattering, burying, keeping at home
• Urn to hold the remains, even just for transportation 

The goal here is to have a plan that your loved ones can follow when you pass. By outlining your expectations, you can minimize the amount of research and decision-making they have to do in the early days of grief.

Ease the Burden on Your Loved Ones

If you have gone through the loss of a close family member and friend, you know that the early days can be a blur of sadness, exhaustion, anger, and other signs of grief. The last thing that you want to do is to force your family members to do some hasty planning at this time. Pre-planning gives them clear guidelines to follow. Your plan could save hours that your loved ones can use to rest, grieve together, or do other preparations.

Communicate Your Final Wishes

Everyone has a different idea of what a respectful final rest looks like. Some people prefer a raucous memorial service before a scattering, while others may want a somber funeral service before burial in a cemetery. When you pre-plan your cremation, you can communicate your final wishes in precise detail. That way, your loved ones don’t have to argue about your expectations or make decisions that you wouldn’t want.

Lock in Lower Prices

Pre-planning usually involves making official arrangements with a crematorium or funeral home and formalizing a way to pay for them. When you make these arrangements, you lock in the current prices for all products and services. Since the cost of cremation goes up over time, you may be able to save some significant money on the cost of your final plans. And if you’ve already paid in advance, then you have fewer debts to pass onto your loved ones.

Rest Easy in Your Final Years

As people get older, it’s common for them to simplify their expectations to try to remove stress from their daily lives. Toward the end of your life, you may not have the time or money to make arrangements for your final rest. Pre-planning allows you to rest easy, knowing that you have taken care of the most important part of the process on behalf of your loved ones.

If the idea of planning and paying ahead for your cremation and memorial sounds like a financial nightmare, you’re not alone. With the average cremation plan costing $7,000 or more, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, it’s not surprising that most people don’t pay in advance.

The good news is that planning for your final rest isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. Consider the following options:

• Make arrangements with a funeral home to keep on file, but don’t pay for it.
• Pay for a portion of the services, such as transporting the body and the cremation service.
• Talk to your chosen cremation provider or funeral home about payment plans.
• Search for grants or funds that can help you pay for other expenses, so you can afford to pay for the pre-planning.

Ultimately, every little bit of work you do for your own rest makes life easier for your family. If all you can do is to put a plan in writing and share it with your family, you will still save them hours of stress.

When you start shopping around for services and options, you should know that there are consumer protections that can help you avoid predatory selling practices. The Federal Trade Commission enacted the Funeral Rule in 1984 to ensure pricing transparency and to allow consumers maximum flexibility in choosing services. Simply put, the Funeral Rule requires that funeral homes do the following:

• Provide price lists over the phone
• Allow you to purchase products and services individually, instead of requiring you to buy a package
• Show you the cost of certain items, such as caskets or urns, before you see them in person
• Accept an urn or casket that you buy elsewhere
• Permit you to buy an alternative container instead of a casket for cremation services

The Funeral Rule exists to make it easier for you to shop around and only pay for the services you actually want. Knowledge of your rights can give you more confidence to shop around and find the provider that suits your goals and your budget.

Now that you understand the importance of planning ahead for your cremation, you can start to create your own plan. Give yourself some time to think about what you expect. Once you make arrangements, you may have limited options to change them over time without incurring higher prices.

1. Decide What You Want

Before you can make any plans, you need to know what you would like. The beauty of cremation is that you don’t have to do anything in particular, apart from arranging for the actual cremation. If you want to have a lovely memorial service followed by scattering your ashes by air, you’ll have options to do it. Want a traditional service in a funeral home, followed by a graveside service and burial of the remains in a plot? You can have that, too.

Make a wish list of things that you want. Don’t hesitate to dig into the details, including urns, flowers, or decorations at the memorial service. More detail makes it easier to arrange. Be sure to specify what you want your loved ones to do with your ashes. If you plan to have religious services, such as a funeral, you should consult your local religious officials to confirm that they can provide the service that you want.

2. Choose a Provider

Once you have an idea for what you want, you should start searching for a provider in your area. These tips can help you choose a provider that will meet your needs:

• Look for providers who are members of the Cremation Association of North America.
• Ask for price lists to compare.
• Find out about the organization’s cremation process, from collecting the body to giving the remains to your next-of-kin.
• Visit the facilities, if you plan to have a memorial or other services for guests.
• Get recommendations from family, friends, and religious officials.

Although cost may fill a big role in your overall decision-making, you should make sure that the provider gives you more advantages than simply the lowest prices.

