Primary Goal of this Step
Engage the services of a funeral home you trust and like, and work with their funeral director to plan your burial or cremation and funeral or memorial service. The funeral director can also help you purchase any goods and services you’ll need for the burial, cremation, funeral, or memorial service.
Important Tasks: Make Funeral Arrangements In Advance
Choose cremation or burial products
Casket: Caskets come in a variety of styles and prices, and the selection of a casket is a personal choice. You can purchase a casket from the funeral home or from an online retailer.
Burial vault/grave liner: The cemetery will likely require a burial vault or grave liner, and the funeral home may have a limited selection of vaults and liners, so be aware that you may not have much of a choice for this product.
Urn: Cremation urns come in a variety of styles and prices, and the selection of an urn is a personal choice.
Cremation casket: The selection of a cremation casket is a personal choice. You may purchase a casket for the funeral service that is then used for the cremation, though the casket should be made without metal as metal cannot be cremated. If you don’t want to buy a casket but you want to use one for the funeral service, you may rent one from the funeral home for the funeral service and use an alternative container for the cremation.
Figure out how you’ll pay for these arrangements
When planning a funeral, you may pay for some, all, or none of the products and services you’re organizing. There are a number of ways to pay for pre-arrangements, and some may meet your needs better than others.
Tip: Save all receipts for all funeral-related purchases. These expenses may be deductible on future tax returns.
