Funeral Directors in Plymouth

FAQs

• How to get help with funeral costs (Funeral Expenses Payment)

  You could get a Funeral Expenses Payment (also called a Funeral Payment) if you get certain benefits and need help to pay for a funeral you’re arranging.

  If you receive money from the deceased’s estate

  Your Funeral Expenses Payment will be deducted from any money you get from the deceased’s estate.

  The estate includes any money or property they had but not a house or personal things left to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner.

  What you’ll get

  Funeral Expenses Payment can help pay for some of the costs of the following:

  • burial fees for a particular plot
  • cremation fees, including the cost of the doctor’s certificate
  • travel to arrange or go to the funeral
  • the cost of moving the body within the UK, if it’s being moved more than 50 miles
  • death certificates or other documents

  You can also get money for any other funeral expenses, such as funeral director’s fees, flowers or the coffin. You can get up to:

  • £700 if the person died before 8 April 2020
  • £1,000 if the person died on or after 8 April 2020

  The payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral.

  How much you get depends on your circumstances. This includes any other money available to cover the costs, such as an insurance policy or the deceased person’s estate.

  If the deceased had a pre-paid funeral plan, you could only get up to £120 to help pay for items not covered by their plan.

  How the money is paid

  Funeral Expenses Payment is paid into your bank, building society or credit union account if you’ve already paid for the funeral.

  The money will be paid directly to the funeral organiser (for example, the funeral director) if you have not paid yet.

• What paperwork do I need and when?

  You may not need any paperwork at all, to begin with. You will probably be asked to wait to speak to the person’s Doctor Surgery during opening hours or the Administration Office at a hospital to get paperwork, so initially, there may not be any. In the meantime, we could bring the person into our care if you would like us to.

  Paperwork for accessing the deceased’s personal affairs, often called the Death Certificate, comes later.

• What do I do in the case of an unexpected death?

  If the person that has died has died unexpectedly (this can also be interpreted as not having been treated by a medical doctor for the last 14 days), the matter may be referred to Her Majesty’s Coroner. The Coroner would then take overall responsibility for the deceased until they have looked into the circumstances.

• How is a service planned?

  Usually, this is planned together with the Officiant “in charge” of the service, perhaps a Minister of Religion, Community Leader or Elder or a Non-Religious Celebrant. It may be that you are planning it all yourselves. Either way, there may be time restrictions to work with, so we all have to work together to get this right.

  You may be thinking of family and friends carrying the coffin on the day of the service, someone to deliver a Eulogy or a Reading of some kind, which music is to be played, readings or poetry, photographs or particular locations or a whole manner of things. All sorts of things come together to plan and ensure smooth running and support in the days ahead.

• Cremation or burial?

  This is a question that will be asked of you perhaps surprisingly early on. The reason is that the paperwork is not the same for a burial as it is for a cremation. Don’t worry if you haven’t had time to think about every detail or are undecided. You have choices, and you can take your time and talk it through with people before making a decision. Visit our Cemeteries and Crematoria page for more information.

• Are you available at any time?

  Whilst our office opening hours are 10am - 3pm, our phone lines are open 24 hours a day to ensure that we are always available should you need us.

• When will the funeral be?

  If you have all the information you need, you can start the funeral planning stages as soon as you feel able, and we can help you long before the details need to be finalised.

  The time between someone passing away and their funeral taking place is usually about fourteen days. If the person’s death was not expected or there are any complications, this could be extended.

  There may be cultural or religious reasons why this period needs to be longer or shorter.

• Can I visit the chapel of rest in Plymouth?

  This is a personal matter. Where appropriate, we recommend embalming so that the decision about visiting can be deferred and made at leisure and that the person looks at their best should anyone wish to pay their respects. We would also recommend embalming due to likely time scales.