Funeral and burial decisions often must be made quickly, at a time when families are already managing grief. Planning ahead provides clear direction for your loved ones and helps you estimate the funds needed for final expenses.
The amount varies widely. Your wishes, location, cemetery costs, military or Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, and any arrangements you have already made can all affect what your family may need to pay.
What Final Expenses Can Include
Funeral bills often separate individual goods and services. Depending on the arrangements selected, expenses may include:
- Funeral home services and use of facilities
- Preparation and care of the deceased
- A viewing, funeral, memorial, or graveside service
- Transportation
- A casket or an urn
- A cemetery plot, opening and closing of the grave, and a burial liner or vault
- A headstone or marker
- Flowers, notices, printed materials, and other personal selections
Not all arrangements include every item. Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, consumers have the right to get a general price list from a funeral provider when they ask about funeral arrangements. They also have the right to choose the funeral goods and services they want (with some exceptions), and funeral providers must state this right on the general price list. If state or local law requires purchase of any particular item, the funeral provider must disclose it on the price list, with a reference to the specific law. The funeral provider may not refuse, or charge a fee, to handle a casket bought elsewhere, and a provider offering cremations must make alternative containers available. The Funeral Rule mainly applies to funeral providers; standalone cemeteries and third-party sellers could face different regulations. Additionally, cemetery rules and state laws may influence the options available.
Burial and Cremation Costs Can Vary
A funeral with a viewing and burial may include preparation of the body, transportation, a service, a casket, and burial. Cemetery charges, a monument, flowers, and other expenses may be billed separately, so the total cost can exceed the funeral home’s service package.
Direct cremation may involve fewer funeral-home services than arrangements that include a viewing and formal service, which can affect the total cost. Additional expenses may still include transportation, a memorial service, an urn, an interment space or columbarium niche, and a marker. The most useful estimate is one based on your preferred arrangements and local costs.
How VA Burial Benefits May Reduce the Cost
Eligible Veterans, service members, Reservists, and certain family members may qualify for burial in a VA national cemetery. Benefits may include a gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a government burial liner, a government headstone or marker, and perpetual care at no cost to the family.
Eligibility requirements apply, and space must be available. Funeral-home and cremation-provider services are generally separate expenses and are not covered simply because the burial occurs in a VA national cemetery.
A spouse, surviving spouse, minor child, or certain unmarried adult children may also qualify for burial in a VA national cemetery. Eligible spouses and children may be buried with the Veteran, with their names and dates of birth and death inscribed on the Veteran’s headstone. When both spouses are eligible Veterans, separate gravesites and headstones may be available.
Eligible Veterans, service members, and Reservists may also qualify for a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and military funeral honors at no cost to the family. Military funeral honors include, at a minimum, a two-person uniformed detail, the playing of Taps, and the folding and presentation of the U.S. flag. At least one member of the detail represents the deceased person’s branch of service. These honors may accompany either casketed or cremated remains.
VA burial benefits may help eligible individuals with certain funeral, burial, plot or interment, and transportation expenses. Eligibility and payment amounts depend on several factors, including whether the Veteran’s death was service-connected, when the death occurred, the burial location, and whether another organization reimbursed the expenses.
Benefit amounts and requirements may change. You can review current eligibility criteria, filing requirements, reimbursement rules, and allowance amounts on the VA’s Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits page.
Estimate the Amount Your Family May Need
A practical estimate starts with the gap between expected expenses and the resources already available.
- Decide what type of funeral, memorial, burial, or cremation arrangements you prefer.
- Request local price information for the services and cemetery costs you would likely select.
- Confirm which VA, military, employer, or other benefits may apply to you and your family.
- Subtract prepaid arrangements, dedicated savings, and existing life insurance intended for these expenses.
- Allow for costs that benefits may not cover, such as travel for family members, a reception, flowers, notices, or other personal choices.
Because prices and benefits can change, revisit the estimate periodically and make sure your beneficiary designation and important documents are current. Share your preferences with the person who would be responsible for the arrangements.
How Life Insurance Can Help
Life insurance can provide money to your beneficiary for final expenses and other financial needs. The amount and type of coverage to consider depend on your goals or preferences, existing resources, expected timeline, eligibility, and budget. Uniformed Services Benefit Association® Group Level Term Life Insurance provides coverage for a specified period, while Group Whole Life Insurance can provide lifetime coverage and accumulate cash value, subject to policy terms and payment of required premiums.
Use the USBA® Coverage Estimator as a starting point, or call a USBA Product Specialist at 877-297-9235 to discuss available options.
For assistance with notifications, claims, documents, and other responsibilities following a death, refer to our guide on what steps to take when someone passes away.
Note: The overall maximum coverage for each Member/Associate Member is $750,000 under all USBA-sponsored Group Life Insurance Policies.
Sources:
Federal Trade Commission. “Funeral Rule.” https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising/funeral-rule
Military OneSource. “Funeral and Burial Benefits for Service Members.” militaryonesource.mil/benefits/funeral-and-burial-benefits-for-service-members/
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits.” Updated December 15, 2025. va.gov/burials-memorials/