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Funeral costs increase by 103% in the last 12 years

By rotide
Created 24/10/2017 - 18:55
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The average funeral today costs between £3,600 and £4,000 compared to £1,900 in 2004.

Paying respect to our loved ones clearly comes at a price with no expense spared. Standard funerals will require an official funeral director to coordinate the ceremony costing around £2,500, and this will include the cost of the coffin, the hearse vehicle, collection and care of the deceased and officiating of the ceremony. Other costs include a memorial headstone (Around £900), burial plot (starting from £870), venue hire (around £397) and other voluntary add-ons such an obituary in the paper, catering for guests, flowers, music and ordering of service sheets. (Source: MoneyAdviceService [1])

A cremation can be more affordable, costing around £3,000 but the danger of the rising cost of funerals means that the average cost could rise to as much as £7,000 by 2026 and £12,000 by 2036 - making them simply affordable for the majority of Briton.

How to combat the rise in price

Several solutions have emerged to help with the rise in price. Notably, the role of crowdfunding to help pay for a funeral. Known as 'memory giving,' the closest to the deceased will set up an online page and take donations to help contribute to the cost of the memorial, leaving personal notes and tributes on the page.

More recently, there has been a growth in the role of prepaid funeral plans, also known as funeral insurance. This consists of buying an insurance policy to pay for your funeral, when you or your loved one passes away. The main benefit is that the cost of the funeral is fixed to today's prices, meaning that the cost remains the same, even if you pass away in 20, 30 or 40 years. Funeral plans typically cost around £3,000 and can be paid in one lump sum or in monthly instalments of around £25 per month (Source: Perfect Funeral Plans [2])

Other suggestions have been raised such as the Jewish community who have their funerals covered by their annual synagogue membership fees. So when the day finally comes, the family have nothing to pay. This similar kind of monthly instalment idea has been raised by several church bodies and could be slowly introduced in the UK.

 

 


Source URL:
https://www.newbusiness.co.uk/articles/lifestyle/funeral-costs-increase-103-last-12-years