Free Workbook: Plan a Funeral

Arranging a funeral can feel overwhelming, especially when you are grieving. This checklist and the downloadable Workbook break the decisions into manageable steps, helping you plan a personal farewell within an agreed budget.

Download our Guide to Arranging a Funeral to keep your decisions, questions, costs and list of people to invite together. You can also use it to record your own funeral wishes in advance.

For local information, visit your Town Page. It brings together guidance on how and where to register a death, local funeral and legal services and other practical help.

Find your Town Page

This guidance is for England and Wales.

Where do I start when arranging a funeral?

Start by checking for funeral wishes, a prepaid funeral plan or other previously made arrangements. The Workbook includes links to help with these checks.

Confirm who will coordinate the arrangements, bearing in mind that the executors named in a valid Will generally have legal responsibility for arranging burial or cremation. Family or friends can organise the practical details with their agreement.

Agree a budget, perhaps after chatting to a couple of local funeral directors. Then decide whether to use a funeral director and discuss burial, cremation and the kind of farewell you want.

You can begin discussing arrangements before registration is complete. However, the funeral can usually only take place after the death has been registered; cases involving a coroner may follow a different process. Confirm that the necessary permission and paperwork are in place before finalising the date.

Funeral planning checklist

1. Check existing wishes and arrangements

• Look for written funeral wishes, including any kept with the Will.
• Check for a prepaid funeral plan and contact its provider before booking services.
• Check for insurance intended to help with funeral costs.
• Note any religious, cultural or personal requirements.
• Identify the executors, if there is a Will, and involve them before finalising arrangements.
• Agree who will coordinate arrangements and keep everyone informed.

GOV.UK recommends checking for existing arrangements, including prepaid funeral plans and life insurance.

2. Agree a budget and check payment arrangements

• Decide what you can afford before selecting extras.
• Ask for a written, itemised estimate.
• Check which charges are included and which are additional.
• Confirm the deposit, payment dates and cancellation terms.
• Establish who will sign the contract and what payment responsibility they are accepting.
• Keep a record of payments and receipts.

A meaningful funeral does not have to be an expensive funeral. Choose what matters to you and the person being remembered.

Faith funerals and special arrangements

Tell the funeral director about any religious, cultural or personal requirements before agreeing the arrangements. Contact the relevant faith leader or community representative early, too.

Requirements may include:

• Burial or cremation within a particular timescale.
• Washing, dressing or other preparation of the person who has died.
• Particular requirements concerning who may handle or prepare the body.
• Prayers, rituals, clothing, coffin choice or the direction of burial.
• Avoiding embalming or requesting a particular burial ground.
• Transporting the person who has died abroad.

Practices vary between communities and individuals—explain the person’s own wishes rather than assuming a standard approach.

Also discuss accessibility, interpreters, a webcast, or any other arrangements needed by those attending.

If an early funeral is important, tell the medical examiner or coroner’s office promptly. Required checks and permissions may affect the timing, so do not confirm a date until it has been cleared.

Your Town Page may help you find local faith contacts and funeral services. Check directly that your chosen provider can meet your requirements.

3. Choose a funeral director—or explore arranging it yourself

You can use a funeral director or arrange the funeral yourself. If you choose a funeral director, ask how they will help, who your contact will be and whether they can accommodate your wishes.

• Compare services as well as prices.
• Read the funeral director’s Standardised Price List.
• Ask for the full cost of your chosen arrangements.
• Check availability before announcing a date.
• Ask about visiting the person who has died, if this matters to you.
• Explain any accessibility, faith or cultural requirements.

Funeral directors must display a Standardised Price List at their premises and on their website. This helps you compare specified services, but you should still request an estimate for your particular choices.

Visit your Town Page for local information

4. Decide on burial or cremation

• Check any recorded preference.
• Discuss the available cemetery, burial ground or crematorium.
• Check whether an existing grave is available and what permissions are needed.
• Decide whether people will attend the burial or cremation.
• Ask what happens to the ashes after cremation.
• Leave decisions about a permanent memorial until later if you need more time.

Ask exactly what “direct cremation” includes. Check whether attendance is possible, how the date and location are chosen, and how ashes will be returned.

5. Plan the service or farewell

• Choose a religious, non-religious or mixed service, or a farewell without a formal ceremony.
• Choose the person who will lead it.
• Select readings, music and anyone who wishes to speak.
• Gather stories, photographs and personal details.
• Decide on flowers, donations or neither.
• Check the available service length.
• Consider a webcast or recording for people unable to attend.
• Arrange any order of service.

There is no need to include something simply because it is customary. A quiet farewell may be just as appropriate as a large gathering.

6. Make your invitation and notification list

• List relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues and relevant clubs or groups.
• Record who will contact each person.
• Confirm the date, time and venue before sending invitations.
• Include travel, parking and accessibility information.
• Explain any preferences about flowers, donations or clothing.
• Consider a newspaper or online funeral notice.
• Keep a separate list of people who cannot attend but would appreciate an update.

The downloadable Workbook provides space for your invitation list and contact notes.

7. Arrange the gathering afterwards

• Decide whether to hold a wake, reception or informal gathering.
• If the gathering is by invitation only, make this clear sensitively. Explain any limits, such as venue capacity, where appropriate.
• Choose a venue and estimate attendance.
• Agree a catering budget.
• Check dietary needs and accessibility.
• Arrange transport where needed.
• Ask someone to coordinate the gathering so you have less to manage.

8. Check the final arrangements

• Confirm that the required paperwork and permissions are in place.
• Check names, dates, readings and music.
• Confirm transport and arrival times.
• Review the final estimate and any changes.
• Give key participants a copy of the arrangements.
• Nominate someone to handle practical questions on the day.

Planning your own funeral in advance

You can use this checklist and the guide to record your preferences before they are needed.

Write down what matters most, what you would prefer to avoid and where any funeral-plan documents are kept. Tell someone you trust where to find the record and review it when your wishes change.

Recording wishes does not mean buying a funeral plan. You can start simply by putting your preferences in writing.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use a funeral director?

No. You can arrange a funeral yourself. Before deciding, discuss the practical requirements with the chosen cemetery or crematorium.

How much does a funeral cost?

The total depends on your choices, location and providers. Ask for an itemised estimate covering the funeral director’s services, burial or cremation fees and any extras. Compare estimates for the same arrangements.

Can I have a memorial gathering separately?

Ask providers about holding a farewell or memorial gathering separately from the burial or cremation. This may allow more flexibility over the venue, timing and people attending.

Where can I find help in my town?

Find your Town Page for local death-registration information, funeral-service listings and practical guidance. Check availability, prices and service details directly with each provider.

Keep the guide and find your local information

The Probate Department provides general information, not individual legal advice. A listing is not a recommendation or guarantee of a provider’s services.

Official guidance

• GOV.UK: Arranging a funeral (opens in a new tab)
• Competition and Markets Authority: Things to know when arranging a funeral (opens in a new tab)