3. Select Materials and Services

When you go to schedule with your cremation provider, you’ll be asked to select certain products and services. These include:

• Casket for viewing or funeral, which you may be able to rent
• Cremation container, which can be made of particle board, pressed board, or cardboard
• Cremation urns, depending on your plans for the remains
• Urn vault, plot, and headstone, if you plan to be buried
• Transporting the body to the crematorium
• Embalming

If you’re looking to keep costs down, you can ask which services are an absolute necessity. For example, you don’t have to buy or rent a casket if you’re not planning to have a viewing or service that requires it.

4. Make a Plan to Pay for the Services

Once you have the list of services you would like, you can make those arrangements right away. The best way to ensure that you get what you want is to pay for it in advance. Your loved one’s aren’t obligated to pay for services that they can’t afford.

Fortunately, you may have several options to finance the prepayment, including:

• Buying pre-need insurance and listing the cremation provider as the beneficiary
• Establishing a trust to cover the expense
• Making installment payments to the provider
• Paying in a lump sum for the products and services you want

It’s important to choose a long-term provider with a good reputation. Before you sign any paperwork or make payments, be sure to ask your provider about how they guarantee that your wishes will be carried out when you pass. Find out about refund options or the ability to transfer the prepayment to another facility, and get this information in writing.

If you worry about paying a large amount of money to a cremation provider for a service you may not need for decades, the Funeral Consumers Alliance offers a few alternatives you might consider. For example, you might choose to put the money in a trust that allows you or your next-of-kin to change the terms of the plan if necessary.

5. Communicate With Everyone Involved

Ultimately, the time and money spent planning only matters if you talk to your loved ones about your wishes and put everything in writing. Keep in mind that your next-of-kin has significant decision-making power on your behalf, sometimes in spite of your expressed wishes. If they didn’t anticipate having to carry out a lavish service, they’re not required to follow through with it.

To avoid a lot of stress, confusion, and wasted money, you should talk to your loved ones in advance about your plan. Sit down with everyone involved in the process, which might include family members, friends, religious officiants, and more. Outline your expectations and make sure they understand why you think it’s important. Keep a copy of your arrangements with other important documents.

Can you pre-plan a cremation?

You can pre-plan a cremation. Typically, you’ll make arrangements with a cremation provider, and you may choose to pay for them in advance. Putting your plans in writing makes it easier for your loved ones to handle your remains after death, and may help them shoulder the expense as well.

What paperwork is required for a prepaid cremation?

Generally, the paperwork you need for a prepaid cremation includes a list of all the products and services you intend to buy, and another form outlining how the cost is paid. In some cases, you may need to fill out a cremation authorization form and a vital statistics form. These forms help to speed the process of scheduling the cremation and generating your death certificate.

What happens if you prepay for a cremation and then move?

Prepaying for a cremation may be transferable, depending on the provider. Ask your cremation provider if they can transfer your prepayment to another facility. Transferring or refunding your payment under these circumstances may only be available if you move a significant distance, such as 50-75 miles or more.

Most people start pre-planning for their final remains as a way to decrease the burden on their loved ones. As such, you may not need to set aside a lot of money or pay for a lavish service. These are the most important tasks you can do:

• Decide what you want for your final rest.
• Look for cremation providers who can meet your expectations.
• Choose a provider and make arrangements.
• Make a plan to pay for it, even if you don’t prepay.
• Talk to your loved ones about your plans.

By following these steps, you can make your final years easier, knowing that you have saved your loved ones a lot of time and effort.

Pre-planning your cremation can be a last gift to your loved ones to help ease the stress of making arrangements when you pass. Pre-planning a cremation involves making a written plan for how you want to be cremated. This includes selecting a cremation provider, choosing services from the provider, arranging a memorial service or funeral, instructing how you want your ashes to be handled (buried, interred in an urn niche, kept at home, scattered, etc.), and choosing an urn. You can choose to pay for your services in full, pay in installments over time, or keep a written agreement with a promise to pay later. The Funeral Rule of 1984 gives you consumer rights when you conduct business with a funeral home. A funeral home must provide price lists over the phone, allow you to purchase products and services individually rather than in a package, show you the cost of certain items before you see them in person, accept an urn or casket that you buy elsewhere, and permit you to buy an alternative container instead of a casket for cremation services.

MEET THE EXPERT

Susan Fraser, founder of In The Light Urns Inc., has spearheaded innovation in the memorial industry since 2001. After a personal tragedy, she created custom cremation urns for ashes reflecting a lost loved one's individuality and still speaking with customers daily. Her commitment to comfort made her an authority on cremation and memorials, guiding and consoling families through understanding and compassion. 

Susan's insights support and reassure during difficult times. Her relentless innovation introduced personalized options honoring legacies. With expertise and dedication, Susan's cremation guides give families invaluable resources for informed decisions.