Choosing a Funeral Provider in Advance
Preplanning a funeral gives you something families rarely have after a death: time. You can call a few funeral homes, ask for prices, and compare them without pressure, whether or not you ever pay ahead.
Decide what matters to your family, get each funeral home’s price list, ask what’s included, and keep what they give you in writing. Choosing a provider doesn’t commit you to prepaying.
Start with what matters to your family
- The arrangement you want
- Burial, cremation, or another option, and whether you want a viewing or service. Not every provider offers everything, such as an on-site crematory, a chapel, or green burial.
- Faith and cultural needs
- Whether the provider is familiar with your traditions and timing. See faith and cultural considerations.
- Location
- Near where your family lives, or near the cemetery you’ve chosen.
- Cemetery coordination
- Whether they work with your cemetery, or are part of one.
- Accessibility
- Parking, entrances, and space for the size of your family.
Get the price information
Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you prices by phone and a General Price List to keep when you ask about arrangements in person. You can ask for the casket and outer burial container price lists too. Planning ahead lets you compare several providers’ prices, which the FTC notes is one of its main benefits.
See how to read a General Price List and your right to an itemized price list.
Ask what is included
Package names vary. Ask what a price covers and what would be billed separately, including cemetery charges and outside costs. See what’s included vs. what’s extra and packages vs. itemized pricing.
If they offer a prepaid plan
Many funeral homes will offer to set up a prepaid (preneed) plan. That’s a separate decision with its own contract. Before signing one, read how prepaid funeral plans work.
Keep what you’re given
Keep each price list, note the date on it, and write down who you spoke with. Prices change, so a list from years ago shows what things cost then, not what your family will pay. Store it with your important papers.
Questions to ask
- Can I have your General Price List and casket price list?
- What would the arrangement I want cost, item by item?
- What costs would be separate, such as the cemetery or crematory?
- Do you have your own crematory, chapel, or cemetery?
- Can you record my wishes on file without a payment?
- If I prepay, what exactly is guaranteed?
“Can you show me what you offer, what it costs, and what would actually be guaranteed or documented if I plan ahead?”
A simple comparison
| Question | Funeral home 1 | Funeral home 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price list date | ||
| Total for the arrangement I want | ||
| What’s separate | ||
| Fits our faith or traditions | ||
| Location and access |
For a full side-by-side method, see how to choose a funeral home and compare prices.
Ready to see how these choices apply to your situation?
Your Wayfinder Plan can help organize the options you’re considering and give you a clearer picture of what to ask and compare.
Build My Wayfinder Plan- Prices by phone, the General Price List, casket and container price lists: FTC Funeral Rule (consumer guidance).
- Comparing providers when planning ahead: FTC, Planning Your Own Funeral.
Wayfinder doesn’t rank funeral homes. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice.