What Costs are Involved in a funeral?
Most family members only ever see the end price of a funeral. There is a perception that the entire cost of the
funeral originates with the funeral director. That is not the case. Many of the costs that arise come from your
personal choices and from services provided by other parties. We trust that you will find the following breakdown
of costs helpful.
The best way to understand funeral costs is to consider them in two distinct categories:
- The funeral director’s costs, or the items and services provided directly by
the company; and
- Disbursements, or the items and services administered by the funeral director
but provided and charged for by others.
The Funeral Director’s charges
All funeral directors charge a professional fee. At Russell Firth Integrity Funerals our professional fees cover
the following matters:
- Availability of professionally trained staff 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, to care for your
family’s needs;
- Safe, secure and gentle care of your loved one in properly secured premises;
- Washing, dressing and preparation of your loved one for viewing;
- Private facilities for viewing your loved one within business hours;
- The choice of our fleet of hearses in either burgundy, black or white;
- Conducting, managing and attending to your loved one’s funeral at the place of your family’s choice;
- Liaising with clergy, celebrants, cemetery and crematoria facilities, florists, newspaper publications,
musicians and caterers;
- Attending to registration of the death and adhering to local government regulatory bodies and their
statutory requirements;
- Secure and professional transportation of your loved one during business hours from the place of death into
our care
- Ongoing care and support for you and your family, as the need arises in the future, including introduction
to qualified grief counsellors, the
- provision of grief-recovery literature, and information for relevant support networks in your local
area.
In addition to the professional fees, the other major item in the funeral director’s charges is the coffin or
casket.
Disbursements
As previously mentioned, disbursements are costs that are paid on your behalf by the funeral director. Most
mainstream funeral directors accept these charges as part of the total account simply to assist you as a family to
concentrate on each other and the day, rather than administering many small details. Disbursements may include the
following:
• The cost of cremation;
• Purchasing and preparing a gravesite;
• Certificates (registration and/or cremation);
• Clergy or celebrant fee or offering;
• Church costs;
• Musician’s costs;
• Newspaper notices;
• Floral tributes;
• Funeral stationery;
• Video or photography of the funeral;
• Mourning cars;
• Embalming;
• Air freight;
• Road transport;
• Goods and Services Tax.
We trust that we have given you a helpful guide to costing the funeral. Our commitment to you is to help you
clearly understand the costs of a funeral personalised to your needs and wishes. At no cost or obligation, we will
meet with you, gain an understanding of your personal choices, and provide a written quotation giving you accurate
costs based on the current prices for your consideration.
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