Find a funeral director

When someone dies you need to get a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from a doctor, register their death and choose a funeral director to arrange their funeral. The Registration Office will give you a Death Certificate and Certificate for Burial or Cremation (GR021 in Northern Ireland).

You can arrange a funeral by choosing a funeral director who will help you organise all of the details. They can help you decide whether to have a cremation or burial and what type of service to choose, as well as additional options, such as music and flowers. You can find out what happens at a funeral and compare funeral directors on Funeral Guide.

You can compare funeral directors in your local area on Funeral Guide. Funeral Guide features over 80,000 independent reviews of funeral directors, as well as comprehensive pricing of funeral director services. You can search by town, city or postcode to find the best funeral director for you.

Disbursements are additional costs for a funeral service that are paid to third-parties, such as florists, celebrants and burial fees. The funeral director will usually charge you for them and then pay the suppliers themselves.

The average funeral in the UK costs £4,184 for a basic service. Cremations are cheaper than burials, with the average cremation costing £3,885 whereas a burial will cost £5,033 on average.

If the cost of a funeral is not covered by a prepaid funeral plan, or the estate of the person who has died, you may be able to get financial help from the government’s Bereavement Support Payment or from War Disablement Pensions, charitable funds or budgeting loans.

Managing the estate of a loved one who has died can be very daunting. The first step is to grant probate to the executor of the will. They will be responsible for the paying of taxes and the distribution of the estate among the entitled beneficiaries of the will.

If you are mourning for a loved one who has died, grief counselling can be a very helpful process for adjusting to life after your loss. There are many bereavement support charities in the UK that provide counselling, group therapy, social events and other advice and resources whenever you need it, even if it’s months or years after the death of your loved one.

Sympathy flowers are the most common gift for people who are grieving the death of a loved one, but knowing which type to send can be difficult. Condolence bouquets and funeral wreaths are often handled by funeral directors and they can usually advise on what is most appropriate. Florists can also provide very helpful advice.

A eulogy, or funeral speech, is an opportunity to pay tribute to someone who has died, by giving a short speech about their life and what they meant to you. It’s regarded as an honour to be asked to give a eulogy for a loved one or friend, and is a sign that you played an important part in that person’s life.