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Free for Utah families · Real local prices · Not a funeral home or a cremation provider
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Immediate Need

We’re sorry for your loss. Here’s exactly what to do next.

Everything on this page is free, and nothing is saved or shared unless you choose to. Take it one step at a time — the first two things below are the only ones that are actually urgent right now.

Free · no account

Your first 24 hours, laid out plainly

Only the first two things are urgent, and they’re on the right. The full checklist covers the rest of the day: who to tell, what to gather, when to contact a funeral home, and what can wait. Free, with nothing to sign up for. Open only the sections that apply to you.

See the full checklist
The two things that can’t wait
1
Make the right first call.

Under hospice care: the hospice’s 24-hour line, not 911.

Expected death at home, no hospice: 911. Tell the dispatcher the death was expected and there’s no hospice.

Sudden or unexpected: 911. Utah law requires these deaths to be reported to law enforcement right away.

Hospital, nursing home, or care facility: ask the staff what happens next.

Who to call, step by step
2
If the death was sudden or unexpected, leave things as they are.

Don’t move the person, clean up the scene, or throw away medications unless you’re told to. The police or the medical examiner may need to see the scene before the person can be released to a funeral home.

Also free, also no account
The checklist above covers your first 24 hours. If you need something else right now, these are free too:
The Wayfinder Plan
Answer a few questions and get a personalized plan — your checklist, real pricing, and the providers who serve you, built around your situation.
Get your plan  →
Cost Guide
Real prices from every provider serving Salt Lake County, sourced and dated — see what things cost before you call.
See prices  →
What happens next

What usually happens after a death

Most families move through these stages, though not always in this order. Our guide explains each one.

  1. 1
    Care and coordination
  2. 2
    Paperwork begins
  3. 3
    Burial, cremation, or another choice
  4. 4
    The gathering or service
  5. 5
    A final resting place
  6. 6
    The days after the service
  7. 7
    Longer-term matters
What happens next after a death: the full guide  →
Paperwork

The forms and filings that come next

Deciding what kind of service

Cremation, burial, or a service first — explained plainly

Direct cremation
$639–$3,790
A cremation without a viewing or funeral service beforehand. What’s included varies by provider; ask for the complete price and what’s separate.
See what’s included  →
Cremation with a service
$1,895–$7,000
A viewing, visitation, funeral or memorial service, before or after the cremation. The $1,895 low end is a private family viewing before cremation; a memorial or public service starts at about $2,295. What’s included varies; merchandise, cemetery costs and other items may be separate.
See what’s included  →
Traditional burial
$1,995–$6,750
Viewing, funeral service and burial arrangements. This range is the funeral home’s portion; the casket, cemetery property, vault, marker and other separate costs are extra.
See what’s included  →
These are published or confirmed prices from the Salt Lake County funeral homes and cremation providers we surveyed, not quotes from Wayfinder (everything on this site is free). Each range covers only the charges in the category described above; cemetery property, merchandise, permits, markers and other separate costs can add to the total. Prices were checked in September 2026. Confirm current pricing, and exactly what’s included, directly with the provider. Your city’s page lists the providers serving you, with each price and where it came from.
Map of the Salt Lake Valley showing Salt Lake City, Murray, Sandy and Riverton
Find your city

See every provider serving your city

Named funeral homes and crematories, with dated prices and their own local phone number — not a valley-wide number.

Common questions

Right after a death

Who do I call first?
It depends on where the death happened and whether it was expected. If it was sudden or unexpected, call 911. If the person was in hospice care, call the hospice’s 24-hour line. If an expected death happened at home without hospice, call 911 and tell the dispatcher the death was expected and there is no hospice. In a hospital, nursing home or care facility, the staff will explain the next steps. Once the person can be released, you choose the funeral home or cremation provider. Who to call, step by step
Do I have to decide on burial or cremation today?
Not necessarily. Utah’s 24-hour rule is about preserving the person’s body, not a deadline for burial or cremation. A body can’t be held or moved for more than 24 hours after death, while burial or cremation is being arranged, unless it’s kept at 40°F or colder or embalmed by a licensed embalmer. That can give families time to make arrangements, depending on the circumstances.
What if we can’t find any paperwork or prepaid plan?
That’s okay. Not having a prepaid plan or written wishes doesn’t prevent you from moving forward. A funeral home or cremation provider can explain the next steps and help you make arrangements.
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